Virgin TV adds Love Nature HD, Zoo Moo HD and IQTV

Virgin add 2 new channels Love Nature HD, ZooMoo HD and an Ondemand channel IQTV https://advanced-television.com/2018/07/19/virgin-tv-adds-animal-and-wildlife-channels/

FreeSports and YourTV too:

http://www.virginmedia.com/content/virginmedia/dotcom/en/corporate/media-centre/press-releases/virgin-tv-boosts-its-sports-selection-with-freesports.html

http://www.virginmedia.com/content/virginmedia/dotcom/en/corporate/media-centre/press-releases/yourtv-to-launch-on-virgin-tv-for-all-customers.html

FreeSports arrives 11 months after launching on other platforms, and YourTV a whopping 2 years and 10 months later!

HISTORY HD, Crime+Investigation HD, Vice and more have been confirmed, along with EPG numbers to replace all the UKTV channels:

https://community.virginmedia.com/t5/News/New-Channels/ba-p/3775403

Oh gosh… I was hoping there'd be a last minute deal with the UKTV thing, but the fact they're planning on replacing their EPG positions with these new channels has made me rethink that.

If you look at UKTV's portfolio, Dave and GOLD are the valuable channels, but would anyone really miss W or Good Food?

UKTV may have been able to pressure the likes of TV Player into massive device restrictions, so that you can only watch their channels on an Android box, PC, phone or tablet, but if Virgin feel if the channels don't have the value they once have, it's their commercial decision to get rid of them if UKTV can't meet the agreement to distribute them on the platform.

Personally I watch some of them, but if I was a VM customer who enjoys their output, I'd subscribe to an IPTV service.

I'll miss Drama anyway. Frequently watch The Bill when they show episodes back to back...

Presently the only current W show I watch and have on series link is John Bishop's In Conversation series. Bishop isn't the best interviewer in the world, but it's a one-on-one, more serious interview programme than what you tend to get on TV at the moment (Graham Norton, Jonathan Ross, Last Leg, etc.) and comes across as less forced and more relaxed than something like Piers Morgan's Life Stories.

Other than that the most important UKTV programmes for me are Gold's original programming. They've made some great documentaries in recent years - such as Paul O'Grady's series on Bob Monkhouse, and the Dinnerladies and Young Ones programmes. (They're also the current home of The Comic Strip Presents although they haven't made one in a couple of years)

There's no doubt that I can get these programmes from other sources, but for the time being they'll be less convenient to watch and new programmes will be harder to discover as they aren't included with the main way I watch TV.

I think the only show I watch on W are the repeats of Outnumbered, although my mother watches Inside the Ambulance and the Stacey Dooley doc repeats. However W's mix of US acquisitions and rare UK commissions, alongside repeats hasn't had the reaction that Gold, Dave or even Drama has had.

NOW TV is good for Gold catch-up. I've caught up on Gold's docs (the recent Young Ones edition was excellent) and new comedies using that.

I can't remember the last time I watched Good Food, Eden or Really. Yesterday does have some gems commissioned by UKTV in-between the off-target sitcom and drama scheduled between the factual programmes.

I find Yesterday's programmes to be a bit hit and miss. I watched "Nazi Victory: The Post-War Plan" when it was on, and it was alright but I'm not sure it needed to be a six-part series. I think it could have been made more concise.

Until Ofcom finally get off their arse and bring in the rules regarding carriage that we the public need.

I'm hoping it's a bluff to try and focus minds at UKTV and try to get them to come to an agreement, and they have alternate EPG numbers for the new channels for if there's a deal. But I don't know if that really is the case and I'm just being optimistic.

The Stuarts: A Bloody Reign was a sensible 3 episode commission. I was more frustrated that it was SD only, even on UKTV Player.