Virgin Media Drops UKTV Channels

Virgin Media customers in the U.K. and Ireland have lost access to ten UKTV channels following a spat over fees.

At midnight on Saturday, channels such as Dave, Alibi, Drama and Gold went dark on the Virgin platform. In addition to the live channels, Virgin Media will no longer provide access to programming from UKTV to watch on-demand.

The two companies were unable to reach an agreement on a new distribution deal after Virgin Media demanded “a huge cut” in the fees paid to UKTV. Virgin Media has replaced UKTV’s channels slots with alternative offerings.

Darren Childs, chief executive of UKTV, said, “We’re hugely disappointed for the many customers who are losing out because our channels are no longer available through Virgin Media. We completely understand their frustration and would love to continue to bring them the shows and channels that they’re so passionate about, but we need a fair price to support our growing investment in programs. The reality is that we just can’t accept the drastic price cut that Virgin wants.

“We remain completely committed to our viewers and appreciate the thousands of messages of support that we have received. We will continue to serve our viewers through our many platform partners.”