The Virgin Media Stream box relies entirely on a broadband connection to stream Freeview as well as premium channels and on-demand apps to a customer's TV.
That's one major benefit of the Stream box; the ability to watch Freeview without a TV aerial, as well as access content from Sky and TNT Sports.
Virgin Media also keeps Stream updated in line with TV 360, recently adding support for new smart apps including Apple TV+ and Rakuten.
At a glance
| Virgin Stream box | |
|---|---|
| TV channels | 150+ (inc. Freeview) |
| App support | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Paramount+, Apple TV+, Pluto TV, Rakuten, Youtube, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, My5, STV Player, UKTV Play |
| Remote | Voice-enabled Bluetooth remote |
| Resolution | Up to 4K Ultra HD with HDR |
| Audio | Dolby Digital and Dolby Atmos |
| Storage | Cloud-based only |
| Multiroom | 1 Stream box per household only |
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Freeview without the need for a TV aerial or satellite dish | No ability to record TV to the box |
| Additional free content through Pluto TV, Rakuten, and F.A.S.T. | Only one Stream box allowed per household |
| Supports Ultra HD 4K and Dolby Atmos content | Misses out on some app support, including Discovery+, Spotify, Hayu and NOW |
| Package | TV | Broadband | Monthly price | Upfront price | Contract term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
M125 Fibre Broadband + Flex | 150 | 132Mb average | £31.99 | £10 | 18 months |
 Offer: Reduced price for 18 months | ||||||
|
Volt M250 Fibre Broadband + Flex | 150 | 264Mb average | £37.99 | £10 | 18 months |
| Offer: Reduced price for 18 months + O2 mobile SIM with 6GB data, unlimited minutes and texts | ||||||
What does the Virgin Stream box offer?
Virgin Media Stream is the provider's foray into offering a streaming based TV platform that delivers content over a broadband connection, first launched in April 2022.
It's available exclusively to Virgin Media broadband customers, and is provided with both their Flex TV service, and with Mega TV for customers living in full fibre enabled areas.
The Stream box has Freeview built-in, and also supports the main free-to-air catch-up apps including BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, My5, and YouTube.
Stream also supports a wide-range of subscription-based streaming apps too, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Paramount+, and Apple TV+.
In terms of live TV content, this depends on the package a customer chooses to sign up for and the area they live in as the Stream box is used both for Virgin Media Flex and in their pre-made TV & Broadband bundles in select areas.
Flex offers over 150 TV channels, including Freeview, on Stream, while the pre-made bundles, like the Bigger Bundle and Mega Volt Bundle, offer from 190 to 230 TV channels.
Stream box packages
Virgin Media provide the Stream box with Flex, but customers living in new full fibre enabled areas will also receive the Stream box in their pre-made TV & broadband bundles.
Here's the current pricing of some of those deals:
| Package | TV | Broadband | Monthly price | Upfront price | Contract term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
M125 Fibre Broadband + Flex | 150 | 132Mb average | £31.99 | £10 | 18 months |
| Offer: Reduced price for 18 months | ||||||
|
Volt M250 Fibre Broadband + Flex | 150 | 264Mb average | £37.99 | £10 | 18 months |
| Offer: Reduced price for 18 months + O2 mobile SIM with 6GB data, unlimited minutes and texts | ||||||
|
Bigger bundle | 190 | 264Mb average | £39.99 | Free | 18 months |
| Offer: Reduced price for 18 months + No setup fee (was £35) | ||||||
|
Mega Volt bundle | 230 | 1.13Gb average | £84.99 | Free | 18 months |
| Offer: Reduced price for 18 months + No setup fee (was £35) + O2 mobile SIM with Unlimited data, minutes and texts | ||||||
New and existing Virgin Media broadband-only customers can also get the Stream box for a £10 activation fee on a rolling 30-day term, by adding Flex to their package at any point after joining.
Virgin Media have plans to upgrade their existing network to full fibre by 2028, which means, eventually, all customers will need to use Stream boxes to access Virgin Media TV services.
Yet, for the moment, many customers will still be provided with the TV 360 box when they sign up to one of Virgin Media's TV & Broadband bundles, which offers equivalent features to Stream with added benefits of offline storage for recording and multiroom boxes.
Read more about Virgin Media broadband, or check availability in your area.
How does the Virgin Media Stream box work?
