If you watch television on an older TiVo set-top box from Virgin Media, you'll need to take action this month — or lose out on access to BBC iPlayer. The streamer will stop working on these decade-old devices from July 23, meaning you'll lose access to boxsets, catch-up shows, and the flagship 4K Ultra HD streaming quality on BBC iPlayer.
Virgin Media first released its TiVo-enabled set-top boxes back in 2010. These set-top boxes were a direct competitor to Sky+ HD, offering the ability to record shows and films, pause and rewind live television, and watch on-demand content.
Virgin Media, which closed a £31bn merger with O2 in early 2021, has sent emails to subscribers with ageing TiVO boxes over the last six months who continue to use BBC iPlayer. If you haven't watched an on-demand boxset, or streamed a live show via BBC iPlayer in the last six months, you might've missed out on the email.
"We have written directly to the small proportion of customers with a TiVo box, who have used BBC iPlayer within the past six months, to inform them that their box will not support iPlayer from 23 July," a spokesperson for Virgin Media confirmed in a statement to The Sun.
Good news? If you're impacted by the latest shake-up, Virgin Media is offering a free upgrade to the newer Virgin TV 360 box. Sleeker in design and significantly speedier, the TV 360 box swaps TiVo's dated interface for a modern, app-style user interface and modern trimmings like voice control.
It supports 4K UHD, offers seamless multi-room viewing with mini boxes, and is built around profiles and personalisation—something TiVo simply couldn’t do.
BBC iPlayer is available on a wide range of devices, from mobile phone to consoles GETTY IMAGES Only a relatively small number of Virgin Media subscribers should be impacted by this change, as most have already moved on from the ageing TiVo set-top box when renegotiating new contracts with the brand.
"As we have previously communicated directly to relevant customers, anyone with a TiVo box is able to upgrade to a new Virgin TV 360 box at no extra cost," Virgin Media has confirmed.
If you already use a Virgin Media TV 360 box, or the newer Virgin Media TV V6, you won't experience any disruption to your BBC iPlayer access. The telecom firm seems to be gradually winding down support for its ageing TiVo platform, which has started to lose functionality as Virgin Media pushes customers towards more modern solutions, like the Virgin Stream box.
The incoming deadline for BBC iPlayer support comes days after those with newer Virgin Media hardware unlocked access to two brand-new channels free of charge.
The new additions to the TV Guide are FAST channels (Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television), which means they're delivered via a broadband connection and not aerial. That means you'll need a Virgin TV 360 box, Virgin Stream, or Virgin V6 box with an active Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection to start watching.
British Screen Classics promises to bring together classic British gems from ITV Studios and Studio Canal, like Danger Within, Clockwise, and Doctor In The House, on all internet-connected Virgin TV boxes VIRGIN MEDIA O2 PRESS OFFICE The new channels are:
- British Screen Classics | Channel 450
This new FAST channel arrives with a packed schedule of film and television gems from the classic libraries of ITV STUDIOS and STUDIO CANAL. This ad-supported channel is designed to take viewers on a journey through Britain’s great cinematic heritage by delving deep into the history of legendary British film studios and production houses to provide a 24/7 stream of adored titles such as This Sporting Life, Doctor in the House, Heaven's Above! and Clockwise. From comedy to horror, war, adventure, drama, and romance; every theme and genre is covered.
- wedotv movies | Channel 451
This contemporary film channel promises a catalogue with over 500 movies that covers all genres. The channel has organised themed stunts every day, such as Romance Mondays and Sci-fi Wednesdays, as well as special seasonal events tied to key calendar moments including Halloween and Christmas.
The new channels join a packed lineup of 33 FAST channels now accessible on Virgin TV, including Inside Crime, Homes Under The Hammer, Red Bull TV, Hell’s Kitchen, and many more.