Wrong regional tv ….. please help

[AndyP97]

I live in Dronfield, postcode S18 (a Sheffield postcode) an area covered by BBC Look North (Yorkshire and North Midlands)

I recently moved to Virgin (from Sky) and discovered that my default channel 101 local programming was coming from BBC East Midlands (that doesn’t cover where I live)

The alternative regional variation available to me through Virgin Channel 858 is BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire (I don’t live there either)

ITV regional programmes are also wrong 

Anybody know how I can access the right regional programming for my postcode?

I’ve assumed that this is determined by postcode mapping based upon a Royal Mail mapping file (as the help desk unhelpfully informed me that I need to contact the government if I had a problem!!)

I can’t find this mapping file anywhere on the VM website but I have found it on numerous 3rd party sites (e.g https://xtrium.com/virgin-media-area-reference/ , https://www.theblogmagic.com/virgin-media-area-reference/)

Both of these tables show that my postcode (S18) is in area reference 14 but on my account I’m showing as area reference 30. The help desk pretty much just said ‘tough’

[newapollo · Accepted solution]

Hi @AndyP97 

The area reference that VM use is for billing purposes and not as a geographic location.  The area is based on local  franchises according to the old cable operators.

The map in the following link (courtesy of @nodrogd  ) shows the geographical areas.

/Getting-a-local-BBC-programme-LOOK-EAST/ 

[nodrogd]

Unlike any other TV platform, Virgin TV is driven by the cable headend you are downstream of.

The networks were built to a franchising arrangement drawn up by the Cable Authority, which eventually was absorbed by OFCOM. These stipulated what towns were to be included & what regions they should be in. Dronfield is at the northern end of the Nottingham franchise build, so your TV (& Broadband) is coming from the Nottingham headend. All TV boxes in a franchise receive the same channels on the same numbers, so the East Midlands channels take precedence. As Lincoln also ended up in the same franchise, because it 1) has a large population & 2) resides in a different TV area, extra channels were permitted by the licence on what is now 858 & 870 respectively.

Virgin TV area map segment

What can you do about it?

All regions of the BBC can be accessed by the BBC iPlayer app on your box in the settings menu. For ITV you have no option but to use satellite or Freeview reception.

Virgin are not contravening any rules. They are operating in accordance with the franchise rules for your cable area.

[barryeagle]

I think Virgin Media wrong by having BBC1 London at 6.30pm on 101, as they already have BBC 1 London on 861. Which I think it’s stupid. I live outside Redhill Surrey and 10 minutes drive to Gatwick Airport, yet got London, that’s no good. I should have BBC 1 South East at 6.30pm. 
don’t need to know about north London as it takes 2 hours to get to north London. Virgin media should change this system as Sky have in this area or mine to have south east news. What is the point having two bbc 1 London, 101 and in the 861 where they can easily put bbc south east on