Sky Atlantic Heads To Virgin TV This April As HBO Max UK Launch Reshapes The Landscape

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Virgin Media O2 has confirmed that Sky Atlantic will launch on Virgin TV this April, giving over a million customers access to the premium drama channel at no extra cost.

From Tuesday, 1st April 2026, new and existing Virgin TV 360 and Stream box customers who already receive Sky Entertainment channels, including Sky Comedy, Sky Witness and the soon-to-return Sky One, will also gain access to Sky Atlantic on channel 111.

On the surface, this looks like a generous content boost. Underneath, it is part of a much bigger shift in the UK streaming and pay TV market.

For years, Sky Atlantic has been the home of Sky’s prestige drama, and crucially, the UK destination for HBO content under a long-term licensing agreement that granted Sky access to the entire HBO slate. That deal has now come to an end as HBO Max prepares to launch in the UK.

While certain flagship series, including ‘House Of The Dragon’ and ‘The Last Of Us’, will continue to be co-broadcast by Sky Atlantic and HBO Max UK, the broader HBO pipeline is no longer exclusively routed through Sky. With HBO now establishing its own direct-to-consumer presence, the strategic value of keeping Sky Atlantic tightly locked to the Sky platform has shifted.

Opening the channel up to Virgin customers is a logical next step. It widens reach, strengthens the Sky brand beyond its own hardware ecosystem, and ensures Sky Atlantic remains a key destination for premium drama in a more competitive streaming environment.

For Virgin customers, the result is simple: more top-tier drama without paying extra.

Among the highlights heading to Virgin TV are ‘The Last Of Us’, starring Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) and Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones), which was the most-watched show on Sky Atlantic in 2025. Customers will be able to catch up with the first two seasons of the acclaimed adaptation.

Also available is ‘House Of The Dragon’, set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, starring Emma D’Arcy (Truth Seekers), Matt Smith (Doctor Who) and Olivia Cooke (Slow Horses).

Other major titles include the Sky Original crime thriller ‘Under Salt Marsh’, starring Kelly Reilly (Yellowstone) and Rafe Spall (Trying), which drew 1.8 million viewers in its first seven days, and the limited series ‘Amadeus’, featuring Will Sharpe (The White Lotus), Paul Bettany (WandaVision) and Gabrielle Creevy (In My Skin).

Viewers can also stream ‘All Her Fault’, starring Sarah Snook (Succession), Dakota Fanning (The Alienist) and Jake Lacy (The White Lotus), available in full from launch day, alongside Sky Originals and exclusives such as ‘Heated Rivalry’, with upcoming titles including ‘The Miniature Wife’, ‘The Good Daughter’ and returning series ‘Sweetpea’ Season 2.

David Bouchier, Chief TV and Entertainment Officer at Virgin Media O2, said:
“Our promise to our customers is simple – to offer seamless entertainment at incredible value – and the addition of Sky Atlantic on Virgin TV is testament to that. The channel is home to gripping drama and incredible stories from the UK and the US and has given us some of the biggest watercooler moments of our times. Now, over a million Virgin TV customers can enjoy Sky Atlantic with no added cost or action required.”

From Tuesday, 1st April 2026, Sky Atlantic will be available to all new and existing customers who already receive, or choose to add, Sky Entertainment channels with their package and have a Virgin TV Stream box or Virgin TV 360. Content will also be available on-demand and via Virgin TV Go.

With HBO Max entering the UK market and premium US drama now split across platforms, this move marks a new phase in the long-running Sky vs Virgin rivalry. For viewers, it simply means one thing: channel 111 just became a lot more valuable.