Virgin Media joins Sky partnering with NBCUniversal for new movie releases

Virgin Media is the latest Pay TV operator to secure a deal with NBCUniversal, allowing it to offer the studio’s new movie releases on the same day they hit cinemas. The announcement follows a similar partnership NBCUniversal has struck with Sky.

Virgin Media customers will be able to watch DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls World Tour, from Monday April 6, the date of its scheduled cinema release.

Recently released NBCUniversal titles that are currently in theatrical distribution will also be available on-demand on Virgin Media Store from today. This includes The Hunt, The Invisible Man and Emma.

“In these challenging times, it’s great news for our customers that they won’t be missing out on the latest cinema releases,” says David Bouchier, Chief Digital Entertainment Officer at Virgin Media.

The NBCU titles will be available in the Virgin Media Store, priced at £15.99, and rentals are for 48 hours. They’re available to all Virgin Media customers

Similarly, Sky subscribers will be able to rent the same NBCUniversal titles through Sky Store, at the same time. “We hope and believe that people will still go to the movies in theatres where available, but we understand that for people in different areas of the world that is increasingly becoming less possible,” says NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell.

In the UK Odeon, Cineworld and Picturehouse cinemas have all closed, along with independents, leaving studios seeking a new route to market.