What to watch in ultra HD this July

Ready for a month of great telly like you’ve never seen before? Then read on to discover some of the ultra HD highlights coming up on the Virgin TV Ultra HD channel (CH 175/999) throughout July. This month we’re bringing you some cracking action, from the classy spy series Hanna to the return of one of cinema’s most iconic heroes, plus movies based on real-life stories of courage in the face of disaster that must be seen to be believed. There’s also breathtaking documentaries that put you up close with the wonders of nature, while the Karate Kid continuation Cobra Kai hits its fourth season.

Every month Virgin TV Ultra HD brings you superb drama series, films, documentaries and more in stunning, pixel-perfect UHD. And with Virgin TV 360, you can enjoy Virgin TV Ultra HD around the home thanks to our incredible multiroom experience.

But that’s not all: there’s even more great 4K entertainment to watch with Virgin TV, including hundreds of new box sets and movies from Sky and crystal-clear sport on TNT Sports Ultimate and Sky Sports UHD for customers who subscribe. See below for some of this month’s highlights.

The Virgin TV Ultra HD channel is available to customers with a Mix, Maxit, MegaTV or Essential Entertainment package with a compatible television and our Virgin TV V6 box (powered by TiVo^®), Virgin TV 360 or Stream box. Simply go to CH 175 or CH 999 to start watching.

Please note, if you watch TV on our TiVo^® box, you will not be able to access the Virgin TV Ultra HD channel. But it’s super simple to upgrade to our latest Virgin TV box by contacting us on 0345 454 1111 (or call 150 from a Virgin Media phone). 

Don’t worry about missing any of these when they’re on: new shows and films on the Virgin TV Ultra HD Channel are available in On Demand after their original broadcast, still in eye-popping ultra HD on compatible TVs. Read on to discover our ultra HD picks on Virgin TV this July.

Friday 4 July, 9pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 175/999)

Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are the besuited agents of the title, taking charge of alien affairs on Earth in this sci-fi smash. It’s fast-moving and lots of fun, so much so that it’s easy to forget how weird it is, from the bad guy being a giant insect in an ill-fitting human suit to the quirky Danny Elfman music. The alien effects are still impressive, all the more so in ultra HD, and if you like this movie then the good news is its two sequels are also on Virgin TV Ultra HD over the next two nights. Now that’s a great weekend’s entertainment. Sing with us: Here come the Men In Black, galaxy defenders…

Monday 7 July, 8.10pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 175/999)

Braveheart is the head of a gelada baboon clan, but his position is constantly under threat from male marauders intent on seizing his family and power. But although Braveheart can put on a display of dominance, it’s the powerful female baboon Flo who will ultimately decide whether he’ll keep his place – and she’s not especially impressed with how he’s been acting. Young newcomer Tiko has caught her eye, and everything is at stake… This fascinating one-off documentary in super-sharp ultra HD gives an astonishing insight into primate life.

Mondays from 7 July, 9pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 175/999)

This action-packed TV series based on the 2011 film stars Esme Creed-Miles as Hanna, a teenage girl who was once part of a CIA programme to create super-soldiers with enhanced DNA. When the order came to shut it down and eliminate the subjects, Hanna and her foster father Erik (Joel Kinnaman) fled in a remote forest – but they can’t hide forever, as CIA operative Wiegler (Mireille Enos) closes in with the aim of putting Hanna to work. A tense and thrilling drama shot in a series of jaw-dropping locations all over Europe, this will keep you gripped.

Monday 14 July, 8.10pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 175/999)

Stump-tailed macaques are native to south-east Asia, and this absorbing film reveals the daily lives of a troop of 60 living on a remote mountain in Thailand. The star of the show is Bello, a powerful male who heads one of the three main family groups and doesn’t stand for any nonsense. Prepare to care about macaque tribal dynamics like you never thought you would thanks to this vivid documentary which brings the animals to vivid life in amazing ultra HD.

Saturday 19 July, 9pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 175/999)

Based on the real-life Deepwater Horizon disaster thought to be the biggest oil spill in history, this is a compelling and sobering film starring Mark Wahlberg. He plays Mike Williams, an oil rig technician who’s present as the drilling platform begins to malfunction: as he realises the enormity of the breakdown, all he can do is help as many people to safety as possible. It’s a story of remarkable heroism in dire circumstances and the strength of the human spirit, co-starring Kurt Russell, John Malkovich and Gina Rodriguez.

Sunday 20 July, 9pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 175/999)

Speaking of the human spirit and heroism in dire circumstances, Hacksaw Ridge stars Andrew Garfield as real-life hero Desmond Doss, who signed up to participate in the Second World War but – because of his religious beliefs – refused to carry a weapon. Garfield was Oscar-nominated for his performance as Doss, who endures gruelling training and brutal treatment from his supposed comrades. When the unit is deployed to fight in the Pacific theatre, the powerful war scenes will take your breath away.

