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UKTV channels set to leave Virgin Media on Sunday

11th August - they’re back (July 2018)

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JA
james-2001
It's obvious the new channels are inferior and Virgin MUST know that. I'm hoping part of this news going public and claiming they'll be putting the new channels where the UKTV channels were is part of trying to call their bluff, getting customers to speak up and encourage an agreement, but I'm not sure about being so positive.
BM
BM11
Also I imagine it's the loss in several different demographics which will really hit Virgin - from the older audience that Gold and Drama target down to the younger audiences for Dave.
Sky will probably run adverts mentioning how the channels remain on them to attract a few over.
ST
Stuart
. . . but I have no way to record off Freeview, so I'd need to buy a Freeview PVR to be able to record them, which I don't particularly want to do.

Can you not watch on your TV using UKTV Play?


No, it's not a smart TV. So again, I'd have to take out new subscriptions or buy new equipment to get the service I already have- which I shouldn't have to do.?

You don't need a a Smart TV, just a cable to connect your laptop/PC to an HDMI port on your TV. The cables are not expensive.
BA
bilky asko


TI
TIGHazard




That hasn't gone the way they expected it to on Twitter.
BM
BM11
Virgin are putting the notices on the channels saying what is replacing each channel. Gold with Paramount Network Hd,
Gold +1 with True Entertainment +1,
W with Lifetime,
W+1 with Sky Sports Mix,
W HD with Vice
Drama is with Your TV.
Really with 4 Music (which even Virgin know is not a good replacement as their spining by saying it keeps it real with good entertainment).
Albi with True Entertainment.
Albi + 1 with Free Sports.
Albi HD with Crime + Investigation in HD,
Dave with Premier Sport HD
Dave HD with Quest in HD
Dave Ja Vu with Discovery Turbo,
Eden with Love Nature HD
Eden+1 with ZooMoo,
Eden HD with Love Nature SD,
Good Food with Together,
Good Food + 1 with Horse & Country,
Good Food HD with nothing it seems,
Home with More 4,
Home +1 with More 4 +1.
Yesterday with History HD
Yesterday +1 with Lifetime +1
Also makes it sound as if it happening at midnight tonight rather than midnight tommrow.
I wonder how many complaints they have already received? Expect it will be a lot come Monday.
JK
JKDerry
BM11 posted:
Virgin are putting the notices on the channels saying what is replacing each channel. Gold with Paramount Network Hd,
Gold +1 with True Entertainment +1,
W with Lifetime,
W+1 with Sky Sports Mix,
W HD with Vice
Drama is with Your TV.
Really with 4 Music (which even Virgin know is not a good replacement as their spining by saying it keeps it real with good entertainment).
Albi with True Entertainment.
Albi + 1 with Free Sports.
Albi HD with Crime + Investigation in HD,
Dave with Premier Sport HD
Dave HD with Quest in HD
Dave Ja Vu with Discovery Turbo,
Eden with Love Nature HD
Eden+1 with ZooMoo,
Eden HD with Love Nature SD,
Good Food with Together,
Good Food + 1 with Horse & Country,
Good Food HD with nothing it seems,
Home with More 4,
Home +1 with More 4 +1.
Yesterday with History HD
Yesterday +1 with Lifetime +1
Also makes it sound as if it happening at midnight tonight rather than midnight tommrow.
I wonder how many complaints they have already received? Expect it will be a lot come Monday.

UKTV Play should help ease this problem for many people, but this is the issue with cable. Sky TV have more subscribers and thus would have a much bigger impact than Virgin. I also wonder, does this apply to the couple of UKTV channels which air on their Irish Virgin Media tv network which has Gold, Dave, Dave Ja U, W and Home on their platform.
JK
JKDerry
Back in 2015 I decided to buy Freesat and have it as a back up to my Virgin Tivo, and I am glad I did, as 1. Virgin equipment are crap, and break down a lot or go slow, even with free repairs, it is no help if you lose your Tivo box and have no TV. 2. Freesat at least provide some of the UKTV channels.
KU
Kunst
Discovery-owned operations apparently love disputes, they have had disputes with different operators all over the world
JA
james-2001
I love this tweet, expresses how I feel:



nwtv2003, Stuart and BM11 gave kudos
TT
TellyTime
One of the issues that has been raised by Virgin Media is that UKTV are increasingly airing programmes from their subscription channels (W, Gold, Alibi, Good Food and Eden) on their free channels (Dave, Drama, Really, Yesterday and Home) which continually devalues them.

All of their free channels are now available on Freeview and Freesat, so what Virgin Media will be looking for as valuable to them is the exclusive content on the 5 subscription channels (and not the 5 free channels) plus HD variants and on demand content.

They have probabably determined that since their last deal in 2016 the value of UKTV is substantially less so they want to pay substantially less and that seems fair enough.

It will do a lot of damage to both parties if they cannot come to an agreement, but it's a very valid argument.
NG
noggin Founding member
Freesat at least provide some of the UKTV channels.


Freesat don't provide any channels do they? Channel providers make themselves available via Freesat (by paying Freesat for EPG access) - which is a very different kettle of fish to Freesat operating a TV service (They manage a delivery platform instead)
Stuart and London Lite gave kudos

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