Virgin Media Launches 'TV Anywhere' Service

Virgin Media, the U.K.’s No. 1 cable operator, has launched “Virgin TV Anywhere,” which lets customers with TiVo DVR service access up to 45 live TV channels and schedule DVR recordings via mobile devices and computers.

In addition, the service lets customers access more than 4,000 hours of video-on-demand from any broadband or Wi-Fi connection. The Virgin TV Anywhere service does not provide access to a customer’s TiVo DVR recordings remotely.

As an incentive to bolster its TiVo offering, Virgin Media is giving TiVo DVR customers access to the  TV Anywhere service on the Web as well as through mobile and tablet apps, while other Virgin TV customers may access only the online service.

Virgin Media had 1.14 million TiVo subscribers as of Sept. 30, representing 30% of the MSO’s TV base, after launching the DVR offering in December 2010.

The Virgin Media TV Anywhere app for Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod devices is available now with Android devices to follow in 2013. The MSO’s web portal for the page is at http://anywhere.virginmedia.com, and a list of the live TV channels is available here.

"Our subscribers are increasingly looking to access their favorite digital entertainment across multiple screens both in the home and on the go,” Cindy Rose, Virgin Media’s executive director of digital entertainment, said in a statement. “Our partnership with TiVo has always been about much more than just delivering the industry's best in-home hybrid television experience to our subscribers, but also leveraging TiVo's pioneering technology to deliver exciting new products to bring customers a compelling entertainment experience to enjoy whenever they want, wherever they are."