BBC and Eurosport bring 2012 Olympics to Virgin Media customers

• 24 live channels in SD and HD from the BBC
• BBC and Eurosport 3D to bring first ever Games in 3D
• Advanced TiVo Red Button services for the best ‘interactive’ Olympics

With the 2012 London Olympics just one hundred days away, Virgin Media today revealed a wide range of exciting Olympics content its customers will be able to enjoy throughout the Summer of Sport on Virgin Media TV, all at no extra cost. Featuring live broadcasts in both standard- and high-definition, interactive apps and even a wide range of events in 3D, Virgin Media’s unbeatable coverage of the Olympics, courtesy of the BBC and Eurosport, will provide fans the perfect destination for all their Olympic viewing.

For sports fans wanting to keep up with the absolute latest, in addition to the Olympics coverage on BBC One, BBC Three, BBC One HD and BBC HD, Virgin Media will also be bringing its customers 24 live streams in both standard- or high-definition* courtesy of the BBC. This extensive coverage will mean that for the first time ever, every Olympic sport will be available to view live, whether it’s gymnastics, judo or show jumping. The 24 live channels will be available through the Electronic Programme Guide, or through a dedicated BBC Red Button application. For TiVo customers the BBC Red Button service will take advantage of the service’s IP connectivity and will be enhanced with an exhaustive catch-up offering allowing viewers to catch up on key moments of the games at a time of their choosing.

For die-hard Olympophiles looking for even more immersion, in addition to the regular coverage, Virgin Media will also be bringing its customers Olympics content in 3D courtesy of BBC and Eurosport 3D. The BBC will be showing the opening and closing ceremonies in 3D, alongside selected live events and daily highlights in 3D. Due to launch 27th July, Eurosport 3D will broadcast a mix of around eight hours of live coverage in 3D alongside four hours of each day’s main highlights and to provide the most comprehensive 3D coverage of the Games on British television.

Aleks Habdank, director of digital entertainment at Virgin Media said: “With a full range of live channels in HD and the first Olympics in 3D, Virgin Media TV customers are going to be spoilt with an unbeatable digital TV experience for watching the 2012 London Olympics. This year’s unprecedented breadth of viewing options will allow fans of any Olympic sport to watch their favourite events live and on demand, and with BBC and Eurosport 3D, viewers will be able to immerse themselves in the Games as never seen before.”

Virgin Media will also have a range of Olympics content available to watch at anytime through its pioneering TV on Demand service. Through the course of the Games, customers will be able to enjoy a range of catch-up content through BBC iPlayer, as well as selected highlights from Eurosport 3D to relive those spectacular moments with incredible depth and realism.

Customers with Virgin Media’s TiVo or V+ HD services also have additional benefits such as the ability to record up to three channels simultaneously. For customers enjoying the Games live, TiVo also allows customers to tune into three separate channels at the same time, with TiVo automatically storing up to three ‘live buffers’ through its triple tuner feature. This allows viewers to flip channels at a whim and pause and rewind the action on any of the channels on the three tuners, even if customers aren’t recording the Games.

For further information of Virgin Media’s products and services, visit www.virginmedia.com.

Notes to Editors

* Depending on a customer’s equipment, different services will be available:

Table 1: All customers will be able to receive BBC’s 24 live streams in Standard Definition; customers require HD compatible equipment to receive HD versions of the 24 live streams and 3D compatible equipment to receive BBC 3D or Eurosport 3D. TiVo customers will be getting advanced BBC Red Button functionality including with an exhaustive catch-up offering allowing viewers to catch up on key moments of the games at a time of their choosing.

Olympics coverage from the BBC includes:

As host nation broadcaster for London 2012 the BBC is broadcasting a wide range of Olympic programming in 2012; including the London 2012 Festival, the Olympic Torch Relay and the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The BBC will have extensive coverage of the Games from 27th July to 12th August on television, radio, online and mobile, including live action of every Olympic sport from every venue throughout every day on www.bbc.co.uk/sport

Throughout the London 2012 Olympics Games, the BBC Sport app will give audiences access to 2,500 hours of content and up to 24 simultaneous live events, all in HD, ensuring that, for the first time ever, millions of viewers across the UK will be able to watch every Olympic sport, live from every venue. Viewers will be able to access the same content that will be streamed live on the BBC Sport website on their TVs, through the app on their TV, as well as on all four screens online – mobile, tablet, connected TV and PC. There will also be a comprehensive range of highlights and news headlines available 24/7.

For further information on all BBC Olympic-related programming, news and general information visit www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/bbc2012/

Olympics coverage from Eurosport includes:

Eurosport’s Olympic coverage will be in High Definition 24/7, and viewers with 3D capable TV’s and the correct subscription package will have access for the first time to over 100 hours of 3D programming.

Eurosport devotes its entire channel to the Olympic Games and London 2012 will be no exception. From the opening rounds of the football tournament to the Closing Ceremony Eurosport will be broadcasting live action, breaking news, event reports and on-site reaction round the clock. The day starts with the breakfast show, a 26 minute round of up the overnight action and a look ahead at the day to come. Then from the first event there is up to 13 hours of live action per day from all the main Olympic sports, with all the heats and finals from swimming and athletics covered live. At the close of the live action Eurosport will show a daily round up of the day’s action, interviews with special guests and reaction from its experts. On site Eurosport has the two fastest men of the 20th century. Olympic Champion and former 100m World Record Holder Maurice Greene and fellow Olympic Champion and 100m freestyle World Record Holder Pieter van den Hoogenband as its expert pundits.

About Virgin Media:

Virgin Media is the first provider of all four broadband, TV, mobile phone and home phone services in the UK.

The company’s cable network – the result of a multi-billion pound private investment – delivers ultrafast broadband connections to over half of all UK homes, with speeds of up to 100Mb, and is being expanded to reach thousands more people across the country.

Virgin Media has developed the most advanced interactive television service, bringing together broadcast TV, thousands of hours of on demand programming and the best of the web in a single set-top box powered by TiVo. The company was the first to offer HD TV and 3D on demand to millions of UK households.

Virgin Media also operates the most popular virtual mobile network in the UK which, when launched, was the world’s first such mobile phone service. It is also one of the largest fixed-line home phone providers in the country.

Virgin Media Inc. is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market and the London Stock Exchange (VMED).

For journalist enquiries contact:

Press Office

Virgin Media

Emma Hutchinson
Email: pressoffice@virginmedia.co.uk