Virgin TV Anywhere Launches in United Kingdom to Provide Streaming Television Service on Computers, Tablets and Mobile Devices

Virgin Media (News - Alert) is now offering a U.K. service that streams television programs to computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones.

Called “Virgin TV Anywhere,” it is cloud-based and is provided just to Virgin TV customers, according to a company statement.

The offering provides a choice of 45 channels, depending on a subscriber’s TV package. Virgin Media will be adding more channels.

Customers can access Virgin TV Anywhere via the Web or through a mobile and tablet app – if subscribers rent a Virgin Media TiVo (News - Alert).

It is first being offered for the iOS operating system. The Android OS version will be provided next year. Virgin may also offer an app for Windows Phone (News - Alert) 8, The BBC reported.

In its review of the new offering, The BBC noted how it is a “challenge to BSkyB's (News - Alert) rapidly growing Sky Go service.”

"Sky has said that the service now has 2.8 million users – given that it requires a certain amount of technical ability to use it that's a pretty impressive figure out of its 10.6 million user-base," James Barford, an analyst with Enders Analysis, told the BBC. "The Sky evidence indicates that people really do use a service like this, so Virgin is doing it both to match or exceed the functionality of Sky but also as a defence against the YouView service which offers catch-up programming but only via a television set."

It also is being provided as many consumers are opting to subscribe to such video offerings as Netflix.

In other company news, this week Virgin Media unveiled SmartCall, which it claims is the first Wi-Fi calling service in the United Kingdom that “allows customers to use the unlimited calls from their home phone talk plan on their smartphone – whether at home, at a friend's, or even abroad.”