Thursday, 20 October 2016

Virgin Media: Viacom and Virgin Media expand programme offer with new deal

Story from Virgin Media:

Virgin Media and Viacom, owner of Channel 5, have agreed a new multi-year programming deal in the UK and Ireland.

The partnership ensures Virgin Media customers will continue to enjoy favourite networks like MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon as well as bringing new channels, additional catch up TV and box sets to Virgin Media’s TV platform.

As part of the new deal, Virgin Media customers will have access to hundreds of hours of box sets featuring programmes such as Geordie Shore and Inside Amy Schumer.

New kids box sets from Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. – including SpongeBob SquarePants and Paw Patrol – and from November, Channel 5’s Milkshake – will further boost Virgin Media’s existing selection of kids’ programmes.

The new programming deal for the UK and Ireland also extends many of Viacom’s most-watched TV channels onto Virgin Media’s TV Anywhere platform.

This means Virgin Media customers can continue to enjoy programmes from MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon on their mobile devices.

Virgin Media customers will be the first in the UK to have access to four new mobile streaming apps – MTV Play, Nickelodeon Play, Nick Jr. Play and Comedy Central Play – giving them on-demand, on-the-go access to a library of content from each brand, as well another means of accessing a live feed of the relevant channel and a range of short-form content and games.

As part of the deal, Spike has also been made available to Virgin Media customers for the first time, alongside more than 20 other Viacom channels.

Spike mixes the best of US entertainment, drama and reality TV with Mixed Martial Arts and UK commissions – its current line-up includes Lip Sync Battle, Battlebots and Wynonna Earp.

David Bouchier, Chief Digital Entertainment Officer at Virgin Media said: “This agreement with Viacom means our customers will not just continue to have access to some of the very best TV from MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon or the newly launched Spike, but can now enjoy even more programmes on demand - whether on TV or mobile. We continue to give our customers the very best TV to watch when and how they want and it’s fantastic to work with partners who really understand this.”

Arran Tindall, SVP, Commercial and Content Distribution, for Viacom International Media Networks, added: “This deal gives Virgin Media’s customers even greater choice and control over what, when and where they watch the broad array of quality content that Viacom has to offer. We’re delighted to be partnering with Virgin Media to make content from all our branded networks available on every screen and both on-demand and on-the-go.”

©2016 Virgin Media All Rights Reserved.

Media Boy HQ do not know at time of post if Virgin Media UK will launch any from the following channels as part of this new deal with Viacom.

=== Viacom Channels NOT on Virgin Media UK right now: === 

  • Nick Jr. HD
  • Nick Jr. +1
  • Comedy Central Extra +1
  • MTV CLASSIC (Broadcasts in Virgin Media Ireland areas right now).
  • MTV MUSIC +1
  • MTV +1

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