Virgin Media is adding a new channel from Comcast’s Sky Group that will allow some of its pay TV customers to access hit shows from HBO.
Starting in April, Virgin Media customers with Virgin TV 360 and the Virgin Stream box will be able to watch Sky Atlantic as part of their subscription.
The launch will mark the first time that Sky Atlantic has been offered to a pay TV distributor beyond the Sky satellite and streaming TV ecosystem. Virgin has offered other Sky-operated channels for several years.
Since it launched in 2011, Sky Atlantic has been the exclusive home of shows and documentaries from HBO and Paramount-owned Showtime. The arrangement with Paramount ended in 2021, and the deal with HBO is being winnowed down as WBD prepares to launch HBO Max in the United Kingdom and Ireland next month.
Still, Sky Atlantic will offer some shows from HBO, including “Task,” “Euphoria” and “It: Welcome to Derry.” The channel also offers “Heated Rivalry” from Crave and will start airing a combat anthology co-produced between Sky and HBO called “War” later this year.
