Virgin offers free digital TV

You will now be able to get a free digital TV service from Virgin Media even if you don't live in a cabled area.

Virgin Media, formerly ntl:Telewest, will offer customers 40 free-to-air channels and 25 digital radio stations through a set-top box. However, you will have to sign up to a broadband package from the company to get the service.

Previously, all TV sevices from the company had only been available in cabled areas. The company now offers broadband through normal phone lines rather than cable and is keen to meet ambitious coverage targets it set itself when the rebranding was announced.

Philip Snalune, managing director of non-cable at Virgin Media, said: "Launching a basic TV service into non-cable areas enables us to expand availability of our quadplay of broadband, phone, mobile and TV. This is just the first step and our aim is to offer more advanced TV services in all areas throughout 2008.

"The digital switchover is just around the corner and we can now offer consumers across the UK a simple and low-cost way of making the digital leap, even if they can't get cable services," said Snalune.

The box will be free to any Virgin Media non-cable customer taking the up to 8Mbps broadband and Talk Anytime phone bundle at £19.99 a month. If you want to take the broadband but don't want the landline calling there is a one-off charge of £40.

Virgin also pointed out that the power consumption of the set-top box equated to one-fifteenth of that used by a standard 60W lightbulb.

Virgin Media is keen to attract new customers and hang on to existing ones after a high-profile spat with Sky over a carriage deal escalated into a legal battle.

http://www.virginmedia.com/

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