Virgin Media is offering eligible TV customers free access to a range of kids' channels until October 31, at no extra cost. The promotion, available ahead of the autumn half-term, includes Sky Kids, Cartoon Network, Cartoonito, Boomerang, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., and Baby TV, with live and on-demand content from each channel.
What's included in the free upgrade
Viewers can watch series such as Pip and Posy's Spooktacular Party, Adventure Time Side Quests, SpongeBob SquarePants, and The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball: Halloween Special. Hundreds of episodes are available through Virgin's on-demand service, and customers can also stream content on the go with the TV Go app.
The deal is available to eligible Mixit and Maxit customers without a Kids Pick, and Player customers without a Kids Pick. This includes those on Virgin's 24-month TV and broadband packages, such as the £32.99 Entertainment bundle, which offers more than 200 channels, including Sky Atlantic, a free Netflix subscription, and 516Mbps fibre broadband. The £42.99 Cinema bundle and £52.99 Sports bundle also qualify, each with full access to Sky Cinema or Sky Sports channels.
Bundle options and price details
The £62.99 Sport + Cinema bundle combines both packages plus around 10 extra channels. The free kids' channels are also included with Virgin's £74.99 Max Volt bundle, the most premium of its TV deals, which includes more than 230 channels with both Sky Cinema and Sky Sports, free Netflix, and 1,130Mbps fibre broadband. It also comes with an unlimited O2 SIM offering EU roaming and a choice of O2 Extra, such as Disney+ or Amazon Prime.
There is a caveat, though, as Virgin will increase its prices at least twice during the minimum term, with most bundles increasing by £4 each April. The Virgin Media kids' deal rivals a similar offering from Sky, which charges £6 (was £8) per month for its Sky Kids add-on that also includes channels like Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network.
Comparison with rivals and customer feedback
Sky has also dished out a freebie with its TV and broadband packages, as the Essential TV and Full Fibre Gigafast Broadband now includes twelve times faster download speeds at no extra cost. This £35 plan includes around 100 channels, a free Netflix subscription, and 900Mbps download speeds for the price of 75Mbps. Elsewhere, EE TV comes with Sky channels too through NOW Entertainment, plus Netflix and Full Fibre 100, but for a more pricey £41.99 per month compared to Sky.
Virgin Media customers have shared their experience with the brand on Trustpilot, where they've praised their value for money, reliable speeds, and WiFi connection. One said: "We use Virgin Media's broadband, and it works perfectly. The speeds they advertise are what you get on average. We also used to have Virgin's cable service, and it worked really well, never dropped out and was great for watching channels that aren't available on Freeview."
Another said: "Signed up to TV and Fibre [for] better value than Sky's renewal quote, and I gained more channels, including Sky Sports. Fast and professional install using their own fibre to the door. Engineers fully checked everything was working before they left. It's very reliable and WiFi [is] much stronger around the house."
Others reported inconsistent internet speeds, as this reviewer said: "The engineer came out and installed fibre and was friendly, however, the speed isn't consistent." While this five-star review says: "Simple and easy. The engineer was friendly and installed the cable without fuss. My internet has gone from a patchy 12Mbps to a solid 500Mbps for the same price plus Netflix."
