Virgin Media customers unlock TWO new TV channels on their boxes at no extra cost devoted to iconic shows
VIRGIN Media customers will find two extra channels on their boxes from today - and it's great news for reality TV lovers.
Each channel specialises in two iconic shows well-known to Brits with back-to-back episodes aired 24/7.
First up is a Hell’s Kitchen channel, led by fiery chef Gordon Ramsay.
Viewers will find the special channel on number 233.
And the other channel is everything Eggheads, with classic episodes of the long-running quiz show where amateur quiz players take on super-brain champions.
The Eggheads channel sits at number 253.
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Both channels are new streamed broadcasts which are beamed into living rooms via the internet instead of your traditional cable set-up.
Virgin Media has already introduced a number of these channels - known as FAST (free ad-supported TV) channels - to TV boxes.
Virgin TV already has around 30, including favourites Tipping Point and Deal or No Deal.
Unlike most streamed channel services that are run through an app, these appear directly on the Virgin TV programme guide.
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The move comes as Brits are faced with ever-increasing TV bills.
Rival Sky revealed this morning that the average customer will see their bill rise by 6.2% from April 1.
Netflix recently announced subscriptions will rise in the US - and experts expect the UK will follow suit soon.
Recent data from Kantar suggests more Brits are opting for Netflix's cheaper ad tier subscription which costs £4.99.
Research indicates that one in three new subscribers are going for the ad option to save money.
Meanwhile, traditional TV providers face yet more channel loses.
Just last week Eurosport announced that it will disappear from UK screens later this month after 35 years of broadcasting.
"Reality TV doesn’t just entertain us, but tests our knowledge, gives us something to chat about for those water cooler moments, and most importantly, brings TV fans together," said David Bouchier, Chief TV and Entertainment Officer at Virgin Media O2.
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"The expansion of our streaming channel offering is brilliant news for our customers, and with some of the most recognisable reality content available to watch our customers can sit back, relax and enjoy extra value – and extra drama – on us."
The new channels are available on Stream, V6 and Virgin TV 360 boxes.
Stream swapping – the easy way to cut your bills?
Here's what , The Sun's Head of Technology and Science, thinks...
It's no secret that TV streaming apps are costing more and more.
Not only are prices shooting up, but we find ourselves asked to pay for an increasing number of apps and services.
And when you combine those TV bills with your music streaming, mobile and internet fees, and every other drain on your bank account, it all starts to get a bit much.
One of the best ways to cut your TV bills is to simply cancel all of your streaming subscriptions and only sign up to one per month.
Pick an app like Netflix, Disney+, or Apple TV+ and smash through all of the content you want to watch on that app.
Then the next month, swap to something else.
And once you've done them all, you can cycle back to the start again.
It's an easy way to avoid forking out for a rolling library of streaming apps with more content than you could possibly watch.
Also don't forget that paid-for streaming isn't the only game in town.
There are loads of apps that don't cost a penny to enjoy, and downloading a few will unlock thousands of live TV channels plus tens of thousands of movies and shows.
Try apps like Tubi, The Roku Channel, Plex, and Pluto TV to get some ad-supported television without having to pay any monthly fees.