• Sky’s premium channels now available for as little as £13.50
• Customers can save up to £108* per year
• Reductions available on both Sky Sports & Sky Movies packages

Virgin Media is to pass on big savings to customers this summer, by offering Sky’s premium channels at simple, newly reduced prices. From the 1st July, Virgin Media customers – both new and existing - will be able to save up to £108 per year on Sky Sports and Sky Movies packages, provided by Virgin Media Entertainment.

With the premium channels now available for as little as £13.50 per month, it’s never been a better time to be a Virgin Media customer. For those wanting to add or keep a single Sky Sports (Sky Sports 1 or 2) or Sky Movies (Sky Movies 1 or 2) package, the cost is now only £13.50 for Virgin Media TV customers on M+, L or XL TV packages – offering regular savings of up to £9 per month.

Virgin Media is helping to kick-off the brand new premier league football season with a bang, offering all of the sports channels in the Sky Sports Collection (Sky Sports 1, 2, 3 and 4) for just £20.50** per month. This new pricing offers football fans a discount of up to £42 per year – enough to buy their favourite team’s new season shirt!

Film fanatics will also benefit this summer from the new prices, saving up to £84 per year on Sky Movies channels – enough to indulge in pizza and popcorn to accompany their favourite films. Virgin Media is offering all of the Sky Movies channels in the Sky Movies Collection (Sky Movies 1 and 2, plus Sky Movies Premiere, Sky Movies Premiere +1, Sky Movies Showcase and Disney Cinemagic) for only £19.50** per month.

For film and football fans under one roof, Virgin Media is also offering big savings on the top Sky Sports and Movies Collection – making all of the premium channels available in one package for only £27.50** per month. This top of the range bundle will now save Virgin Media customers up to £72 per year.

The agreements cover the following:

* Sky will acquire VMtv for a total consideration of up to £160 million in cash, with £105 million paid on completion and the remainder paid following the regulatory process. The acquisition will expand Sky's portfolio of basic pay TV channels and eliminate the carriage fees it currently pays for distributing VMtv channels on its TV services.

* Sky will assume responsibility for selling advertising for the newly acquired VMtv channels from January 2011.

* New carriage agreements will secure wholesale distribution of Sky's basic channel line-up, including Sky1 and Sky Arts, and the newly acquired VMtv channels, on Virgin Media's cable TV service.

* For an incremental wholesale fee, Virgin Media will, for the first time, have the option of carrying any of Sky's basic HD channels, Sky Sports HD 1 and Sky Sports HD 2, and all Sky Movies HD channels.

* Virgin Media will make available through its on-demand TV service a range of content from Sky's basic and premium channels, including the newly acquired VMtv channels. Virgin Media will also have access to red button interactive sports coverage and the opportunity to deliver selected standard definition programming over the internet.

Completion of the agreements is conditional on obtaining merger control clearance in the Republic of Ireland.

Jeremy Darroch, CEO, BSkyB, said: "VMtv is an attractive investment opportunity which complements our existing content business and delivers strategic and financial benefits. We are pleased that, through commercial negotiation, we have been able to ensure wide distribution of our channels to a growing pay TV universe."

Neil Berkett, CEO, Virgin Media, said: "The sale of our channels business has generated substantial value. Together with the new commercial agreements we've announced today, it will allow us to focus more closely on our strategy of exploiting Virgin Media's super-fast connectivity to offer our customers a range of the very best content through a highly versatile next generation entertainment application."

The acquisition of VMtv involves Sky acquiring LIVING, LIVINGit, Challenge, Challenge Jackpot, Bravo, Bravo 2 and Virgin1. Sky will not license the Virgin brand and will announce the new channel brand for Virgin1 in due course.

New and existing TV customers can get the new V HD Box from March 22nd for a one-off cost of just £49 plus installation*. There are no extra on-going subscription fees.

Virgin Media has already revealed that HD channels from ITV, Eurosport, Discovery, SCI FI, E4 and Film4 will all be added to its TV service later this year. HD channels from the BBC and Channel 4 are currently available to all Virgin TV customers. Subscribers to Virgin Media's 'XL' TV package can also watch Premier League football and more top sport on ESPN HD, become captivated by compelling documentaries on National Geographic HD and be entertained by FX HD, MTV Networks HD and LIVING HD (a Virgin Media exclusive).

This increasing range of HD channels is also complemented by an extensive on demand library with thousands of hours of programmes, including hundreds in spectacular HD. Recent blockbusters such as Inglourious Basterds, Star Trek or The Hurt Locker, as well as films exclusive to Virgin TV such as Ché, are available alongside TV hit series including True Blood and Carnivàle, all in HD and ready to start at the press of a button.

The Cisco-made box is 3D-ready and includes HDMI, SCART, USB and Ethernet ports to make the most of any digital home cinema experience. Featuring a best-in-class power saving function which dramatically cuts power usage by approximately 95% compared to stand-by mode, the V HD Box can also help minimise customers' electricity bills.

The V HD Box adds to Virgin Media's existing choice of the V Box, for basic digital TV, and the V+ HD Box which incorporates HD capability with a Personal Video Recorder. Virgin Media retains ownership of its set-top boxes so customers do not need to pay for warranties and, should anything go wrong, do not face expensive call-out charges or replacement or repair fees.

Virgin Media's executive director of digital entertainment, Cindy Rose, said: "We want to make the best High Definition TV available to more people at affordable prices and without the additional monthly subscription fee. If you really love telly you'll probably want our V+HD box because then you can then record programmes on up to two channels while simultaneously watching another. Our new V HD Box is ideal for anyone who wants to experience the power of HD without the extra monthly fee. We think our superb range of TV content gives our customers a real choice and makes Virgin Media the best value TV offering available."

