Living HD launch date confirmed

Friday, September 25 2009, 09:24 BST

By Andrew Laughlin,

Virgin Media has confirmed that the recently-announced Living HD will launch next month on the cable TV network.

In August, the cable operator launched a placeholder on its EPG for Living HD at channel 110, with the Living channel moving to 109 and Living+1 remaining at 111.

Living HD, which is currently showing a selection of trailers from programmes to be shown on the channel, will now become fully available on October 6.

"Living's HD launch is a significant step forward in Virgin Media Television's cross-platform entertainment strategy," said Virgin Media TV managing director Jonathan Webb.

"Living offers some of the glossiest shows around and its HD launch will showcase our line-up at its most vivid and colourful."

Virgin Media chief commercial officer Mark Schweitzer added: "Our customers watch Living more than any other digital TV channel, so I'm delighted they will exclusively be the first to watch it in spectacular HD.

"Living has a powerful brand and a breadth of programming that works so well in HD. Our TV service continues to grow as we focus on content that both complements our existing line-up and benefits most from being shown in HD."

Virgin Media TV also recently boosted the Living channel's on-demand offering by launching the Living Player on Virgin Media.

Available now, the player offers dedicated seven-day catch-up on shows such as Ghost Whisperer, Crime Scene Investigation and Grey's Anatomy, as well as hours of archive content previously shown on the channel.