Sky pulls its non-premium channels from Virgin Media cable

[Bob Crabtree]

Satellite broadcaster BSkyB last night pulled all its 'basic' (non-sports and non-movie) TV channels away from cable operator Virgin Media (the former ntl:Telewest) after a high-stakes game of financial chicken that developed into a public slanging match hours before the midnight deadline for an agreement loomed.

More.

[jamiecockrill]

they better fix it before the next 24 show, Mum'll go mental!

[McMav]

What shows sky up here is the fact Virgin offered to go to independent arbitration for this and Sky flat refused. To me that shows sky knew it was taking the p**s with what it wanted and was clearly making sure virgin did not renew.

Hope the Sky subscribers enjoy having to make up the 40-60 million sky is losing in this.

[kalniel]

Well Sky's trying to wreck Virgin, not for the first time. The phrase 'cut your nose off to spite your face' comes to mind.

Guess they don't like the idea of a fellow super-media power.

[nichomach]

Well, apparently, VM are actually signing deals to show individual shows like 24 and Lost via their On Demand service (not that I care much about either), so not all is lost (pardon the expression).

[Moby-Dick]

there is also discussion on this here :

http://forums.hexus.net/showthread.php?t=100489

I've personally told Virgin where they can shove their service ( its notoriously bad in MK anyway ) I'm not paying £4 a month just to get terrestrial TV.

[steve threlfall]

I think uktv gold is free anyway. Not 100% sure but we do get it with our base package. Besides, it's no Sky one

[Fat Gat]

How cack is this really? Out of the package that our flat gets of them Sky One was pretty much the only channel I watch. Saw a piece on the BBC bulletin earlier on today, an independant expert was saying there's a clause in the customer contract saying that if there's 'substantial' changes to your package you're entitled to a refund. What the definition of substantial means is anyones business but some lawyer types are looking into it apparently.

Oh and this would happen just after I've finished wiring in a scart system for the whole flat under the carpets so we can all watch cable, GRRRRRRR!

[Bob Crabtree]

Here's the company's terms and conditions page for Virgin TV, Virgin broadband and Virgin phone services.

Lawyers to the front, perlease!

[Howard]

Here's the company's terms and conditions page for Virgin TV, Virgin broadband and Virgin phone services.

Lawyers to the front, perlease!

Your point?

[kopite]

Im with Sky and have been for years.

IM really happy with them and dont really see what all the hatred towards them is.

[Bob Crabtree]

Your point?

Is it really not obvious?

Oh well, what I meant was that someone in this parish with more legal know-how than me might like to look at the terms and see if, in fact, there are get-out clauses that would allow people - if they wish - to use the loss of Sky non-premium channels as a way to cancel and move on.

And, just for the record (and in case anyone was thinking I'm an apologist for Sky) - my own Sky subscription and Pipex ADSL subscription will be terminated this month and my new NTL three-for-£30 subscription is scheduled to start on March 7.

[Howard]

Is it really not obvious?

Oh well, what I meant was that someone in this parish with more legal know-how than me might like to look at the terms and see if, in fact, there are get-out clauses that would allow people - if they wish - to use the loss of Sky non-premium channels as a way to cancel and move on.

And, just for the record (and in case anyone was thinking I'm an apologist for Sky) - my own Sky subscription and Pipex ADSL subscription will be terminated this month and my new NTL three-for-£30 subscription is scheduled to start on March 7.

I guess it depends on people's morals, I sure as heck don't want to move to Sky just because VM were forced by them to drop channels. Sure it's a pain in the arse but I'll get over it. Not worth the hassle, and who knows, further deals may be struck in the near future

[SuicidaL]

"Satellite broadcaster BSkyB last night pulled all its 'basic' (non-sports and non-movie) TV channels away from cable operator Virgin Media (the former ntl:Telewest) after a high-stakes game of financial chicken that only became public hours before the midnight deadline for an agreement loomed"

been known for last few days that a new deal would probably not be agreed and in vm's own words bskyb have picked up their ball and gone home"

just as rescue me, the only programme i watch on sky one gets good, oh well will have to find it elsewhere.

[Bob Crabtree]

"Satellite broadcaster BSkyB last night pulled all its 'basic' (non-sports and non-movie) TV channels away from cable operator Virgin Media (the former ntl:Telewest) after a high-stakes game of financial chicken that only became public hours before the midnight deadline for an agreement loomed"

been known for last few days that a new deal would probably not be agreed and in vm's own words bskyb have picked up their ball and gone home"

Fair comment - in fact, I noticed that the story didn't actually say what I'd intended it to say pretty soon after the original story went live.

Trouble is, I must have forgotten to change it. D'oh!

What I really wanted to say - and what the story (and my reference to it in the first posting) now says is,

Satellite broadcaster BSkyB last night pulled all its 'basic' (non-sports and non-movie) TV channels away from cable operator Virgin Media (the former ntl:Telewest) after a high-stakes game of financial chicken that developed into a public slanging match hours before the midnight deadline for an agreement loomed.

[just as rescue me, the only programme i watch on sky one gets good, oh well will have to find it elsewhere.

Tsk, tsk!

[Bob Crabtree]

I guess it depends on people's morals, I sure as heck don't want to move to Sky just because VM were forced by them to drop channels. Sure it's a pain in the arse but I'll get over it. Not worth the hassle, and who knows, further deals may be struck in the near future

I genuinely do NOT know if Sky is the bad guy in all this or not and so don't feel able to talk about morals or anything else of the kind.

That's because I have no idea of what went on between the two parties during their discussions and also do not know what a fair market price would be for the disputed channels.

So what I tried to do, as much as it was possible, was report the facts and the various options without taking sides.

If I did genuinely know what had gone on and what a fair market price would be, then what I'd have written in the news story and here would undoubtedly have been different.

What I can say, though, is that the cost of Sky (and I've had movies and sport for about five years) has become too much for me to stomach and, despite knowing that the non-premium Sky channels were being pulled, I signed up today for the Virgin Media package that gets me most of the VM channels but (of course) no Sky channels, plus 2Mb broadband and a phoneline with 300m free calls per month.

Frankly, I'm not fussed one bit about TV - if I watch more than three hours of TV in any one week, that would be a big TV week for me - but others in the family do watch it far more and, in fact, the decision to drop Sky was as much theirs as mine.

Personally, I'd rather be doing something that engaged my brain more fully than I find happens when I sit in front of the box - even if that something is sitting here in front of my PC monitor (which it largely is).

Mind you, if I could find someone who'd pay me to read books, then I guess my PC time would fall down to close to zero!