Virgin Media boss reveals future of beloved cable TV with plans for more channels at no extra cost

VIRGIN Media customers can expect more free channels added to their boxes as the telecoms giant fights to keep up with streaming.

The firm has already added a number of streamed channels to the TV guide since last year in a bid to fill the gap from losses.

Just last week Virgin added two new streamed channels, Red Bull TV and Wonder.

In the past 12 months big name channels such as The Box, London Live and more recently Eurosport have disappeared from UK screens.

Rival Sky’s future very much appears to be in the streaming live TV space after announcing a second Sky Glass device in February, while its long-running satellite business remains with nine-year-old Sky Q boxes.

Virgin has its own streamed TV offering called Flex.

David Bouchier, Virgin Media O2’s Chief TV & Entertainment Officer told the Connected TV World Summit that there are currently about 30 so-called FAST (Free Ad-Supported TV) channels.

But they planning to introduce as many as 50, according to Broadband TV News.

“We took the decision that had technical and regulatory complications, but we took the decision that it had to sit in our EPG and our FAST channels do that,” he said.

“We also heard about the importance of regional content, local appeal. We are not going for volume. We don’t need a volume of kind of faceless international channels.

“We’re fortunate with being an English language territory that we have a lot of library from UK producers who produce a lot of programming now and have very well-known program brands that are able to create very powerful thematic FAST channels for us.”

The firm is planning to complete a shift of its broadcast technology later this year, meaning users will have smaller TV boxes.

And like Sky Glass, recordings on TV box hard drives will be replaced by a link to the cloud.

But Bouchier has given no indication it would mean the end for cable TV anytime soon.

“There is no longer a need to have that cable running around the house if you want more than one set top box,” he continued.

“It allows us to be as kind of nimble as the S watts themselves and connect to a TV wherever it is in the home using again a great install experience that we have with Virgin Media where our engineers will ensure that your broadband travels around the home.”

This is just the start – more changes ahead

Analysis by Jamie Harris, Assistant Technology and Science Editor at The Sun

Broadcasting is going through an almighty shift at the moment with the push toward streaming at a key point.

Eurosport and TNT Sports owner Warner Bros Discovery is making some big changes next year.

And it’s likely Discovery+ will disappear as a result.

The streaming service has closed in several countries already to make way for a replacement, Max, bringing HBO and Discovery content under one roof.

The UK is one of the few big markets where Max hasn’t launched yet because of existing agreements with Sky, allowing Sky Atlantic to air big HBO-made hits like Game of Thrones and The White Lotus.

But the pair recently announced a new deal that will pave the way for Max’s launch in the UK early 2026 as a standalone app, while Sky customers will get access at no extra cost.

So expect even bigger changes in the TV and streaming world next year.