VIRGIN Media customers may notice 11 extra channels on their boxes from today as part of the company’s latest free upgrade.
The stations include a mix of shows from British comedy to shocking real life stories and true crime.
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Viewers will find the selection available now on Virgin TV 360, Stream and V6 boxes.
It’s part of Virgin Media’s growing boost of streamed TV channels, known as FAST channels (Free Ad-supported Streamed TV).
These beam into living rooms using Wi-Fi instead of the traditional method, via cable.
The firm started offering FAST channels earlier this year, with 19 channels such as Catfish and CSI: New York via PlutoTV.
Among the 11 additions are four from Dave broadcaster UKTV.
UKTV Play Heroes goes on the frontline with medics and police, featuring shows such as Emma Willis: Delivering Babies, Inside the Ambulance, 999: Rescue Squad, Special Ops: Crime Squad, Cop Car Workshop, Inside the Operating Theatre, Nurses Down Under and The Shift: Women on the Force.
UKTV Play Laughs is for comedy lovers, with programmes like Hypothetical, Mel Giedroyc: Unforgivable, Judge Romesh and Comedians Giving Lectures.
And UKTV Play Full Throttle takes viewers to the skies, on the tracks and on the road, with everything plane, train and car related.
This includes Bangers & Cash, Architecture the Railways Built, Warbird Workshop, Yianni: Supercar Customiser, Secrets of the Railways, Train Truckers, Impossible Railways, Secrets of the London Underground, and Modern Wheels or Classic Steals.
UKTV Play Uncovered is for fans of history and engineering, with everything from Abandoned Engineering and Forbidden History, to World War 2 From Above and War Factories.
Other channels now available include History Hunters from A+E Networks, with shows from Sir Tony Robinson, Professor Alice Roberts, Dan Jones, and Al Murray.
These are some of the programmes that appear:
- River Hunters
- Digging for Britain
- Shipwreck Treasure Hunter
- Al Murray: Why Does Everyone Hate the English?
- Walking Through History
“The introduction of these fantastic new streaming channels demonstrates our ambition to continue enhancing our entertainment offering, giving our customers even more choice and 24/7 access to their favourite shows,” said David Bouchier, Chief TV and Entertainment Officer at Virgin Media O2.
Full list of new channels on Virgin Media
Here’s a list of all the new channels on Virgin Media and where to find them:
- History Hunters (Ch234)
- Deal Masters (Ch254)
- Qello Concerts (Ch299)
- Trace Sports Stars (Ch557)
- Real Crime (Ch237)
- Real Life (Ch238)
- ZenLIFE (Ch298)
- UKTV Play Laughs (Ch241)
- UKTV Play Heroes (Ch228)
- UKTV Play Full Throttle (Ch229)
- UKTV Play Uncovered (Ch227)
How to watch the channels for free without Virgin Media
If you don’t have Virgin Media, fear not, as there’s a way you can access these channels for free elsewhere.
The UKTV channels can already be accessed via Samsung TV Plus, as well as Amazon Freevee and Pluto TV.
History Hunters and Deal Hunters are already on Samsung TV Plus and Amazon Freevee too.
So it’s worth checking out the free streaming alternatives which are largely available as apps on smart TVs or through an Amazon Fire TV Stick.
How to cut streaming bills with top FREE TV
Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime don’t come cheap – and year on year subscription costs seem to go up.
Fortunately there are loads of free streaming TV alternatives not everyone knows about.
And we’re not just talking about BBC iPlayer and ITVX.
Here are some free alternatives worth trying: