Virgin Media UK Waves Farewell to BBC iPlayer Support on TiVo TV Box
Customers of broadband and phone provider Virgin Media (O2), specifically those who take their pay TV service and continue to use one of the provider’s legacy TiVo set-top-boxes, have recently been informed – via email – that the BBC’s popular iPlayer service “will no longer be supported” from 23rd July 2025. But it’s not all bad news.
The move (CordBusters) is hardly a surprise given the ever-advancing age of Virgin Media’s TiVo hardware (we suspect it may be the BBC that’s ending support, rather than Virgin), which first launched in 2011 and has already lost a number of features and content over the past few years. The box is now slowly grinding its way toward complete retirement, and new features tend to only launch on their more modern boxes like Stream.
The good news for the small number of TiVo TV customers affected by this is that Virgin Media are offering a free upgrade to their TV360 platform (pictured), which still supports iPlayer. Customers can of course choose to ignore this offer and the TiVo box will continue to work (even if iPlayer will probably cease to function), but the reality is that it’s only a matter of time until the TiVo box itself meets its end.
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A Virgin Media spokesperson told ISPreview:
“We have written directly to the small proportion of customers with a TiVo box, who have used BBC iPlayer within the past six months, to inform them that their box will not support iPlayer from 23 July. As we have previously communicated directly to relevant customers, anyone with a TiVo box is able to upgrade to a new Virgin TV 360 box at no extra cost.”
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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It’s not clear if this free upgrade to a 360 is only for those who already have VM’s broadband, because if not a hub will be needed for these TV-only customers – which leads to the question of who pays for the hub.
Customers moving from Tivo to 360 without broadband will have a hub installed at no extra cost with a 50Mb connection.
Yes I’ve heard of the free hub but for how long? There’s bound to be a limit, e.g. until end of contract.
Virgin have been trying to get me to upgrade my existing Tivo box to the new 360 software and remote control. The reason I have not done this is because you can only use one remote with the new software. At the moment I have two, one connects via Bluetooth and the other uses old school infrared. I’ve tried talking to Virgin about the problem but I can never get to speak to anyone who has the vaguest idea of what I’m talking about.
Its only 4 years since launch? No longevity at all.
That is the problem these days, it happens a lot.
I realise tech change, but if the thing is doing the job, then is there any real need to change?
These companies bring out these new boxes and services and tell people they can get this and that, and then charge more for doing so. Then these people find out they don’t use most of the features and services.
I wonder how many people are paying for services they don’t use?
I am no better, I have been paying for Disney for a couple of years and now don’t hardly use it, time to get rid of it.,
It’s not four, it’s 14 years since TiVo’s launch. The box is approaching end of life and failed TiVos are replaced only with V6s or 360s. VM is better off by not having any TiVos at all as this removes the network returns from the embeddded DOCSIS 2.0 modems which makes life more difficult for VM. And if VM had no TiVos it could experiment by making far greater use of HEVC to compress TV traffic.
@Roger_Gooner, 2011, yep, 14 years, that is a fair amount of time, that is better. 🙂
I remember when Tivo first came in the news, a PVR, a new way of recording TV.
14 years is a fair showing but I still stand by that some things are replaced too often, mobile phones, routers and other stuff .
@mark typo on second paragraph 2011 year
First launched in 20211? Time travel!!
Virgin ending support for a product launching in 18 millennia! Now that is strategic thinking!
(Quote from the article: “which first launched in 20211”)
Bring back t’wire coat hangers and two channel wooden tellies. We don’t want these newfangled, snowflake contraptions that cause COVID.
I’m writing to Farrage, he’ll get it sorted!
Or how about bringing back the the old CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) TVs, kept you warm in the winter!
Do you still have to bang the side of your TV when the picture starts rolling……LOL
@Kelvin Cater
You can use the TVGO app as a second remote control.
You may also be able to use your main TV’s remote control. I use My LG Smart remote to control my 360’s. It needs setting up as Ziggo Mediabox Next.
You can also use One For All remotes such as the URC6820 Zapper 2 (a review on the Argos website states that it works with the 360) There are also the URC7125, and the URC1240.
The URC1240 and URC7125 are both available from Amazon, and slightly cheaper than from Argos. You should also be able to return them to Amazon if purchased from there and not suitable.
To set up the OneForAll URC7125 – use the SimpleSet setup process and choose Ziggo as the manufacturer.
To set up the OneForAll 1240 enter the code 1582. (It needs direct line of sight to set it up)
The writer fails to mention that if you give up your TiVo box for the new system you’ll lose all the programs you’ve saved. People don’t see this as an issue but for me it’s an issue.
Proprietary DVRs are always a liability for keeping recordings. One day the box will die, the drive will fail or something else, and the recordings will go with it.
Better to start reconciling with that.