Monday 21 July, 8.10pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 175/999)

You don’t have to dive deep into the oceans to find an extraordinary biohabitat teeming with richly diverse life. Without dipping below a 10-metre band of water just under the surface, film-maker Rafa Herrero Massieu provides an eye-opening glimpse into a bewitching marine world, where a variety of species hunt or migrate, and even use ingenious ways to stay hidden in places where no shelter is apparent. As colourful and visually powerful as it is informative, it’s what your ultra HD telly was made for.

Season 4, Thursdays from 24 July, 9pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 175/999)

We’re back in the dojo for a new season, but this time Cobra Kai is where you’ll find the bad guys. With Kreese (Martin Kove) now in charge, Daniel (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny (William Zabka) know they have to work together to bring him down, and they train their students in the ways of Eagle Fang and Miyagi-Do as they plot Kreese’s ultimate defeat. Unfortunately, romantic feelings among the young learners are getting in the way, and even Johnny isn’t immune to the power of love. Get ready for another season of energetic, UHD martial arts action.

Saturday 26 July, 9pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 175/999)

In this fifth instalment in the series that began back in 1982, John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) is living peacefully on an Arizona ranch until his friend’s granddaughter is kidnapped. Calling on all his go-it-alone hero experience, Rambo ventures into Mexico to deal with the cartel who took her and things quickly go from bad to worse. Can Rambo dig deep – with help from the mysterious Carmen (Paz Vega) – and overcome the baddies? Stallone, who co-wrote the script, clearly relishes the return to one of his signature roles and there’s enough action here to satisfy the most demanding fan.

Sunday 27 July, 9.30pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 175/999)

It’s Stallone again, this time teaming up with his 1980s box-office rival Arnold Schwarzenegger, as the two action legends bring a one-two punch of tough-guy charisma to your screen. Stallone is Ray Breslin, an expert in the effectiveness of supermax prisons, who’s assigned to test a facility said to be the world’s most secure. But once he’s inside, he realises he’s been betrayed and must team up with inmate Rottmayer (Schwarzenegger) to fight his way out and take down the corrupt authorities. A real throwback to a golden age of action cinema, it’s an intense thriller that unfolds at full throttle.

Apart from the Virgin TV Ultra HD channel, Virgin Media brings you more TV in diamond-clear 4K Ultra HD, including TV, movies and sport. Sky Sports HD subscribers with a Virgin TV V6 box (powered by TiVo^®), Virgin TV 360 or Stream box can add Sky Sports UHD for £7 extra per month. TNT Sports Ultimate is an ultra HD channel, available to TNT Sports subscribers at no extra cost on CH 525.

You can also watch TV in ultra HD in our wide range of apps, with UHD content available through Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+ (if you subscribe), as well as BBC iPlayer and YouTube.

Here’s a taste of what you can watch in mind-boggling, crystal-clear ultra high definition in July on Virgin TV.

Cricket: England v India – Second Men’s Test
Wednesday 2 to Sunday 6 July, Sky Sports UHD

Motorsport: Formula One British Grand Prix
Friday 4 to Sunday 6 July, Sky Sports UHD

Cricket: England v India – Third Men’s Test
Thursday 10 to Monday 14 July, Sky Sports UHD

Golf: The Open Championship
Thursday 17 to Sunday 20 July, Sky Sports UHD

Rugby Union: Australia v British + Irish Lions
Saturday 19 July, Sky Sports UHD

Cricket: England v India – Fourth Men’s Test
Wednesday 23 to Sunday 27 July, Sky Sports UHD

Gladiator II
Available now in UHD in Sky Cinema on demand. Cert 15

Wicked
Available Friday 11 July in UHD in Sky Cinema on demand. Cert PG

Kraven The Hunter
Available Friday 25 July in UHD in Sky Cinema on demand. Cert 15

The Gilded Age
Season 3 now available in UHD in On Demand > Sky Showcase. Seasons 1 + 2 Box Set available now in UHD

S.W.A.T.
Season 8 available in UHD from Sunday 13 July in On Demand > Sky Max. Seasons 1-7 Box Set available now in UHD

Mr Bigstuff
Season 2 available in UHD from Thursday 24 July in On Demand > Sky Max. Season 1 Box Set available now in UHD

Fire Country
Season 3 available in UHD from Wednesday 30 July in On Demand > Sky Witness. Seasons 1 + 2 Box Set available now in UHD

Simply go to CH 175 or CH 999 to access Virgin TV Ultra HD. Don’t have a 4K TV? Never fear, because you can also watch the Virgin TV Ultra HD channel through your HD TV. Lucky you!

Please note, if you watch TV on our TiVo^® box, you will not be able to access the Virgin TV Ultra HD channel. But it’s super-simple to upgrade to our latest Virgin TV box by contacting us on 0345 454 1111 (or call 150 from a Virgin Media phone).