Virgin Media turns to Globecast for pop-up exercise channel

Virgin Media is using Globecast’s playout services for its ‘pop-up’ HD exercise channel, Get Moving.

The deal sees Globecast provide Cinergy-based playout at its London facility, along with scheduling, 24-hour monitoring and fibre delivery services. It is also providing compliance assurance for the channel.

The ‘Get Moving’ channel is described by Virgin Media as a “cracking new channel featuring sessions led by Olympic gold medallists, including Daley Thompson, and some of the fitness game’s best experts, it’s never been easier, either!”. The output includes Yoga classes, challenging fitness workouts as well as family-friendly PE sessions.

Virgin Media initially launched the channel itself but then decided that it needed a managed playout solution.

Juliet Bayliss, sales director at Globecast, said, “We already have a strong relationship with Virgin Media via our partnership in launching the UK’s first dedicated 4K Ultra HD entertainment channel in autumn 2018 – Virgin TV Ultra HD. We’re really pleased that they have once again turned to us to provide the quality of service and robustness needed, as well as quick turnaround launch.”

“We have worked to a tight timescale with this launch, using all our playout expertise. We provided Virgin Media with a range of playout options, from which its team selected a preferred option. One issue we had to overcome was completing this project while adhering to all of the Covid workplace restrictions, a situation that required all our years of expertise to overcome.”