Olympian Daley Thompson CBE to get Virgin Media customers moving with new fitness channel

• Daley Thompson CBE, one of the UK’s most iconic Olympians and a double gold medallist, will be helping to keep the British public active while gyms and leisure centres remain closed

• Lord Coe will be Thompson’s special guest on Friday 5 June as he puts him through his paces
• Other fitness experts from celebrity personal trainers to children entertainers will also feature on the new channel
• The ‘Get Moving’ fitness channel is exclusive and available at no extra cost for all Virgin Media TV customers

Virgin Media has called on double Olympic gold medallist Daley Thompson CBE and a team of world class fitness experts to get the British public moving as it launches its first ever fitness channel, which will be exclusive and available at no extra cost to all of its TV customers.

The ‘Get Moving’ fitness channel, which will launch on Monday 1 June at 06:30am, will air Monday to Friday and will provide specialist fitness sessions throughout the day from Yoga to HIIT training so customers can pick and choose the type of workout that suits them.

Virgin Media has compiled a team of leading sports trainers who will be able to keep the UK moving and active while gyms and leisure centres remain closed.

Olympians to celebrity personal trainers – all to help get you moving

Olympian Daley Thompson CBE, who won Olympic gold in the decathlon at the 1980 and 1984 games, will lead sessions with personal trainers from his Daley Fitness company in the morning, afternoon and evening. This includes morning Yoga, Pilates and other forms of fitness throughout the day.

On Friday’s, he will be joined by a special guest and will put them through their paces both mentally and physically with a fitness class and interview. On Friday 5 June, he starts with fellow Olympian Lord Coe who, like Thompson, won gold medals at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics but in the 1500 metres.

In addition to Daley Thompson CBE and his team of personal trainers, four other fitness gurus will be joining the line-up and providing fun and creative ways to get Virgin Media customers active and moving:

• Stuart Amory is ex-military and has kept RAF troops fighting fit and has also trained movie stars including Emily Blunt. His home-based workouts will feature on Tuesday’s 
• Carl Tracy, AKA Mr. Move it!, is a familiar face from Nick Jr and his use of upbeat music, storytelling and visualisation helps keep the attention and interest of young children. His blend of personal trainer and children’s entertainer will keep all eyes on the telly Monday to Friday
• Sana Shirvani’s ‘Sweat with Sana’ is on every Monday and is a mix of cardio and strength training which has helped get Grammy and Academy award winners movie-ready for their big roles
• Ross Hanbury is a personal trainer and sports consultant with over 20 years of experience. He specialises in strength and conditioning training but also teaches PE and his sessions will provide a mix of fun and engaging exercises that the whole family can join in on Wednesdays

David Bouchier, Chief Digital Entertainment Officer at Virgin Media, said:

“With many of our usual ways of exercising restricted due to the current situation, we are having to rely on home and garden workouts to keep ourselves active. That’s why we’ve assembled a range of fitness experts, including our very own Olympic gold medal decathlete Daily Thompson, to take us through our paces and get us all moving and entertained at home.”

Daley Thompson CBE, said:

“I’m so excited to be working with Virgin Media and this incredible new channel which has a host of top talent to help get you moving. My years of training as an Olympic athlete have inspired many of the sessions which will have something for everyone. It’s all about staying healthy and active as much as we can during this tricky time.”

The ‘Get Moving’ channel will launch on Monday 1 June at 06:30am and will be on channel 997. It is available to all Virgin Media TV customers at no extra cost and can also be viewed on demand.

Over the past couple of months, Virgin Media has given its customers access to more than 50 extra channels and a host of wellbeing content. This is in addition to extra mobile data to help keep its customers connected to families and loved ones.  

Ends

Notes to eds

• The ‘Get Moving’ channel will launch on Monday 1 June and will be on channel 997
• It is available to all Virgin Media customers at no extra cost and can also be viewed on demand