Virgin Media dishes out a blockbuster Sky TV upgrade for free

Anyone who subscribes to Virgin Media’s telly packages and also owns a 4K TV will be pleased to hear that a pixel-packed upgrade is coming to their living rooms. The UK broadband firm has just announced that it’s upgrading a swathe of channels, including many popular Sky services, to full HD with this update being pushed out for free.

Channels receiving the glossy makeover include Sky Comedy, Sky Documentaries, Sky Sports Mix, Sky Witness and Sky Arts. As well as those Sky channels there’s also a boost to content on platforms such as More4, Cartoon Network and TCM Movies as well as National Geographic.

The upgrade will see customers with a Mix package benefit from 14 channels upgraded to HD and those who have signed up to Player or Mixit plans gain seven upgraded channels

The best part is, those with Virgin packages don’t need to do a thing with the High Definition switch being rolled out automatically from today. Virgin also says that, as part of the upgrade, it has also made improvements to enhance the viewing experience, making it easier for customers to find the new HD channels.

However, due to the change to HD some services have now moved place on the planner so you might not find your favourites in the usual position.

READ MORE: BT and Virgin Media broadband price alert! Now’s a good time to ditch your provider

Here are all the new channels

Extra channels for Player/Mixit customers

Film4 HD (CH 428) • More4 HD (CH 147) • E4 HD (CH 106) • ITVBe HD (CH 119) • ITV2 HD (CH 115) • ITV3 HD (CH 117) • ITV4 HD (CH 118)

Extra channels for Mix customers

E! HD (CH 160) • Sky Arts HD (CH 123) • Sky Comedy HD (CH 112) • Sky Crime HD (CH 121) • Sky Documentaries HD (CH 277) • Sky Max HD (CH 111) • Sky Nature HD (CH 278) • Sky News HD (CH 602) • Sky Showcase HD (CH 109) • Sky Sports Mix HD (CH 510) • Sky Sports News (CH 509) • Sky Witness HD (CH 110) • Sky Sci-Fi HD (CH 122) • Cartoon Network HD (CH 704) • TCM Movies HD (CH 415) • Nickelodeon HD (CH 712) • National Geographic HD (CH 266

Speaking about the changes, David Bouchier, Chief TV and Entertainment Officer at Virgin Media O2, said: “Providing our customers with fantastic value and ensuring they have a smooth user experience is our top priority. That’s why, where there’s an HD option available, we’re giving it to our customers as standard so they can enjoy some of the UK’s popular TV channels in fantastic high definition, at no extra cost.”