Virgin Media to show new NBCUniversal releases as cinemas shut down

Liberty Global-owned UK service provider Virgin Media has struck a deal with NBCUniversal that will enable its customers to watch some of the studio’s new releases on the same day their cinema release.

The agreement means that Virgin Media customers will be able to watch movies including DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls World Tour on April 6, the same day as its – now hypothetical, in view of Coronavirus restrictions – UK cinema release.

The pair said that, given the restrictions that have made it difficult to view films in cinemas at present, the Comcast-owned studio has partnered with Virgin Media to enable the latter’s customers to rent some of NBCUniversal’s new movies as soon as they are available in cinemas.

NBCUniversal titles that are currently on release will also be available on-demand on Virgin Media Store from today, including films from Universal Pictures and its speciality label Focus Features such as The Hunt, The Invisible Man and Emma.

David Bouchier, chief digital entertainment officer at Virgin Media, said:

“In these challenging times, it’s great news for our customers that they won’t be missing out on the latest cinema releases. At a click of a button, friends and families can sit back, relax and enjoy the latest blockbusters from the comfort of their sofa.”

Separately, in another Coronavirus-driven move, Virgin Media said that from Monday some 2.7 million pay monthly customers will be given unlimited minutes to landlines and other mobile numbers, plus a 10GB data boost, at no extra cost, for a month. Other extended extras will be coming in the near future, the company said.