UKTV channels set to leave Virgin Media on Sunday

We've got Sky Q so I'm not affected but I do think UKTV is a far cray from what it use to be, use to love Watching UK Gold and Dave and UKTV Style as it was back in the day. We need to get a channel doing reruns of some 80's and 90's shows like Neighbours, Brookside and a few comedy's etc.

So nearly a week since the UKTV channels vanished from Virgin Media, and no progress on their return. This is truly pathetic on both sides. If this was the US, they would be dying to reach an deal. Pathetic. Ofcom totally useless, and as always with British television, the paying viewer are the ones left truly screwed.

Don't hold back, tell us what you really think...

Negotiations take time, and since their attention has been split with having to keep ITV on board, they are probably trying to work out a deal that will work for both sides. That's my thinking on this.

These carriage issues happen far more often in the US than here. Yes you may have been screwed over by Virgin but rather than whinging and expecting OFCOM to sort the issue I think you have to accept if you want the channels yourself you need to take responsibility for your own arrangements and change your set up to receive them.

Actually, the problem here appears to be American attitudes and management techniques. In the states this happens all the time for the simple reason in many markets cable is the only real choice if you want a decent television service and internet. In the UK because of Ofcom and better competition you have several choices for both your television service and internet.

It's very easy to hold a TV content provider hostage when you have 80% of the market, not so much when you not even the biggest player, and even in the states, things are starting to slowly change. Perhaps they can learn a few lessons in Management from this side of the Atlantic.

At least TVPlayer have done what seems impossible for Virgin and resolved their device rights issues as UKTV channels are now on most of their devices, including Windows 10 app and Firesticks, although their official website hasn't been updated.

Of course Virgin May have been lying to customers as they been claiming talks have been ongoing but uktv are denying them,

There is much more banter these days in the public domain/social media about such disputes, as witnessed with the Sky/Discovery debacle in January 2017 which was resolved at the last minute.


When BSkyB (as was) had their dispute with Virgin Media about their basic channels, it lasted from March 2007 to November 2008. Some premium channels remained.

The fact that this has resulted in removal of the complete UKTV portfolio and additional on-demand functionality, and that it has already lasted a couple of weeks, leads me to think that there is no resolution in sight.

Both UKTV and Sky plc potentially have new management/ownership looming. Are they really worried about the trials & tribulations of Virgin Media/Liberty Global in the mean time?

Those of us in Ireland have extremely long memories to one of the earliest and most bitter of these disputes, from 1992 to 1994, when a predecessor of Virgin Media in Ireland, the then Telecom Eireann/RTE controlled Cablelink, had a bitter dispute with Sky over carriage fees for Sky One and Sky News. The then early versions of Sky Movies and Sky Sports remained on the platform throughout.

Two channels may be nothing now. When it’s 1992 and you’re only offering twelve channels (six of which are RTE/BBC/ITV/C4) those two channels are a major portion of the service.

That is right, cable television has been in Ireland far longer than here in the UK right?

Milton Keynes had the first analogue cable network in the UK. I'd assume it started in the early 70s?

The Ballymun flats in Dublin were cabled in the mid 1960s