IPTV vs Virgin Media — Which Is Better?

Feature Comparison

In one line: Virgin Media sells TV as part of a broadband bundle with a box and a term, while IPTV is a stand-alone subscription that plays on your own devices. Virgin Media's bundles and prices change often, so check the current figures on its site before you compare.

How Virgin Media TV is packaged

Virgin Media TV comes as part of a bundle: you take Virgin broadband, add a TV package on top, and receive a Virgin set-top box. Bigger bundles add more channels, and premium content such as Sky Sports, Sky Cinema or TNT Sports is sold as extra add-ons. Most bundles are sold on a minimum term, and the headline price often changes when an introductory deal ends.

The upside is simplicity: one bill, one remote, one company to call. The downside is that each part of the bundle is priced against the others, so you can rarely see what the TV alone costs you. That is the number you need before comparing it with an IPTV subscription.

The Real Cost of Virgin Media TV

The TV share of a Virgin Media bill is the difference between your bundle and a broadband-only deal. Work it out like this:

Two things often get missed. First, the broadband-only price is frequently higher than the broadband line inside a bundle, so the saving is smaller than the whole TV line suggests. Second, you are free to take broadband from another provider once your term ends, which can change the sums again. TVNado bills in US dollars, so a UK card pays at the bank's conversion rate. The savings calculator for cord-cutters does the arithmetic with your own figures.

Does IPTV run well on Virgin Media broadband?

Yes, IPTV runs on any broadband, including Virgin Media's cable lines, and most Virgin speeds have plenty of room for several HD streams. Problems usually come from Wi-Fi rather than the line itself, so set the TV up with these in mind:

• ▸Use Ethernet where you can — a cable from the Hub to the TV or streaming box removes most Wi-Fi dropouts.
• ▸Prefer the 5 GHz band — if the stick sits in the same room as the Hub, 5 GHz Wi-Fi is faster and less crowded than 2.4 GHz.
• ▸Weak Wi-Fi in far rooms — a mesh kit, or the Hub in modem mode with your own router, often fixes rooms the Hub cannot reach.
• ▸Test at peak time — run a speed test on the TV itself at 8pm, not on a phone next to the Hub at midday.

The speed you need for HD and 4K IPTV is set out per stream, and the buffering fixes for UK streamers cover the most common home-network problems.

What you give up by leaving Virgin TV

You give up the single-box experience: Virgin's recording box, its menus and the apps built into it. Be clear about what replaces each one before you cancel.

• ▸Recording — IPTV recording depends on the player app and device; the guide to IPTV DVR shows which apps can record.
• ▸One remote — you will use the streaming stick's remote and its app instead of the Virgin box.
• ▸Built-in apps — Netflix, iPlayer and the rest move to your smart TV or streaming stick, where they are usually available anyway.
• ▸An official product — Virgin Media is a rights-holding UK operator; an IPTV service is a different kind of product, so read the IPTV legality explainer before you switch.

Who should stay with Virgin Media TV

Staying put makes sense if you are early in a minimum term with a large exit charge, if several people in the house rely on the Virgin box's recordings, or if you value one official provider for TV, broadband and support. It also suits households that watch mostly free-to-air channels and rarely pay for sport, where the TV add-on cost is small.

IPTV fits better if your term has ended, you pay for Sky Sports or cinema add-ons every month, or you want international channels your Virgin bundle does not include. In those cases, the comparison is worth running with your own bill in front of you.

How to switch from Virgin Media TV

Follow the steps in order so you do not pay an exit fee or lose broadband by accident:

1. 1

   Find your minimum-term end date

   Sign in to your Virgin Media account or check your latest bill. Leaving TV before that date can trigger an early exit charge, so the date sets your timetable.

2. 2

   Ask for a broadband-only price

   Before you cancel anything, ask Virgin Media what your broadband would cost on its own. Bundle discounts often disappear when TV is removed, and that number belongs in your sums.

3. 3

   Test IPTV on your Virgin broadband

   Start the free 24-hour TVNado trial on an evening you would normally watch Virgin TV, on the TV and device you plan to keep using.

4. 4

   Give notice and return what Virgin asks for

   Check the notice period Virgin Media quotes and whether the TV box has to be sent back. Keep the returns receipt until the final bill arrives.

5. 5

   Choose a TVNado plan

   One month at $19.99 keeps it flexible; the 12-month plan at $69.99 currently gives 14 months and works out at about $5 a month.

Questions before you switch