Customers can pre-register for the V HD Box and find out more about Virgin Media's HD products and services at: www.virginmedia.com/hd.

Film4 HD will offer a daily line-up of fantastic movies. The channel will showcase the very best of British film-making, including Slumdog Millionaire, Mike Leigh's Happy Go Lucky and Ken Loach's Looking for Eric, as well as US independent films, Hollywood blockbusters, mainstream drama and comedy, foreign films and cult cinema alongside special features, in-depth interviews and exclusive programming, Film4 is the UK's favourite film channel.

E4 HD offers hugely popular programmes including Glee, Skins and Hollyoaks in HD and simulcasts the E4 schedule. Alongside a choice of Channel 4 commissioned programmes, E4 HD also offers a range of films and well known US series including Desperate Housewives, 90210, and Ugly Betty in HD. E4 HD is expected to launch on Virgin Media in April.

Cindy Rose, executive director of digital entertainment at Virgin Media, said: "Channel 4 has a great track record in delivering innovative and compelling content and we're delighted to bring some of their very best films and most popular programmes to our customers in stunning HD. As more and more households become HD-ready, we're lining up content that makes the most of High Definition and are making HD available to all our of customers for no extra fee."

Sarah Rose, Head of VoD and Channel Development at, Channel 4, said, "We're really excited to be launching Film4 HD and showcasing some fantastic British films to millions of viewers in High Definition. There's a growing appetite for HD and our line up of C4HD, E4HD and, now, Film4HD provides a great choice of HD content for viewers."

E4HD and Film4HD join Virgin Media's growing HD line-up of C4HD, BBC HD, ESPN HD, FX HD, MTVN HD, National Geographic HD, LIVING HD (a Virgin Media exclusive) and the forthcoming Discovery HD and Eurosport HD channels.

So far this year, Virgin Media has announced four new HD channels and the company plans to reveal more details about further launches in the coming months.

Virgin Media already carries several hundred hours of HD programmes on demand, all ready to start at the touch of a button. This includes HD versions of popular films, as well as BBC iPlayer HD and full television series such as Six Feet Under, The Sopranos and Angels in America, with Virgin Media's huge TV Choice on Demand archive.

Virgin Media, the UK's leading entertainment and communications company, has confirmed its TV customers will soon be able to enjoy Discovery HD as well as more HD shows on demand, as part of the company’s growing High-Definition offering.

Launching this spring, Discovery HD on Virgin TV will broadcast all day, every day and offer content from Discovery’s extensive collection of more than 1500 hours of HD programming. Discovery HD is full of entertaining shows about popular science, history, engineering, culture and natural history including Extreme Engineering, Mythbusters, NASA’s Greatest Missions and Bear Grylls: Born Survivor.

This is Virgin Media’s second announcement about new HD channels this year and the company plans to reveal more details about further launches in the coming months. Virgin Media’s expanding HD line-up already covers a wide variety of branded entertainment, including drama, sport, documentaries and music, with channels from the BBC and Channel 4 available to all Virgin TV customers, as well as ESPN, FX, MTV Networks, National Geographic, LIVING (a Virgin Media exclusive) and the forthcoming Eurosport HD channel all available for no additional monthly fee to ‘XL’ TV customers.

In addition, Discovery Networks and Virgin Media will make HD on demand content available, such as Deadliest Catch and Miami Ink. Virgin Media already carries several hundred hours of HD programmes on demand, all ready to start at the touch of a button. This includes HD versions of popular films, as well as BBC iPlayer HD and full television series via Virgin Media’s huge TV Choice on Demand archive.

Cindy Rose, executive director of digital entertainment at Virgin Media, said: “Discovery’s engrossing programming is all the more amazing in High-Definition and will make a compelling addition to our growing HD line-up. We’re adding several more HD channels in the coming months, which we will make available to our XL TV customers for no extra monthly fee. Compelling channels, combined with our vast collection of on-demand programming, will ensure that our customers have the best overall HD entertainment package available.”

Dee Forbes, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Discovery Networks UK, said: “Virgin Media is a valued partner of ours and I am delighted that they have added Discovery’s UK HD channel to their portfolio. Discovery has been at the forefront of HD development across the globe and now offers HD services in 23 international markets. HD is increasingly popular with TV viewers and with over 1500 hours of HD content to choose from, Discovery gives consumers the opportunity to see many of their favourite shows in stunning high definition.”

The new initiative, which comes as part of a variety of unlimited calls packages on all Virgin Phone tariffs, is designed to give customers a worry-free way of keeping families connected, and friends in touch with loved ones. With over £1.6 billion spent on calls each year from fixed line to mobiles in the UK, this groundbreaking offer will give Virgin Media home phone customers an unbeatable way to save with unlimited calls to Virgin mobiles, added to the unlimited voice calls to UK landlines already included in their packages.

The move reflects Virgin Media’s focus on innovating in the mobile market and giving its customers more. With ten per cent of Virgin Media customers subscribing to 'quadplay' or four services, nearly half a million customers will be able to benefit immediately from free calls from their Virgin Phones to their Virgin Mobiles in addition to the free Virgin Mobile to Virgin Mobile calls they already benefit from. Alongside this, more than 4 million home phone customers will be able to make free calls to anyone with a Virgin Mobile phone.

Graeme Oxby, executive director of mobile and telephony at Virgin Media said: “At a time when other providers seem keen on giving their customers less from their phone service, we are extremely proud to be leading the way in this field, being the first to offer free home phone to mobile calls. Our successful quadplay strategy has demonstrated customers are looking for exceptional value by bundling more services together, and this move to include free calls to mobiles with our home phone service underlines our commitment to ensure Virgin Media customers get the best deals possible.”