Dave and Gold are back! All UKTV channels return to Virgin Media as companies "kiss and make up"
The two companies have reached an agreement after a very public spat left customers without their favourite shows
Virgin Media and UKTV have agreed to "kiss and make up" and sign a new deal which brings channels including Dave, Gold and Alibi back to Virgin customers' screens.
The two media giants had a very public falling-out last month, and nearly three weeks ago all 10 UKTV channels were pulled from the service – leading to an outcry from customers as they lost access to shows Red Dwarf and Taskmaster as well as classic re-runs of QI, Top Gear and Only Fools and Horses.
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But now the lost channels will be returning to Virgin Media after the company reached a new long-term agreement with UKTV.
As part of the deal, Virgin Media has added more HD programming to its mix bundle, including Dave HD and Gold HD, as well as five times the amount of on-demand programming.
And for those who have enjoyed the extra channels Virgin rushed in to replace the hole temporarily left by UKTV, there is good news: all of those, including YourTV, True Entertainment and the Paramount Network, are set to stay.
"Reaching this agreement reaffirms our longstanding partnership with UKTV and is fantastic news for our customers," Virgin Media's Chief Digital Entertainment Officer, David Bouchier, said in a statement.
He added: "We are sorry for what we know has been a frustrating time for our customers, but are pleased that our TV bundles are now even bigger. Our unwavering commitment to investing in incredible programming remains."
In a statement on Twitter, UKTV said: "For the past three weeks, we’ve read thousands of viewers’ messages and replied to as many as we could. Overwhelmingly, we heard that viewers wanted UKTV and Virgin Media to agree a deal that would return our channels as quickly as we could.
"The most important people are the millions of loyal viewers who love our channels and enjoy our shows, and we’re sorry it’s taken both companies this long, and has caused disruption to so many people. No broadcaster wants to be off air so we’re thrilled to be returning to Virgin Media and would like to thank everyone who has supported us.
"Thank you also to Virgin Media with whom we’ve agreed to kiss and make up."
