Virgin Media and Sky have extended their multi-year partnership, promising Virgin users access to Sky’s Ultra HD catalogue from as soon as next year.
Thanks to this deal, Virgin customers will have access to Sky Sports, Sky Cinema and Sky’s Entertainment channels all in HD as well as NBC Universal channels including Universal and SyFy with E! To launch in HD. Customers will also be able to watch more boxsets from Sky’s best shows including Jamestown, The Reluctant Landlord and upcoming hit Brassic, starring Michelle Keegan.
Sky will also offer higher resolution streams of its own channels as well as Sky Cinema through the Virgin TV Go app and customers will have access to all Sky Box Office events the same as Sky customers.
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Perhaps the biggest step up is the introduction of 4K Ultra HD content, which will be available on Virgin Media from next year.
“This expanded partnership with Sky really shows that, despite vigorous competition between us, we can join together to put viewers first”, said Virgin Media CEO Lutz Schüler. “Our customers can keep enjoying a vast collection of TV shows, films and live sport but now with greater flexibility and enhanced viewing quality. With our unrivalled ultrafast broadband paired with unlimited mobile connectivity and a line-up of fantastic programming, we give our customers everything they need to experience incredible entertainment in a way that suits them”.
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So what’s in it for Sky? CEO Stephen van Rooyen explained that the agreement will give the company a big boost in terms of viewers for its content. Sky also recently made the decision to double down on its investment in original programming with the introduction of Sky Studios, its new in-house production company. This agreement means that the TV giant will be able to share its original content with more customers than ever.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look as though Sky Atlantic will be included in the deal so it might still be worth investing in Sky or Now TV if you’re looking to keep up to date on Sky’s best US programming. However, if all goes to plan, Virgin Media users will have 4K content to look forward to very soon.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
