Virgin Media faced a widespread outage on August 15, 2025, disrupting TV and broadband services across the UK, leaving thousands of customers, including Liverpool fans, fuming.
The issue peaked during the highly anticipated Premier League opener between Liverpool and Bournemouth, forcing fans to miss key moments of the 4-2 victory.
Virgin Media acknowledged the problem, with engineers working to fix it, but no clear resolution time emerged.
Outage Details and Impact
The outage began around 7:58 AM BST, with a sharp spike in complaints by 8:18 PM BST, according to reports. DownDetector tracked thousands of issues, affecting TV services like Sky Sports and Virgin Media’s streaming apps.
Broadband remained largely stable, but TV blackouts hit hard, especially during the Liverpool match. Fans reported pixelated screens, lost signals, and login failures on social media.
The Sun noted Virgin Media apologized, urging customers to check their service status page, while engineers raced to restore services after a similar June outage.
Liverpool Fans’ Anger
Liverpool fans felt the sting most during the 4-2 win over Bournemouth at Anfield, marked by an emotional tribute to the late Diogo Jota. Many missed Federico Chiesa’s 88th-minute winner and Mohamed Salah’s stoppage-time goal due to the blackout.
The Liverpool Echo captured fans’ fury, with one tweeting, “Missed the Jota tribute because of @virginmedia rubbish service!”.
SportBible reported Sky Sports issued a statement blaming Virgin Media’s “technical difficulties,” adding to the frustration. Some fans switched to illegal streams, while others demanded refunds.
Virgin Media’s Response and Past Issues
Virgin Media confirmed the outage affected TV services, not broadband, and apologized for the inconvenience.
The company promised updates via their app and website but faced criticism for slow communication. This isn’t new—June saw similar TV blackouts, raising questions about reliability.
Customers experiencing over 48 hours of disruption may claim compensation, though many struggled to reach support, with automated systems failing to register complaints.
Fan Reactions and Next Steps
On X, anger mixed with humor, with posts like “Virgin Media turned my Friday night into a blackout party!” The outage disrupted more than football, impacting work and streaming for many.
Virgin Media aims to resolve the issue soon, but fans urge better planning. Liverpool’s next match against Ipswich on August 23 offers a chance to redeem the experience.
Stay updated as Virgin Media works to restore services and appease frustrated viewers!