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Cable Technology Feature Article

November 13, 2013

Netflix Rolls Out to Virgin Media Subscribers in United Kingdom

By Michelle Nicolson, TMCnet Contributing Writer


Netflix has expanded its TiVo on-demand streaming service to Virgin Media (News - Alert) cable subscribers in the United Kingdom starting this week.

The company just completed a service trial to 40,000 U.K. homes that began last August, and the Netflix app will roll out to all 1.7 million Virgin Media subscribers with TiVo (News - Alert) over the next few days.

The move helps Netflix expand its existing base of paid subscribers. The company has aggressively pursued cross-platform accessibility, and the relationship with TiVo is an example of that strategy. Approximately 1.8 million homes in the United Kingdom have TiVo.

The Netflix app will be available alongside TiVo’s video on demand programming. Virgin Mobile (News - Alert) customers who want to watch Netflix will log in to the application using their current username and password.

If they are a new subscriber, they can sign up via the Netflix app. Netflix also is offering a six-month free trial for Virgin Media customers who are currently paying for one of its Premiere or VIP Collections subscriptions.

Virgin Media cable customers will gain access to Netflix’s movie and TV series streaming service as well as the company’s original series such as House of Cards, Orange (News - Alert) is the New Black, Arrested Development and Hemlock Grove.

To access Netflix’s streaming service on their television; subscribers need a TV with Internet access built in or need to hook up a device separate to their set-top box, such as TiVo, a tablet or a gaming console. Virgin Media is the first major pay-TV operator to integrate the streaming-video outlet into its service. In the United States, no cable or satellite-TV operators have set-top boxes with built-in access to Netflix.

Virgin Media also benefits from the new agreement with Netflix because it expands of the value of its TiVo set-top boxes and also keeps subscribers locked into its platform.




Edited by Cassandra Tucker


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