Virgin Media Store is closing, but customers who bought films and TV shows through the service are being given a route to keep their digital libraries by transferring them to Rakuten TV.
The closure affects Virgin Media Store customers in the UK who have built up buy-to-keep collections over the years. Rather than simply switching the service off and leaving those purchases behind, Virgin Media Store has partnered with Rakuten TV on a free migration process.
Rakuten TV says transferred movies and TV shows will appear in the customer’s My Library section once the move has been completed.
What is happening to Virgin Media Store?
Virgin Media Store is shutting down. The important point for existing customers is that purchased content is not simply being abandoned with the closure.
According to Rakuten TV’s official migration guidance, customers can move their purchased movies and TV shows to Rakuten TV free of charge.
Virgin Media Store users should see a migration notification when they open the service. On a TV box, that will direct customers to scan a QR code or follow the link shown on screen. People using the web or mobile app will instead be directed to the migration portal.
How to move your Virgin Media Store library to Rakuten TV
Rakuten TV describes the migration as a three-step process:
- Sign in: use your Virgin Media Store account details to access the secure migration portal.
- Confirm the transfer: review the migration information and accept the terms allowing your user data and purchase history to be transferred to Rakuten TV.
- Finish on Rakuten TV: complete the Rakuten TV account setup. Your transferred films and TV programmes should then appear under My Library.
Once the transfer has been completed, customers using a Virgin Media set-top box can open the Rakuten TV app and sign in. Rakuten says the same mobile device used during migration can also be used to synchronise the new Rakuten TV account with the app on the box.
Which devices can play your transferred library?
Moving the library also means customers are no longer tied solely to the old Virgin Media Store interface. Rakuten TV is available across a broad range of devices.
Its current compatible-device list includes Windows and Mac browsers, LG, Samsung, Panasonic, Sony, Hisense and Philips smart TVs, Android TV, Android and iOS devices, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, Chromecast, Fire TV, Roku, Netgem and Virgin Media boxes. Virgin Media’s own Rakuten TV guide confirms the app is available on V6, Virgin TV 360 and Stream boxes.
There is an important caveat for Apple TV users: Rakuten’s compatibility page currently lists Apple TV for its Live TV offering, so customers should check device-specific support before assuming their purchased movie library will work on every platform.
Rakuten also notes that compatibility can vary by model and platform, particularly across older smart TVs. If you intend to rely on one particular television or streaming device after migrating, checking Rakuten’s current support information first is sensible.
Is there a deadline to transfer your purchases?
Rakuten’s public migration guidance explains how the transfer works but does not currently state a clear final migration deadline.
That means customers should avoid putting the transfer off unnecessarily. If the migration notice has appeared in your Virgin Media Store account, completing the move promptly is the safest approach. We will update this article if Virgin Media or Rakuten TV confirms a firm cutoff date.
Why the closure matters beyond Virgin Media
The reassuring part of this story is that customers are being offered continuity. People who spent money building a film and television collection have a practical route to preserve access rather than being told that their purchases disappear with the service.
But the closure also highlights an uncomfortable reality of digital media: buying something through an online storefront does not necessarily mean the storefront itself will exist indefinitely.
We have already seen similar questions around digital game ownership. The underlying issue is much the same here. A digital purchase can feel permanent to the customer, but continued access still depends on accounts, licensing systems, supported hardware and the companies operating the service.
That does not automatically make digital ownership a bad deal. Convenience, cross-device access and the ability to retain a large library without physical storage are all genuine advantages. But service closures are a reminder that preservation arrangements matter just as much as the original purchase.
For readers increasingly juggling subscriptions as well as purchased content, our streaming services comparison looks at how the major platforms differ on value and content.
Tech Torque Verdict
The closure of Virgin Media Store could have delivered a much worse outcome for customers who bought films and TV programmes through the platform. A free transfer to Rakuten TV is a far better solution than simply ending access when the store disappears.
The sensible move for existing customers is to complete the migration when prompted, confirm that the transferred titles appear in My Library and check that the devices they intend to use are fully supported.
The bigger lesson is harder to ignore. Digital purchases can survive the closure of a storefront, but only when the companies involved put a workable preservation plan in place.
