Virgin do have a point. The thing with the UKTV is, it's hard to distinguish what's pay TV/FTA like Sky has Sky One and Pick. Like why is Good Food pay but Home FTA? A lot of it is just the same shows repeated over various channels. There is no big strong channels like Sky has Sky One/Witness. With UKTV you'd assume Dave would be a pay channel in their portfolio.
Exactly the points I tried to make earlier in the conversation. There's no coherent programming policy between the free and paywall channels.
Dave was created at a time when the previous channel UKTV G2 was fledgling and UKTV wanted to raise their profile on Freeview. The channel has been a massive success in targeting a previously under served male audience, yet also enjoyed by a general audience. The issue now is that it's now so successful that it demands original commissions, which you'd ideally schedule behind a paywall.
With the exception of Gold, the paywall channels feel unloved, while the other channels pump out sitcoms and dramas on off-target channels, I'm thinking Allo Allo on Yesterday and Drama, newish stuff on Drama that was on Alibi.
I think Dave's too big to go back behind the paywall, but is it really necessary to show sitcoms from Gold on Yesterday and Drama? While Eden and Good Food are behind a paywall unloved?
Sky Witness will blow Alibi out of the water thanks to Sky's branding and budget for shows, W has no real focus with their factual shows that could be shown on Really (and I suspect already do) and so on. Dave and Gold are the only channels that really show focus and direction.