4K ultra HD programming is going to reach more customers than ever in the UK/Europe now due to a new deal between Virgin and Sky in which Virgin Media Customers get access to Sky’s roster of programming. In the recently signed multi-year deal, this content expansion and an expanding selection of set-top boxes are key elements.
The Virgin/Sky agreement essentially guarantees that Sky channels, including Sky Cinema and Sky Sports, will have availability across Vrgin Media’s platforms.
This Includes linear and additional video-on-demand 4K content from Sky, Among this will be content such as live sports, and shows like Jamestown and the forthcoming comedy Brassic, with Michelle Keegan.
According to Lutz Schüler, CEO of Virgin Media:
“This expanded partnership with Sky really shows that, despite vigorous competition between us, we can join together to put viewers first. Our customers can keep enjoying a vast collection of TV shows, films and live sport but now with greater flexibility and enhanced viewing quality.”
NBCUniversal’s plethora of content and channels, which include Universal, E! and SyFy, and others are also part of the above deal, and will now appear in HD. Virgin Media customers can also now freely watch Sky Cinema through the Virgin TV Go app for the first time.
According to the other party in this new, major content deal, Stephen van Rooyen, CEO UK & Ireland, Sky:
“Thanks to this extended partnership, millions more people will now have access to hundreds of Sky boxsets and our incredible UHD content, as well as all the great Sky content they had before, from top Premier League fixtures to BAFTA-winning Sky originals. This partnership shows what can be achieved when you put the customer first and is a great example of industry collaboration.”
On the other hand, it bears repeating that this new 4K content from Sky won’t appear to Virgin Media customers until early 2020. Also, Sky Atlantic won’t be included in the new deal and we have no word yet on HDR formatting for content available via either Sky or Virgin.