The Virgin Media Stream box connects to the Internet over WiFi, or users can connect to their router directly through ethernet via the supplied power cable.
The Stream box itself has just two sockets, a HDMI port for connecting the box to a TV set, and a micro USB port which can be connected either to a mains power supply, or it can be powered via a USB connection to the TV.
One of the biggest benefits of the Stream box is the ability to watch Freeview without needing a TV aerial or a satellite dish.
Stream receives over 150 TV channels at no extra cost to subscribers, including Freeview and other Free Ad-Supported TV (F.A.S.T.) channels such as Pluto TV, and themed channels like Homes Under The Hammer and CSI: New York.
Virgin's work to improve the offering of Stream has led to them introducing a £5 monthly fee for the newly renamed Flex service, which was previously also called Stream.
These upgrades have also been implemented on TV 360, yet, new app additions made by Virgin in recent years are also supported by both boxes, with users now able to access Disney+, Paramount+, Apple TV+, and Sky Sports Ultra HD on the Stream box too.
While the Stream box was first offered as an add-on service to Virgin Media broadband, it's also now replaced the TV 360 box for customers living in full fibre areas which don't support the DVB-C technology used by TV 360.
It's likely as more of Virgin Media's network moves to XGS-PON full fibre technology, more customers will be moved over to IP-based services and will need to use the Stream box to watch TV.
What content is available on Stream?
The Stream box offers at least 150 TV channels, including access to Freeview, without the need for ether a TV aerial or satellite dish, as the content is streamed over the broadband connection.
Along with Freeview, Stream also offers Pluto TV, Rakuten, and a range of Free Ad-Supported TV channels, including Sky Mix HD, CNN HD, PBS America, History Hunters, CSI: New York, Fear Factor, Great British Menu and Homes Under the Hammer.
Customers can also either add premium channel packs through Flex, or premium channels will be included in the TV & Broadband bundle they chose to sign up for.
We've covered the channels available on Flex in this guide, along with other dedicated guides to the Bigger Bundle and Mega Volt Bundle.
Catch-up apps
The Stream box supports a number of free-to-air catch-up apps, including:
- BBC iPlayer
- ITVX
- Channel 4
- My5
- STV Player
- UKTV Play
On-demand and subscription apps
Other free on-demand, or paid-for subscription apps supported by the Stream box include:
- Netflix
- Amazon Prime Video
- Apple TV+
- Disney+
- Paramount+
- Pluto TV
- Rakuten
- Youtube
Additional news, fitness, music and game apps on Stream include:
- A-maze-ing Mac
- Al Jazeera
- BBC Sounds
- Dance TV
- Deutsche Welle
- Fiit
- Fireplace
- Fishing TV
- Fit at Home
- France 24
- Hangman
- Radioline
- Solitaire
- Space Moodies
- Tetris
- Vevo
- Virgin Media Store
- Wall Street Journal
- World Tour Poker
Stream box users can find the apps they watch the most by easily adding them to their favourites.
While customers have a broad choice available to them, there are some notable services missing from the line-up of supported apps, including Discovery+, Hayu, Spotify, Twitch and NOW.
The reluctance of Virgin Media to integrate NOW TV services into their Steam box at least has a basis on logic since they offer many of the same channels within the Flex Entertainment Essentials add-on or Sky TV packs.
Virgin have been adding more content gradually however, signing a deal with Paramount+ in November 2022, which became available to new and existing customers of the Stream box in May 2023. While Apple TV+ was also added to the Stream and TV 360 boxes in November 2023.
Most recently, Virgin Media have added support for Rakuten on the Stream box in September 2024, which offers 8,000 titles on-demand as well as 150 live streaming channels.
TV channels
The exact live TV channels available on Stream will depend on the package a customer signs up for, whether that's Flex or one of Virgin Media's pre-made bundles.
It's possible to access premium content from Sky, including Sky Sports, Sky Cinema, and Sky Entertainment channels through both Flex, the Bigger Bundle and the Mega Volt Bundle.
Other channel packs include TNT Sports, a Kids Pick, Racing TV, Premier Sports, Asian Mela, and Baby TV.
Stream box specifications
Virgin Media's Stream box is a small device, not much bigger than the size of a large palm, so it will fit pretty unobtrusively in most home entertainment set ups.
