iPlayer Channel now available on Virgin
Wednesday, April 30th, 2008BBC and VM hook up
Virgin Media TV subscribers can now access content from BBC’s iPlayer directly through their TV, without compromising the bandwidth of their internet connection.
Virgin viewers can now automatically watch the last seven days of BBC programmes at no extra charge simply by pressing the red button when watching any BBC channel, adding roughly 350 extra hours of content to Virgin’s already bulging video-on-demand library, which boasts over 4,300 hours of programming, accessed regularly by roughly 50 per cent of the company’s 3.4 million customers. This news also coincides nicely with Virgin Media’s recent ‘Television Liberation’ poster campaign, touting the interactivity of their on-demand library.
Malcolm Wall, CEO of Content at Virgin, said; “We’re delighted to be the first TV platform in the UK to offer our customers BBC iPlayer as part of our on-demand service. The enormous success of iPlayer online has demonstrated the desire TV viewers have for viewing quality programmes at a time that suits them, and now it’s available from the comfort of the living room. Virgin Media is proud to be working with the BBC to continue to lead this revolution in TV viewing.”
The BBC’s director of future media, Ashley Highfield, also chimed in with; “This partnership takes us a step closer to transforming the way our audiences watch TV.” This move paves the way for the codenamed Project Kangaroo - an iPlayer-cum-4oD joint venture between the Beeb, ITV and Channel 4, which is due to be tested towards the end of this year.
