Irony of Sky putting in huge bid for Virgin Media channels

eaglemmoomin

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Do people really watch these channels ? !
Good grief.
 
why dont they say you give us your hd content and we will give u them free!! perfect bargain everyones happy lol :thumbsup::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
 
why dont they say you give us your hd content and we will give u them free!! perfect bargain everyones happy lol :thumbsup::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

SKY don't own the content, they own the service that transmits it. The content is acquired via licence and the licences eventually expire. Virgins needs to negotiate with whoever owns the rights to the content and not with whoever currently has the license to broadcast them.

Although SKY themselves don't exactly go out of their way to transmit their services on the VM cable network, they do not have the rights needed to sell much of the HD content encapsulated within the SKY services and channels.
 
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Do people really watch these channels ? !
Good grief.

there is some good stuff on virgin1 and bravo, i watch those as much as sky1.
would have to agree about the other channels though, anyone own up to watching challenge?
 
My wife watches a load of crap on living. I assume the sale will not allow virgin to continue to show these channels? If so I will reluctantly be moving to sky for TV.
 
My wife watches a load of crap on living. I assume the sale will not allow virgin to continue to show these channels? If so I will reluctantly be moving to sky for TV.

I wouldn't make that assumption, for precisely the reason that you have said ie people moving away from VM. It's highly likely that the right to show the channels will be included in the sale of the channels themselves.
 
I wouldn't make that assumption, for precisely the reason that you have said ie people moving away from VM. It's highly likely that the right to show the channels will be included in the sale of the channels themselves.

Yes that is what I am hoping, but not convinced. There may be a "handover period" but I feel these channels will eventually disappear of V for ever if Sky get them.
 
Yes that is what I am hoping, but not convinced. There may be a "handover period" but I feel these channels will eventually disappear of V for ever if Sky get them.

Well it's a commercial decision for VM how it offers the sale. For the new buyer, it's guaranteed revenue. However these agreements have a time period, so maybe the risk is at the end of that period. Saying that, it's a similar issue to the broadcasting of Sky1,2 and 3 and VM have those as at today, so no major reason for concern, i would say.

MB
 
Well it's a commercial decision for VM how it offers the sale. For the new buyer, it's guaranteed revenue. However these agreements have a time period, so maybe the risk is at the end of that period. Saying that, it's a similar issue to the broadcasting of Sky1,2 and 3 and VM have those as at today, so no major reason for concern, i would say.

MB

Can't VM insist SKY DONT broadcast Challenge as part of the deal?
 
I used to watch Terminator and Boston Legal, nothing at the moment I'm interested in though.

If Sky were to buy Virgin 1 would they be able to maintain the brand?
 
If Sky were to buy Virgin 1 would they be able to maintain the brand?

Virgin dont seem to worry about the brand continuing normally (Virgin radio only changed to Absolute last year and i dont think that it was connected to Virgin group for sometime before that), but i guess that eventually sky would rebrand them to sky 4, 5 etc to increase thier own branding.

MB
 
well this has come back. Apparently Sky have nearly finished purchasing Virgins channels. I can't see how ofcom can allow this
 
well this has come back. Apparently Sky have nearly finished purchasing Virgins channels. I can't see how ofcom can allow this

Have you got a source article for this - i would be interested to read. I also suspect ofcom wouldnt allow it, but then sky would be confident to put the offer together.

MB

PS - well done for digging out this old thread !
 
Am I the only saddo that watches Takishi's Castle on Challenge - for those not yet indoctrinated - think "It's a knockout" crossed with "Total Wipeout" with Japanese contestants - Carig Charles adds sarchastic comments over the Japanese "Stuart Hall" comentary.

If that's not your cup of tea - there is the more serious :) Ninja Warrior which is commentated on by the real Stuart Hall ! Classic but more Hard Core games show.

:thumbsup:!!!!!! Bring Back It's a Knockout, Jeux Sans Frontiere and Superstars (remember Kevin Kegan on/off the bike !) !!!!!:thumbsup:
 
VM would have to be incredibly naive not to include certain ties to retain broadcast rights.

I think the biggest draw for Sky is the Virgin1 slot on the Freeview EPG.
 
hopefully if this goes through we will get living hd which i am pretty sure is a virgin media channel
 
Have you got a source article for this - i would be interested to read. I also suspect ofcom wouldnt allow it, but then sky would be confident to put the offer together.

MB

PS - well done for digging out this old thread !


It's in the grauniad

The Guardian
 
It's in the grauniad

The Guardian

Interesting article although the mind boggles at how channels with next to no viewers can command £30M!

What I find quite odd is that Sky have gone from upstart rival to the "cosy duopoly" into a near-monopoly provider of pay TV services.

If you're old enough, you'll remember that back in the late 1980s when Sky launched their multi-channel DTV service, they were really keen to be seen as the maverick who would overturn the BBC/ITV apple cart.

Whilst BBC/ITV have spun off numerous channels, no one has set up rival pay services which would compete with Sky.
 
Whilst BBC/ITV have spun off numerous channels, no one has set up rival pay services which would compete with Sky.

I hope that Sky never does have a strong competitor. I watch BBC and ITV for the cost of the licence fee and I pay for Sky so I get all the TV I want. If there was more choice I might have to pay twice to watch everything I want or miss out. More choice could cost me more.
 
I hope that Sky never does have a strong competitor. I watch BBC and ITV for the cost of the licence fee and I pay for Sky so I get all the TV I want. If there was more choice I might have to pay twice to watch everything I want or miss out. More choice could cost me more.

Sky has a dominant position especially with its sport channels. Competition would lower the price you pay. I'd also hope that down the line, we could pick and choose which channels we pay, rather than have to block buy groups of channels, most of which are pants.
 
Sky has a dominant position especially with its sport channels. Competition would lower the price you pay. I'd also hope that down the line, we could pick and choose which channels we pay, rather than have to block buy groups of channels, most of which are pants.

Setanta didn't cause the price of the sports channels to be reduced, if I had subscribed then I would have paid more. In UK with BBC and ITV we a have unique situation.
 

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