Virgin1 to expand Freeview hours

Virgin1 is set to expand its hours on Freeview from 20 May 2009, and will be joined on the platform by a new Virgin1+1 service.

The move follows Virgin Media Television’s successful bid for a 24-hour slot on SDN’s Freeview multiplex.

Although Virgin1 has been available all day on the Sky and Virgin Media platforms since its launch in October 2007, Freeview viewers have been limited to the main 12-hour peak-time service until now.

The channel number will remain at 20 on Freeview, but because it is moving from one Freeview multiplex to another, some viewers will need to rescan their Freeview boxes to update their EPGs. The EPG number for Virgin1+1 on Freeview is yet to be confirmed.

Jonathan Webb, executive director of Virgin Media Television, said: “This is great news. Ever since we launched Virgin1, we’ve been itching to give Freeview viewers more of what they love.

“I’m delighted that they will now be able to satisfy their appetite for up-front entertainment throughout the day, and catch up with their favourite shows an hour later during peak times.”