Virgin Media customers can instantly unlock more than 100 hidden channels on their TV at no extra cost with free movies

VIRGIN Media customers may not realise that there are extra channels hidden on their boxes for free.

A little-known streaming service boasts more than a hundred additional channels.

Pluto TV hosts a load of movies, as well as hit TV shows, including reality, crime, music, sport and kids shows.

Many are broken down into themes with back-to-back episodes.

For example, little ones can watch nothing but Spongebob.

And if you fancy some adult humour there's a South Park channel too - though this doesn't start until 9pm.

At the moment there's even a bunch of Christmas channels to get viewers into the spirit.

MTV shows such as Catfish, Teen Mom and Geordie Shore are available instantly too.

Pluto TV is run by Paramount and is already accessible on a number of devices, such as Fire Sticks and mobile.

The service was added to Virgin TV 360 as an app in July last year though some viewers may forget it's even there.

You don't have to sign up to Pluto TV - streams will load instantly.

And if you fancy choosing shows and movies you want to watch, many are available on-demand.

Pluto TV top picks

By Jamie Harris, Assistant Technology and Science Editor at The Sun

There are plenty of shows I love to watch on paid services like Netflix and Prime.

But the free alternatives have acquired some decent content recently too.

Pluto TV has some well-known movie titles such as the entire Twilight saga, Magic Mike and Brotherhood.

If you're in your 30s like me and looking for a bit of a nostalgia trip, there's even Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

I also love the Pointless channel, showing back-to-back episodes of the show.