Just weeks after millions of Virgin Media customers lost out on 10 UKTV channels from their TV packages over a row about fees, an agreement has been made to reinstate them.
Earlier today it was announced free-to-air channels such as Dave, Drama, Gold and Good Food have already started to reappear as listed in viewers’ TV electronic program guides.
Paid channels are expected to follow shortly.
What’s more, customers seem to have benefitted from the temporary dispute as the new deal is believed to come with even more HD and on-demand programming.
Read more: Viewers threaten to QUIT Virgin Media after losing 10 channels overnight
Furious viewers threatened to quit Virgin after the unexpected losses, insisting they would be cancelling their subscriptions if the popular channels featuring shows such as Call The Midwife, Room 101, QI, Taskmaster, Would I Lie To You? and Red Dwarf were not restored.
It is believed Virgin had refused to pay what it called “inflated” fees, complaining not all all channels were able to be shown on-demand.
In response, UKTV – part-owned by the BBC – had said it could not accept “drastic” price cuts proposed by Virgin Media.
An update from the team at UKTV. Thank you everyone for your support. pic.twitter.com/Vi6rxykZI9
— Official UKTV (@UKTV) August 11, 2018
We’ve got some great news for you. All @UKTV channels are coming back to Virgin TV. More details here: https://t.co/Yl9kD2kiVJ pic.twitter.com/LSHsYFNCUd
— Virgin Media (@virginmedia) August 11, 2018
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A statement on UKTV’s Twitter page today said messages from thousands of customers demanding the return of channels such as Really, Yesterday and W had been read and responded to.
It read: “[W]e’re so sorry it’s taken both companies this long, and has caused disruption to so many people.”
The tweet continued: “Thank you also to Virgin Media with whom we’ve agreed to kiss and make-up.”
David Bouchier, Virgin’s chief digital entertainment officer, said: “Reaching this agreement reaffirms our longstanding partnership with UKTV and is fantastic news for our customers.
“They can enjoy channels like Dave and Gold once again, including in HD, and also get more UKTV on-demand programming than ever before.”
He added: “We are sorry for what we know has been a frustrating time for our customers, but are pleased that our TV bundles are now even bigger.”
Simon Michaelides, UKTV’s chief commercial officer, said: “Viewers are at the heart of UKTV and we want to thank them for all of their support.
“We know this has created real disruption for some of our viewers and we’re so sorry for this, but we are thrilled to be back, broadcasting our channels and shows to customers of Virgin Media once more.”
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