Virgin Media TV customers are finally getting access to Sky Atlantic but not until the channel loses its exclusive hold over HBO’s premium content.
Launched in 2011, Atlantic served as Sky’s flagship entertainment channel and was the UK launchpad for HBO shows such as Game of Thrones and The White Lotus.
Its line-up was bolstered in 2016 by the addition of content from the Paramount-owned Showtime, making it the only place to watch some of America’s very best cable output.
Unlike the rest of its channel portfolio, the channel was exclusively available via Sky platforms and services, including the Now (previously Now TV) streaming platform.
This meant that both the BT and EE TV services, which source channels via a deal in which they sell bundled access to Now, could provide their customers access to Sky Atlantic and its shows.
But Virgin Media, which has a more traditional wholesale agreement with Sky, was unable to do so causing their customers to either miss out on the channel’s shows or to take out a separate Now subscription for a single channel.
That will change from April 1st when Virgin Media TV customers with either a 360 or Stream box will finally get access to the channel.
However the UK launch of HBO Max at the end of March means the channel is unlikely to have the same attraction it once did.
Under Sky’s latest deal with HBO owner Warner Bros Discovery, all new HBO shows will air on HBO Max rather than Sky Atlantic and new seasons of current commissions will be shared between both services.