ITV Digital - Shutdown in 10 days?

[delta]

Read this for details:

http://media.guardian.co.uk/itvunder...672359,00.html

If I remember correctly you get 14 days to return your digibox with a new subscription if you are not happy with it. I wonder if it's worth going out and signing up for a shiny new Pioneer during the Easter break?

[Lex]

What will this actually mean to viewers - will all the channels go off the air in 10 days?

This seems like big news, why isn't it on the National TV news?

[delta]

Originally posted by Lex
What will this actually mean to viewers - will all the channels go off the air in 10 days?

This seems like big news, why isn't it on the National TV news?

As I have said elsewhere on this forum, I doubt this will happen, there is bound to be someone else ready to take over. Too much has been invested for it to shutdown and that is not what Tony and his cronies want.

[Lex]

ITV digital owe me two months subscription after messing my account up - they better not fold!

Also, it is not just ITV Dig in trouble - if they do not pay what they owe then there could well be several Nationwide League Football Clubs going under!!

[Kane D Williams]

On a report last night regarding these issues, BBC News 24 also said that NTL may also be going under! I knew they were in grave fanancial trouble and no wonder, they are totally crap as a company (I'm with NTL). I just wonder what would happen if ITV Digital/NTL did go under and no other company took over? What do we subscribers do, just through our digi boxes in the bin?

Cheers Kane

I think it would be a shame if NTL went. I had crap service initially but it was in the early days of them going digital and I put it down to teething problems.

They offer good value (compared to Sky and ITVDig) for what you get particularly when you throw in Broadband for £14 a month.

ITVDig is another matter, their broadcast quality is crap, channel line up useless and (if you're that way inclined) pay per view movie selection minimal in comparison.

I assume that, unlike NTL, if ITVDig do go - and you get to keep the box - you'll still be able to pick up the FTA stuff in which case it's a nice addition to the bedroom or kitchen etc.

[Starburst]

Originally posted by Kane D Williams
On a report last night regarding these issues, BBC News 24 also said that NTL may also be going under! I knew they were in grave fanancial trouble and no wonder, they are totally crap as a company (I'm with NTL). I just wonder what would happen if ITV Digital/NTL did go under and no other company took over? What do we subscribers do, just through our digi boxes in the bin?

Cheers Kane

NTL as a company might indeed go under, however before that happens they will apply for chapter 11 protection in the US.
This allows them to continue to trade while the business is sold.
The result will be a company buying the NTL networks and providing the service more or less intact. Once you remove the debts NTL's day to day business is pretty good.

As for ITV D, who the hell cares!
DTT should have been 100% FTA from the word go and hopefully with ITV D out of the way that's what it will become.

[delta]

Including Sky of course, which was their original pledge - to be FTA. NTL began as Nynyex, then Cable and Wireless, no wonder they are in a mess, there is no confidence in a company that changes it's coat so many times.

[Desticado]

Originally posted by Lex
it is not just ITV Dig in trouble - if they do not pay what they owe then there could well be several Nationwide League Football Clubs going under!!

Perhaps some of the overpaid footballers might have to take a pay cut.....

[Stuart Wright]

Originally posted by Starburst



NTL as a company might indeed go under, however before that happens they will apply for chapter 11 protection in the US.

Hang on - they can only apply for chapter 11 if they are a US company. If this is the case and it's the whole company about to go bump then it's possible that an Enron scenario might happen where the UK 'branch' would simply close.
If they are a UK company then no chapter 11 arrangement could exist.

[Starburst]

They are a US company.
The chapter 11 option has been mentioned many times in press reports from NTL and there bankers.
The same system is in UK law as well, ask ITV D if it wasn't for "adminstration" which allows them to continue to trade even when they are technically bankrupt then they would be gone already.

[Ian J]

NTL is a UK company with the majority of it's business over here. It just happens to be quoted on Wall Street instead of London.

It didn't change it's name to Cable & Wireless at all but bought the cable network from C & W and are gradually changing the network names from C&W to NTL.

None of this affects it's financial position which is dire and although it may well enter Chapter 11 it will probably not go bust as it owes the banks too much money which they can't afford to write off.

It's all good news for friend Rupert though.

Ian's dead on here.
There's an old saying that goes something like this. If you owe the bank one million pounds, you are in trouble.
If you owe the bank 100 million pounds, THEY are in trouble.

Eric