Specifications of the Stream box:
| Dimensions | 80mm x 80mm x 16mm |
|---|---|
| Ports | 1 x HDMI v2.0b , 1 x Micro USB |
| Wireless | Dual-band 802.11ac (WiFi 5) |
| Video | Up to 4K Ultra HD, at 60fps with HDR |
| Audio | Dolby Digital and Dolby Atmos passthrough |
| Remote | Voice-enabled Bluetooth remote |
| Power consumption | < 5W |
| Compatibility | Hub 3 and up |
While the Stream box supports both 1080p HD and 4K Ultra HD, users will need a HD or 4K compatible TV connected via the HDMI cable.
To work effectively, Virgin Media say the Stream box needs a minimum broadband speed of 50Mb per second, but as Virgin Media broadband starts at an average of 54Mb per second, this shouldn't limit any customers.
That said, customers may experience issues if their broadband speeds drop too low, especially during peak times of 8pm to 10pm at night when the network is busiest. Opting for plans of M125 and above may be more suitable especially for those who want to stream in 4K.
Stream interface
The interface on the Stream Box matches the kind of streamlined content-focused design we see on the Virgin TV 360 box and other set-top boxes such as Sky Stream.
Apps are centralised in a hub on the main navigation menu, with customers also able to access live TV and catch-up services easily by scrolling along the top.
There's also a search function that allows customers to easily find content from their subscriptions - useful if you want to check whether a certain film is available and don't want to scroll through lots of options to find out.
Overall, the navigation on Virgin Stream is similar to that seen on other set-top boxes and on the streaming services that it is modelling itself on. From a viewer perspective, that makes it intuitive and easy to use.
Frequently Asked Questions
What apps are supported by Virgin Media's Stream box?
Virgin Media Stream supports Disney+, Apple TV+, Paramount+, Netflix, Prime Video, Rakuten, YouTube, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, My5, STV Player, UKTV Play, and others.
It currently doesn't offer support for apps including Discovery+, NOW, Hayu, and Spotify.
Can I have more than one Stream box?
Virgin Media Stream boxes are limited to one per customer, so multiroom or multiscreen services aren't yet available with Stream boxes.
Does the Virgin TV Go app come with Stream?
All Virgin Media TV customers will be able to download and use the Virgin TV Go app with their subscriptions, including those with the Stream box.
I live in a full fibre Virgin Media area, what box will I get?
Customers living in newly connected Virgin Media areas will often have full fibre technology now supplying their broadband. As the older DVB-C technology used to deliver the TV 360 service isn't supported on full fibre, customers signing up to Virgin Media TV will be provided with the Stream box instead.
Most of the channels and bundles available to customers in full fibre areas are the same however, and only the TV box supplied differs.
Is the Stream box as good as the TV 360 box?
Virgin Media provide updates to both the Stream and TV 360 boxes, and app support is widely similar.
Stream doesn't support offline recording however, which the TV 360 box can do, and also currently misses out on multiroom.
Verdict: Is the Virgin Media Stream box any good?
Virgin Media's Stream box was launched in April 2022, a few months ahead of Sky's own Stream Puck box.
While app support fell behind that of Sky Stream for some time, Virgin Media has clearly worked hard to gain partnerships and ensure their Stream box better rivals Sky's.
It's likely that some form the Stream box will eventually become Virgin Media's main TV box as they continue to upgrade their network to full fibre broadband, yet, even for now it does well to offer a similar range of content to their established TV 360 service.
Here are some of the things we like about the Stream box from Virgin Media:
- Stream Box supports viewing in HD and Ultra HD, and Dolby Atmos sound
- Premium content options include Sky Sports HD and UHD, Sky Cinema HD, and TNT Sports HD and UHD channels
- Increasing number of on-demand apps including recent support added for Paramount+, Apple TV+, and Rakuten
- Voice controlled remote control
- Access to Freeview without the need for a TV aerial
- Low £10 or free cost for the Stream box upfront
There are a couple of downsides however, such as the fact that certain apps, like Discovery+ and Spotify, still haven't been added yet, and there are no options to record TV in the same way you can on the Virgin TV 360 box.
Virgin Media also currently limit households to just one Stream box, which means multiroom isn't an option just yet, although this is something we expect to see change in the future.
Overall, while Sky offer a closely matched rival Stream Puck box, Virgin Stream easily outperforms other streaming box sets like Netgem TV, TalkTalk TV, and Apple TV 4K, due to the wider range of content integrations on offer.
Comments