TV Anywhere from Virgin, now for Android

Just recently Sky added more channels to their Sky Go service. It brought the total amount of “watch anywhere” channels to 57, but Virgin have today blown them out of the water by launching their TV Anywhere app for Android devices which gives access to 67 channels across “a range of tablets and smartphones” and 90 channels “online”.

The app, which is already available for iOS devices is exclusively available to Virgin Media customers with Tivo and currently it doesn’t work with Android 4.4 (KitKat). As with Sky Go, some handsets seem to offer up more functionality than others – such as some being able to manage the Tivo box but not to watch live TV.

Virgin Media launches UK’s most comprehensive entertainment-anywhere service on Android
Virgin TV Anywhere now available across a wide range of popular Android mobiles and tablets as well as all Apple iOS gadgets
Award winning service adds another nine new channels to line-up
Access to more live channels than Sky Go

Virgin Media is celebrating the Android app launch of Virgin TV Anywhere with the addition of nine extra channels to join the UK’s most comprehensive entertainment-anywhere service. They accompany an already unrivalled range of channels on Virgin TV Anywhere, which puts customers in control of their TV viewing and planning on mobile devices and online.

Virgin TV Anywhere offers more live channels than Sky Go, with 90 available online and 67 to watch on mobile and tablets. 39 of these channels are not available on Sky Go, including BT Sport, ITV, Channel 5, CBS Reality Premier Sport and many more. Virgin TV Anywhere is the first provider to offer the full range of UKTV channels as part of a multiplatform deal, all nine new channels to join the service are Alibi, Dave, Drama, Good Food, Home, Really, Watch, Yesterday and CBS Reality.

The Virgin TV Anywhere app is free to all Virgin Media TiVo® customers, taking advantage of Virgin Media’s cutting edge home entertainment and expertise in television, broadband and mobile to deliver an award winning* service that can be enjoyed wherever there is WiFi in the UK.

The entertainment-anywhere service gives customers the ability to remotely manage their TiVo set-top box, including scheduling and deleting recordings in real time.

The app also helps customers rate shows with TiVo’s trademark Thumbs Up/Down, see the recommendations TiVo has tailor-made for their household to watch and even acts as a touch/gesture-based remote control when at home. Customers can even sort out recording clashes by giving your favourite shows a higher priority to make sure they don’t miss them.

Scott Kewley, Virgin Media’s director of digital entertainment said: “With the arrival of these fantastic new channels, Virgin TV Anywhere is undoubtedly the market-leading service for those who want to take the best of their home entertainment with them to watch wherever they are at no extra cost.

“We want to deliver the best experience for our customers every time so, we’ve taken the time to develop the Android version to ensure we’re delivering an unrivalled entertainment experience for our customers.”
Keith Porritt, UKTV’s Executive Director Commercial said: “The extension of our partnership with Virgin Media is a mark of UKTV’s commitment to providing viewers with even more access to our award-winning and increasingly popular channels. We have committed to spending £110 million on-screen this year, making our channels stronger and more exciting, and now Virgin Media customers will be able to view these channels anywhere they like.”
The Virgin TV Anywhere app is available across iPads, iPhones and iPod touches, and is now available to download from the Google Play Store. It is now compatible with a wide range of Android mobiles and tablets, including the Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC One, Sony Xperia Tablet Z, Google Nexus tablets and Samsung Galaxy Note with more Android devices joining the line-up in the very near future.

Already boasting around 2,500 hours of content from the UK’s biggest on demand library for Virgin TV customers to enjoy on a computer, Virgin TV is working to replicate this service for mobile and tablet devices in the future.