[Bletlemof]

sorry for the bad language but what a bunch of asshats! how can they get away with this kind of bullying :@ Thanks to Sky, some non-premium Sky channels, such as Sky One and Sky News, may disappear from your Virgin TV soon. We believe that Sky wants to limit your choice and force consumers into switching service. Dear customer,

Let’s face it. Things would be pretty boring if choice didn’t exist. There’d be just one kind of airline to fly with. One type of car to drive. And if Sky had their way, there’d only be one place to get TV.

We thought we’d let you in on a few tricks they’ve been trying to get their way.

While we’ve continued to make Virgin Media channels like Living, Bravo and Challenge available to all Sky customers, Sky may withdraw their non-premium channels from Virgin Media’s service – in order to force you into switching service.

Virgin Media were willing to pay an increase in costs in order to get the complete range of Sky content and channels.

However, Sky have consistently demanded an increase that bears no relation to the channels’ market value.

We have refused to accept this increase, since it would mean absorbing significant costs ourselves, and passing the kind of price increase on to our customers that is simply unfair. We are not prepared to rip off our customers.

So Sky have picked up their ball and gone home.

As a Virgin company, we’re well used to the attempts of large corporations trying to manipulate markets, stifle competition and rip off consumers.

Luckily, we don’t think Sky’s the limit.

We think the future’s full of fresh entertainment and communication possibilities. And we’re looking forward to bringing them to you. With all the freedom and choice you deserve.

We’ve launched Virgin Central, a revolutionary type of TV channel, where programmes start and stop when you say so. This is only available on Virgin Media, since Sky don’t have the technology to be able to transmit it. What’s more, it’s available to every single one of our digital TV customers.

And there’s our unique on demand library. A giant collection of over 500 films, 1000 music videos, 100s of TV shows – all at your beck and call. You can access them at any time.

We’re not scared of competition, we welcome it.

To find out more, visit virginmedia.com/fairplay

[MortgFinsJohnQ]

Well at least I now have another good excuse to give the Virgin Media sales guys that keep ringing me trying to give me free cable. Now I can just say, 'why would I want to get cable if I cant get Sky One'

Sucks for Cable TV users though

[BUMbaronos]

Sucks for Cable TV users though

not really, SKY was full of old repeats and tacky American drama.

as long as we're not left with a 24 hour premium rate phone in quiz in it's place it's got to be an improvement.

[Attarderb]

The only time I watched Sky One was when I sat down at about 7-8pm and the Simpsons was on, and even then I'd seen them all before (except perhaps episode from season 11 on, as they all suck balls anyway)

Not a great loss, but I'm sure they'll be one or two Lost/24/....umm....Jenny Jones fans that will be crying as we speak.

[Quonuttott]

The only time I watched Sky One was when I sat down at about 7-8pm and the Simpsons was on, and even then I'd seen them all before (except perhaps episode from season 11 on, as they all suck balls anyway)

Not a great loss, but I'm sure they'll be one or two Lost/24/....umm....Jenny Jones fans that will be crying as we speak.

http://www.cableforum.co.uk/article/...e-deal-on-lost

[drugsprevi]

Ive never watched Sky One in all the time Ive been a cable customer, I only watched it occasionally when I was a Sky customer so Im not bothered in the slightest. I thought the quality of programs was rubbish, stupid programs like Ibiza Uncovered and I think Lost is the most boring program Ive ever watched.

I would however, be concerned if I was a Sky customer because this is the making of an obvious price hike for you all Sky cannot compete with Virgin for value for money, so they have this 3 for £26 deal now? Fantastic but they dont tell you that you still need to pay your £12? line rental fee to BT [thumbdown]

on a side note - I tried the Virgin Central channel last night and watched 2 episodes of Spooks series 4, it looked like they were all on there, schweeet! [thumbup]

[drugsprevi]

http://www.cableforum.co.uk/article/...e-deal-on-lost

ha ha, Rupert Murdoch if I was a Lost lover you could now come here and suck my balls!!! [rofl]

I just wish the same would happen with the damn football [thumbdown]

[Caunnysup]

Sky have every right not to allow their channels go to another broadcaster. I can't see what all the commotion is about. If you want Sky channels, then go Sky....simple really, not rocket science. You wouldnt expect to go to McDonalds to get a Burger King burger (and dont say its not the same, cause it is; as they are both their own products)

[Attarderb]

http://www.cableforum.co.uk/article/...e-deal-on-lost

Well in that case it is just the Jack Bauer and Jenny Jones fans who will be switching. I can get 24 from other sources, and I'm more a Montel man myself, so I'll stick with Virgin.

[MortgFinsJohnQ]

Sky have every right not to allow their channels go to another broadcaster. I can't see what all the commotion is about. If you want Sky channels, then go Sky....simple really, not rocket science. You wouldnt expect to go to McDonalds to get a Burger King burger (and dont say its not the same, cause it is; as they are both their own products)

That's a good point. Its pretty much what I do. I have Sky because I prefer Sky over Cable and then I have my 10mb Broadband and my Phone line with Virgin Media

[Quonuttott]

That's a good point. Its pretty much what I do. I have Sky because I prefer Sky over Cable and then I have my 10mb Broadband and my Phone line with Virgin Media

We have the same here.... but soon as our contract for sky runs out i think we'll switch to all virgin media.

