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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
PATV Scunthorpe posted:
BM11 posted:
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).


Apparently 4Music isn’t moving...




Starting to make you wonder if it's a bluff on Virgin's behalf now, with Paramount giving different channel numbers and 4Music saying they're not moving now.

Notice Sky have started tweeting over the last hour or so touting for disgruntled Virgin customers to switch.
LL
Larry the Loafer
It's starting to seem like the only actual saving grace for VM's TV service is the inclusion of the BT Sport package.
SC
scottishtv Founding member
TellyTime posted:
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.

All valid points, but the guy from Virgin lecturing others on "outdated business models" seems rather rich.
Although, I am a fan of their fast internet and the new V6 Tivo boxes are so much better than the previous versions.
BR
Brekkie
Larry the Loafer posted:
It's starting to seem like the only actual saving grace for VM's TV service is the inclusion of the BT Sport package.

Which you can presumably get cheaper through BT.

All "ifs and buts" but wonder how much different the market would be if there hadn't been the move to get all the PSB channels on all platforms during digital switchover and instead the expectation had still been that viewers would get those through an aerial and use other services for top-up subscription channels. Suspect hybrid boxes similar to BT would have been in place for cable and satellite too, and they'd be no excuse for the BBC regions not to be in HD, but wonder actually whether channels like those UKTV switched to Freeview would have made that switch or if they'd been more incentive for the pay-TV companies to keep them exclusive to pay-TV.
LL
London Lite Founding member
Freeview's mail out has promoted the fact that they still have UKTV's FTA portfolio.
BA
bilky asko
BM11 posted:
Stuart posted:
BM11 posted:
Sky is not the best when storms happen and programmes drop out- that would annoy me and make me constantly worry about the effect when on holiday and any recordings are missed,

I've had Sky for nearly 20 years, and I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I have lost the signal due to bad weather that I didn't resolve in 5 minutes.


I've cancelled Sky for better deals more often than I've lost their service though bad weather.

An STB would reboot itself while you were away and carry on recording, or you could get everything from Catch-Up anyway.

Catch up only lasts 28 days so you have to rush through things to make the deadline.
I have been at realtvies sevreal times when Sky has vanished for a lot longer than five mins during a thunder storm.

I have to agree with Stuart here. There have only been two occasions where I've had Sky go off for more than 5 minutes. One was during the worst thunderstorm I'd ever seen, and the other was during a downpour that caused the worst flooding for over a century.
VM
VMPhil
Why is this happening on a Sunday, by the way? I would have thought Monday but I assume Sunday is when the current UKTV contract will expire?
JM
JamesM0984
I've just signed up to Virgin for another 12 months as well. Damn.

One of the utterly stupid things is, if you're on a lower bundle (I'm on Player) the All4 box sets aren't available to your tier of subscription. Yet, those exact same box sets are available by going via the All4 app on my Smart TV or NOW TV box.

Lunacy!
Last edited by JamesM0984 on 20 July 2018 6:14pm
TT
TellyTime
Some interesting wording in the latest press release about Premier Sports HD being free to all Virgin TV customers for two months 'initially'...

' All Virgin TV customers will be able to watch Premier Sports in high-definition on channel 551 and temporarily on 127.'

It suggests that the channels going on to the slots currently occupied by UKTV channels will be in addition to their own slots on a temporary basis, which means that IF they get them back in future they will be able to go back where they were or Virgin Media can sell them off to the highest bidder like with E4 taking the old BBC Three slot.
LL
London Lite Founding member
Video statement from UKTV's Steve North, controller of W, Dave and Gold.



JK
JKDerry
London Lite posted:
Video statement from UKTV's Steve North, controller of W, Dave and Gold.




It looks like this is it. UKTV will not budge, so bye bye to Virgin Media. UKTV and Virgin should have worked harder. They are business people, not 5 year olds. Thank God I have Freesat, as well as UKTV play on my laptop. But, others aren't so lucky. This is the problem with the cable network. It happens in America, where channels can be whipped off.
BM
BM11
London Lite posted:
Video statement from UKTV's Steve North, controller of W, Dave and Gold.




Ofcom or another body should take over negotiations as neither side seems able to not descend into bitter spin.

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