If you are in the United Kingdom, and an owner of a Virgin Media Box, you may have tried to put on BBC One, or one of Virgin Media’s exclusive boxsets only to be faced with the Virgin error code V53, ‘This channel is currently unavailable’ or find that you are completely locked out of your Virgin Media services.
This error code is due to there being a Virgin outage in your area, or a channel is unavailable due to connection issues.
The first step to take when seeing the error code V53 on your TV screen is to check your service status in your designated area.
Our guide will take a further look into the Virgin error code V53, to help you understand why your Virgin Media TV service is experiencing this drawback, and what you can do to help rectify this issue.
What does V53 mean on Virgin Media?
What is Virgin Error Code V53
Encountering the Virgin error code V53 on your TV screen means the channel you are trying to stream is unavailable due to a connection issue, or Virgin Media services are experiencing downtime due to planned maintenance.
This error code will appear on your TV as:
- ! V53 This Channel is Currently Unavailable
Some Virgin Media users have also reported that the error code V53 has affected their Virgin Media internet services from working, as well as subscribers experiencing a complete blacked-out screen when trying to launch their Virgin box.
Virgin Media down in my area
Is Virgin Media down in my area
With Virgin Media available across the United Kingdom and in Ireland, occasionally, their services will experience an outage in one or multiple regions due to a fault with Virgin Media’s servers.
With the error code V53 occurring due to Virgin Media’s server being down, users are able to check if they fall within the region of the current outage.
To check this, Virgin Media account holders can check their area by;
- Logging into the Virgin Media mobile app
- Inputting their postcode into the Virgin server status
Once you have put in your postcode on Virgin’s server status, you will be presented with a table confirming if there are current issues on one of Virgin Media’s services.
- No current issue = Green tick
- Current issue = Orange exclamation mark
Virgin Media Server Status
With Virgin Media actively diagnosing their issues, you will be able to drop down on each option and read a full explanation on why there is a problem with your broadband or TV service, as well as receive an expected time frame for when the problem should be rectified;
Virgin Media error
Virgin Media Issue explanation
You will be able to opt into ‘Issue Updates’ so you can keep track and be notified when you can access your Magic City on-demand box set.
You can also make use of ‘Downdetector’ to check if there have been any further reports of Virgin Media having an outage.
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What is Virgin error code C133 compared to V53?
Photo by Loewe Technology on Unsplash
The Virgin error code C133 is similar to the error code V53. It means your TV Box has been unable to connect to the Virgin Media service.
This error code will contain:
- ‘There was a problem connecting to the Virgin Media Service’
If you are wondering, ‘How do I get rid of Virgin error code’, completing a reboot on your Virgin Media device and reconnecting it to your network may help eliminate the error code from appearing on your screen.
To reboot:
Step 1. Turn your Virgin Media hub off
Step 2. Wait a few minutes before turning it back on
To reconnect to the network:
Step 3. On your remote, click on the ‘Home’ button
Step 4. Get into ‘Settings’ and choose ‘Network’
Step 5. You can now select ‘Connect to the Virgin Media Service now’ or your device will already be connecting by displaying; ‘Connection in progress: get status’
Once your Virgin Media device has reconnected, you will be able to see if the error code is still persisting.
How do I contact Virgin Media with a problem?
Virgin Media provides multiple ways in which you can contact them if you have any other issues or concerns other than the error code V53.
Option 1. Text
If you currently have your mobile with Virgin mobile, you can message them for free, otherwise, a standard messaging rate will apply, on:
- 07533 016 422
The operating hours are:
- Monday – Friday, 07:00am – 23:00pm
- Weekends, 08:00am – 20:00pm
Option 2. Speak to a customer service member
For Virgin Mobiles users:
- Dial: 150
From any other mobile provider:
- Dial: 0345 454 1111
The operating hours to speak to someone directly is;
- Monday – Friday, 08:00am – 21:00pm
- Saturday, 08:00am – 20:00pm
- Sunday, 08:00am – 18:00pm
If you have a hearing or speech impediment, Virgin Media uses an app called Relay UK that you can use to speak to someone, or, call via 18001 0800 052 2164.
Conclusion
With this error code not being caused by your actual Virgin Media device, or your own network configurations, users are unable to fix this problem on their own and are required to trust Virgin Media’s technicians to rectify this outage efficiently.
With this guide generated, we hope we have provided you with enough knowledge to understand how and why the error code V53 has appeared on your TV screen.
For future occurrences, you can save this guide if you need a quick recap of the Virgin error code V53.
