LONDON, Jan. 19, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Leading entertainment and communications company, Virgin Media (Nasdaq:VMED), is bringing sport on demand to its 3.5 million TV customers. The launch of Setanta Replay on Virgin Media offers a range of sports content, including the latest Barclays Premier League games, FA Cup matches, England home friendlies and World Cup qualifiers and means Virgin Media customers will never have to miss the big match again.
Malcolm Wall, CEO of Content, Virgin Media, said: "We're always looking at new ways of bringing compelling sports content to our customers, across TV, on demand and online. Setanta Replay is a great way to watch the game when you want, how you want and, by continuing to add such great content, we'll further drive uptake of on demand and keep changing the way people watch TV."
Virgin Media has seen significant take-up in on demand viewing over the past year. Driven by a raft of new content partners and deals in TV, music, movies and kids programming as well as the launch of the popular BBC iPlayer on Virgin Media's TV service, Virgin Media enjoys an average 45 million on demand views each month, almost twice as many as the same time a year ago.(1)
From today Setanta Replay on Virgin Media will offer top sporting fixtures on demand for up to seven days after live broadcast. All customers on 'XL' TV package will have access to Setanta Replay at no additional cost. Customers on 'M' or 'L' TV packages can subscribe to TV Choice and get a whole range of on demand content, including Setanta Replay, for just GBP 7 per month.
Virgin Media customers can also enjoy a Setanta Sports package of live sports across Setanta Sports 1, Setanta Sports 2, Setanta Golf, Racing UK, Celtic TV and Rangers TV and keep up to date with all sports news with Setanta Sports News.
(1) Average monthly views were 45 million in Q3 2008, up 95% on the same quarter last year.
About Virgin Media
Virgin Media is an innovative and pioneering UK entertainment and communications business. For the first time consumers can get everything they need from one company - the UK's only quad-play of TV, broadband, phone and mobile, plus the most advanced TV on demand service, all delivered through its unique fibre-optic cable network. Virgin Media launched the UK's first high definition TV service, is the only TV platform to carry BBC iPlayer, and offers a high-specification, HD-ready V+ personal video recorder. Virgin Media is the UK's largest residential broadband provider, the largest virtual mobile network operator and the second-largest provider of pay TV and home phone.
Virgin Media owns two content businesses - Virgin Media Television (VMTV) and sit-up. VMTV owns eight entertainment channels - Virgin1, Living, Living 2, Bravo, Bravo 2, Challenge, Challenge Jackpot and Trouble - and is a 50% partner in UKTV which consists of ten channels including Dave, G.O.L.D, Watch and Alibi. sit-up runs retail TV channels bid tv, price-drop tv and speed auction tv.
Virgin Media has been voted the sixth Most Loved Brand in Britain in a Marketing magazine poll, as well as having been voted the Most Trusted ISP Brand 2008 by Reader's Digest magazine. The Sunday Times also awarded Virgin Media its 2008 Best Buy awards for broadband and movies on demand.
Virgin Media is the largest Virgin company in the world and has almost 10 million customers. To find out more visit www.virginmedia.com/presscentre.
About Setanta Sports
Setanta Sports, the platform-neutral premium sports channel business, is a leading international pay-TV sports broadcaster operating channels in the UK, Ireland, North America and Australia. Founded in 1992, its premium sports content is available to tens of millions of digital homes worldwide.
Setanta operates more sports channels than any other broadcaster in the UK and Ireland. Setanta Sports is the most widely-available premium sports broadcaster in the UK and is available to all digital homes: on satellite, via Freeview, Virgin Media, Tiscali, BT Vision and by Broadband, ensuring the widest possible distribution to all sports fans.
Setanta Sports is the only broadcaster of premium sports on digital terrestrial television (Freeview). The Setanta Sports 1 channel, featuring the best of Setanta's premium live content, is available on Freeview boxes with viewing card slots and integrated TVs with a common interface (CI slot).
The Setanta Sports Pack is available to satellite and cable customers and is made up of the following channels:
Setanta Sports 1 Setanta Sports 2 Setanta Golf Racing UK NASN (North American Sports Network)* Celtic TV Rangers TV LFC TV Arsenal TV
Setanta Sports is also available online, live and on demand, via Setanta by Broadband, featuring all Setanta's leading content offered on Setanta Sports 1, Setanta Sports 2 and Setanta Golf, allowing sports fans to access at home, work or elsewhere.
For a full list of Setanta Sports' exclusively live sporting content and fixture details, please visit www.setanta.com http://www.setanta.com.
Content includes Barclays Premier League football, FA Cup, England international friendlies, 2010 World Cup qualifiers involving England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland; Clydesdale Bank Premier League, Blue Square Premier, US PGA Golf, Indian Premier League cricket, Asia Cup Cricket, live Magners League rugby, top-flight boxing, Ultimate Fighting Championship and action from some of Europe's best football leagues.
Setanta Sports is available with no annual contract required. For the latest pricing offers on any platform, please visit www.setanta.com or call 08712 10 20 30.
Setanta Sports is also joint owner with Virgin Media of Setanta Sports News, the new 24-hour sports news channel, available free-to-air on the Virgin Media platform, and also on satellite, covering all the top sports news stories from the UK and abroad.
*not available to Virgin Media customers