[drugsprevi]

I wouldnt have a problem with using Sky again just for the tv, except for 2 major reasons:

I managed to negotiate a great deal after I had been with Telewest for 12 months where I have every service for the grand total of £21 a month (phone, tv, broadband, caller ID and cheap weekends)

From my experience the picture display with Sky was crap compared to cable. And seeing as Im getting an LCD tv in the next few weeks I will be upgrading to the HD box which will hopefully be even better. The Sky dish was constantly affected by bad weather.

[markkisil]

I have to say, I am annoyed by this. I would prefer it if Virgin just showed Sky 1 and lost the other Sky channels (news, news sports, etc), to not having any of the channels. It shouldn't cost them any more money if they do that. Since Sky 1 is really the only reason I have cable TV.

I am going to wait a few weeks and see how this plays out (if they do a deal or maybe Virgin buys the shows I like), otherwise I may seriously consider going satellite for the TV.

I don't care about the Simpsons because it is crap now (and is on CH4), but Virgin would need to get the following if they want me to stay:
StarGate Atlantis (and the new 3rd SG series)
BSG
24
Lost

[BruceCroucshs]

Sky have every right not to allow their channels go to another broadcaster. I can't see what all the commotion is about. If you want Sky channels, then go Sky....simple really, not rocket science. You wouldnt expect to go to McDonalds to get a Burger King burger (and dont say its not the same, cause it is; as they are both their own products)

No it isn't the same, especially since Burger King hasn't been supplying burgers to McDonalds for years. Sky is not only a broadcaster but also a content provider Burger joints don't have that dual business role so your comparison isn't really valid. As well as it's content delivery role it supplies content to Cable and Freeview firms much as the BBC does, Virgin Media, etc. I think what is being questioned is whether Sky is using it's role as a content provider in such a way that is uncompetitive.

You see a much better comparison might have been a Oil firm that as well as running it's own petrol/gas stations supplies petroleum products to other filling stations they suddenly decide to jack up their prices to a ridiculous level (like Russia does with the old Soviet states) not necessarily because it's their oil they can do what they want with it but because they want to undermine other businesses. Or for instance BT deciding to close the local loop.

You kind of obscure the situation when you try and argue it from the position of a Burger Joint.

[drugsprevi]

No it isn't the same, especially since Burger King hasn't been supplying burgers to McDonalds for years. Sky is not only a broadcaster but also a content provider Burger joints don't have that dual business role so your comparison isn't really valid. As well as it's content delivery role it supplies content to Cable and Freeview firms much as the BBC does, Virgin Media, etc. I think what is being questioned is whether Sky is using it's role as a content provider in such a way that is uncompetitive.

You see a much better comparison might have been a Oil firm that as well as running it's own petrol/gas stations supplies petroleum products to other filling stations they suddenly decide to jack up their prices to a ridiculous level (like Russia does with the old Soviet states) not necessarily because it's their oil they can do what they want with it but because they want to undermine other businesses. Or for instance BT deciding to close the local loop.

You kind of obscure the situation when you try and argue it from the position of a Burger Joint.

I completely agree with this. Is it pure coincidence at the timing of this? Just as Virgin have bought out NTL / Telewest, customers unsure of whats happening, level of service continuing etc etc. Sky is out to grab Virgins customers and this is a real shitty way of doing it.
Like I mentioned before I couldnt give 2 hoots about Sky 1, but Im sure there's thousands out there who are.

I have a major gripe with Sky over what they have done to football in this country so you aint really going to get a totally unbiased opinion out of me regarding this matter [no]

[Quonuttott]

Yep skysports is a joke, You subscribe to it... oh you want to watch that match? Thats £8 extra for that match please [surrender]

[MortgFinsJohnQ]

Not going to any better next season now, as if you want to watch any of the matches Setanta Sports now own the rights to that's an extra subscription. I wish Sky had kept them all tbh.

[mazabotman]

Not going to any better next season now, as if you want to watch any of the matches Setanta Sports now own the rights to that's an extra subscription. I wish Sky had kept them all tbh.

IIrc there were 6 football packages, and sky were only allowed to bid for 4 of them. One of the remaining 2 had to be one of the premiership packages.
It was so that 1 tv company doesn't monopilise Tv football, thus "better" for the consumer.

They didn't think of the fact that sky has had ALL the decent football for so long, that people that wanted football got sky. Now to get the same service, they will have to subscribe to setanta as well [cursing]

Another the inept EU......

[Bletlemof]

virgin could stop sky from having like 10 channels if they really wanted but it seems ntl dont want to do that
i believe uk tv gold , the living channels and a few more of the lesser watched channels were all co-owned by bbc/telewest so surely ntl are the co owners of them now?

[markkisil]

virgin could stop sky from having like 10 channels if they really wanted but it seems ntl dont want to do that
i believe uk tv gold , the living channels and a few more of the lesser watched channels were all co-owned by bbc/telewest so surely ntl are the co owners of them now?

IIRC Bravo, Trouble and the UK TV channels are owned or part owned by (what is now known as) Virgin Media. So they could pull Bravo and Trouble from Sky if they really wanted, but I doubt that would accomplish anything. They couldn't pull the UK TV channels since I doubt the BBC would agree to it.