Virgin, UKTV settle carriage row

The BBC holds on to VoD rights to shows such as Only Fools & Horses

UK cabler Virgin Media and UKTV have resolved their carriage dispute with a long-term agreement that will restore all UKTV’s channels and services to Virgin TV today.

Channels such as Dave, Gold, Alibi and Yesterday will return to Virgin TV customers after a three-week absence when Liberty Global-owned Virgin and BBC- and Discovery-owned UKTV failed to agree a new carriage deal.

The dispute centred on Virgin’s inability to secure VoD rights to certain UKTV shows, which air on the linear networks. In return, the cable operator wanted to slash its UKTV fees.

The BBC holds back VoD rights to shows including Top Gear and Only Fools & Horses, instead selling them to streamers such as Netflix.

The dispute escalated last week when it emerged Virgin Media was exploring whether to auction off the slots as losses mounted at UKTV.

The new agreement between Virgin and UKTV will see more than five times the amount of on-demand programming available on Virgin TV, including more catch-up hours and more boxsets for Virgin TV Full House customers.

Meanwhile, Dave HD and Gold HD channels will be added to Virgin Media’s Mix bundle.

David Bouchier, chief digital entertainment officer at Virgin Media, said: “Reaching this agreement reaffirms our longstanding partnership with UKTV and is fantastic news for our customers.

“They can enjoy channels like Dave and Gold once again, including in HD, and also get more UKTV on-demand programming than ever before. On top of this, the channels we’ve recently added to Virgin TV will remain.

“We are sorry for what we know has been a frustrating time for our customers, but are pleased that our TV bundles are now even bigger. Our unwavering commitment to investing in incredible programming remains.”

Simon Michaelides, chief commercial officer at UKTV, said: “Viewers are at the heart of UKTV and we want to thank them for all of their support. We know this has created real disruption for some of our viewers and we’re so sorry for this, but we are thrilled to be back, broadcasting our channels and shows to customers of Virgin Media once more.”