Look out Sky Go -- Virgin Media has announced its Virgin TV Anywhere streaming application.
The Branson-beard-bearing company is launching a TV streaming service for your laptop, PC, iPad, iPhone and other devices over Wi-Fi. It's an evolution of the Virgin Media Player and will be officially launched in Autumn 2012.
Virgin hopes to leave Sky and its Sky Go streaming service quivering in its boots, with 30 live channels and more than 2,000 hours of on-demand services. If you're a Virgin customer, you can watch live TV and on-demand on your laptop, tablet or phone at no extra cost to your current Virgin TV package -- and that's any TV contract, not just the top-whack XL deal.
The services available to watch on the go match your TV package -- so if you pay for premium movies you can access these on the go too. And while the name suggests that you can do all this 'anywhere', you are really limited to Wi-Fi, with only management features accessible over 3G. Sky Go, on the other hand, does offer TV over 3G.
There's currently no word on which specific live channels will be included, with Virgin telling us only that there'll be a variety across a number of genres including sports, kids stuff, factual programmes and general entertainment. We can expect to see the channel line-up released soon, but hopes of live Sky Sports may be ill founded.
Customers who subscribe to Virgin's TiVo service can also download the application to take advantage of some features of TiVo through your phone or tablet. You can watch live TV over Wi-Fi, manage your TiVo recordings and even control your box when you're at home. Those recurring dreams of a 9.7-inch touchscreen remote for your TV have finally been fulfilled -- thanks Virgin!
While there are only plans to immediately release the app on iOS devices, an Android version is in the pipeline for 'early next year'.
Virgin is also looking at the possibility of streaming recorded TiVo shows direct to your iDevice, which is 'something we are investigating for the future' -- so here's hoping.
What do you think of Virgin Anytime? If you're a Sky customer, could you be tempted to make the switch? Is it the final piece in the puzzle to topple the once-Murdoch-run satellite service? Let us know in the comments or on our Facebook wall.
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Comments 12
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anonymous 7 September, 2012 19:03
Fiber broadband service aside, is Virgin Media really a credible alternative to Sky? I seem to get mailers regularly from them offering pretty reasonable prices but looking closer I see only two of the four sports channels are offered in HD, no Sky Atlantic and I've no idea what is included in their mobile offering. Is the grass really greener?
billfred 7 September, 2012 19:20
Xbox app. 'nuff said.
anonymous 8 September, 2012 07:55
if only if its available 2 non virgin customers with sky skysports den only it cn b a big big threat to sky
anonymous 9 September, 2012 00:44
At last VM is getting its act together and showing how lame and greedy Sky can be.
However, why oh why can't VM see that Apple is on the wain and that Android is the future. Making us wait until next year for this app is terrible. Grrrrrrrr !
anonymous 9 September, 2012 06:35
Apple on the wain, please. Comparing Android to iPhone isn't really fair let's try phone for phone and see the output you tool!
anonymous 9 September, 2012 10:16
Android app next year....when will these stupid companies learn that there are way more android devices than ios. Stupid virgin.
anonymous 10 September, 2012 11:00
Pathetic. Where's the live TV over 3G!? We've been awaiting a reply service to sky go for years, and fu**ing Virgin are still dragging their heels. I wish CNET would stop ppraising them, their service is a joke, their prices are madness, their privacy policies are a joke. I've been with them 15 years and i'm still awaiting a decent cable service. I mean the only reason i haven't switched is because of atmospheric signal quality with sky, that's the only reason i don't switch. Sort it all out Virgin and you can rule Britannia!
anonymous 10 September, 2012 11:01
YEAH! where's the android app, CMON VIRGIN we want 3G TV on our mobile's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
anonymous 10 September, 2012 11:02
where art thou TV on my android 3G Virgin?
anonymous 10 September, 2012 11:09
PFFFFFT. Pathetic virgin, expect nothing less. So they're over a year behind Sky Go. Then they announce the service and it's got no channels, no android, blackberry, windows apps. No TV over 3G.
Virgin are shitt. End of. Bit ironic to have Usain Bolt as your icon. You're nothing like his speed.
anonymous 14 September, 2012 00:09
Why is this country full of unwitting Murdoch brainwashed fools? For example whoever he backs in his rags in an election year gets to power. Sky news is Murdoch news and technically virgin tivo blows sky out of the water. And sure they are a little short on content but sky have set a ridiculous price for sky Atlantic and refuse to hand over more than 2 sports hd channels. You do not need to shove your landline in the back of tivo like some crappy old modem connection, in fact you don't even need a landline. Throw in free service and repair (plenty suckers paying sky for insurance), superior on demand content, triple tuners down ONE cable and virgin just looks better.
anonymous 28 November, 2012 21:22
we should be able to watch virgin anywhere on our xboxs to,come on virgin,your lagging behind