Virgin Media has partnered with American digital pay-TV network ZoneTV to launch My Virgin TV Kids, a new personalized VOD channel for children in the UK and Ireland.
The channel lets kids fully customize their programming by creating playlists that reflect their interests. It will be available at the end of September through Virgin’s V6 set-top box, powered by TiVo.
Accessed through the Virgin TV guide, the channel will feature a wide range of kids content including Bob the Builder, Pingu (pictured), Caillou, Franny’s Feet and Teletubbies. Shows can be watched in any order by scrolling through and making a selection, regardless of when it’s scheduled to run.
Using advanced technology from ZoneTV that combines AI with human editors, the channel will curate programming as viewers decide what to watch and what to skip. Recommendations will be made based on the viewer’s favorite themes, characters and programming, creating personalized playlists. The European launch of the channel is the first for ZoneTV.
All of the content is child-friendly and ad-free. No personal data will be collected or stored through the channel, and kids have the option to create a profile or watch TV as they would on any other linear channel.
Virgin has been bolstering its kids VOD presence lately. Earlier in the year, the company partnered with Viacom International Media Networks to roll out the VOD app Nick Play on Android and iOS. The app features long-form content and is available free to Virgin Media customers who subscribe to Nickelodeon channels.