STV’s catch-up and on-demand app will continue to be available to Virgin Media households until at least 2028 after the two firms extended their existing carriage deal.
In Scotland STV Player serves as the Channel 3 catch-up service within STV’s two franchise areas, providing access to ITV Network shows such as Coronation Street and Emmerdale in addition to STV’s own in-house productions, commissions, and acquisitions.
The app is also available across multiple platforms in the rest of the UK where it offers access to STV productions and commissions, the broadcaster’s news and current affairs output, archive shows including Taggart, and a growing library of acquired content.
Unlike some other broadcaster catch-up apps, STV Player offers content in High Definition.
As well as ensuring continued access to STV Player, the new six-year deal with Virgin Media means the fully regionalised HD version of the STV broadcast channel will continue to be available.
It also includes the full integration of STV Player on Virgin Media’s latest entertainment service, Stream, as well as on Virgin TV 360, meaning STV content will appear on the Home screen of Virgin TV services for the first time.
Richard Williams, Managing Director, Digital at STV, said: “Our strategic partnership with Virgin Media has been integral to STV Player’s continuing growth story.
“Since signing our long-term agreement with Virgin Media in 2018, then significantly enhancing it two years later, our service has reached millions more households up and down the country.
“We’re delighted to be nurturing this partnership even further and look forward to more success with Virgin Media in the next half-decade.”
David Bouchier, Chief TV and Entertainment Officer, at Virgin Media O2 said: “Virgin Media brilliantly brings together the best of live TV, on-demand programming and streaming services from all parts of the UK and beyond – together in one place.
“Through our strengthened partnership with STV, we’re not only continuing to deliver STV in HD across all our regions in Scotland, but also fully integrating STV Player into our set top boxes nationally.
“STV Player’s extensive box set offering is now fully integrated into our latest entertainment service, Stream, giving our customers an unrivalled breadth of subscription-free content as well as fully regionalised news and sport.”
