Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2011) Vol. I.
 

Why its nice to read some of the speculation and rumours on the forums about forthcoming launches I always tended to wait for the press releases from VM even if Id heard something myself. But even they arent accurate... they are constantly pulling the wool over customers eyes and makes it hard for someone like me who doesnt want to pay for Sky for anything and BT Vision arent viable option for me to take them seriously. Im baring paying them every month through gritted teeth and it shouldnt be that way.

People on here (including VM staff and mods) might not wanna hear it but Virgin try to constant play the victim role in relation to their negoiations to Sly and other big companies whilst shafting others. Not only that the constantly lying to customers and then vanishing when the said promises and launches dont happen I find amazing and from what Ive read nobody has pulled them up on it.

Examples include: Few years back when 4oD launched we were promised HD on demand content... has anyone seen it? Likewise with ITV Player HD on demand content... never turned up too. When I queried this before with Twitter team was told they spoke to content dept and that they are working with both channels to make it happen and that was last summer.

More examples: Sky on demand content mentioned in the press release 9 months ago to the channel deal including via TV and Virgin Media online player... nothing unless you include limited OD content from Sky Living, greatly reduced from before. Also mentioned in there press release was on demand content for premium channels (eg: sky sports/movies) and nothing. No red button that was supposed to launch mid march and no communication from them as to why apart from VM staff posting on here that its 'coming soon' and 'in testing' but why cant they communicate that more widely. When your told something by VM you have to take it with a pinch of salt.

Sky Arts HD on demand mentioned in the press release and nothing 9 months later apart from Sky Living HD (which we already had) and 1 addition with Sky1HD.

Good Food HD (not bothered about this but just add another example) was mentioned in a press release as being under negiotation yet VM own 50% of the channel and it launches on Sky 1st before VM. Now can anybody explain the logic in that to me? Do VM staff know why people are so frustrated with them as a company and their odd business decisions?

Viacom remove 3 channels from VM to launch Comedy Central HD "to launch new channels on VM" what has launched? Nothing... but they have on Sly with MTV Music channel and Nickleodeon HD and there also a number of Viacom channels that VM customers dont have.

Add to the fact we have had 2 price rises in 6 months, numerious channels removed from platform everything seems to round out as us having around 160 channels on XL and then whatever premium add-ons you want after. 160ish (to 170) seems to be the benchmark they want to stick to and we will get no more.

Mentioned this all in complaints to CEO office guess what they could tell me... nothing! Apart from going on about TiVo which was suppose to have launched late Dec hasnt (dont include BETA launch to staff and couple thousand lucky customers to test a launch) and red button is 'coming soon' but still in testing.

Was told that Sky on demand content isnt coming now coz Sly want too much money for it! They didnt even know it was mentioned in the press release when I brought it up...

TiVo without content will eventually be toothless and I find it amazing they sold their content division to Sky. At least with their own content at gave them some bargaining power to protect us and content for thier platform.

What is even more incredible is we lose Bravo channels, Virgin 1, Challenge Jackpot and the plus 1's yet the one new channel Sly launch... Sky Atlantic we dont get! In the press release it said Sky would deal with VM with new channel launches in fair/competitive terms yet VM would been paying a set fee for Sky's basic channels. So if the set fee for example was 10 quid per month for 10 channels and then Sky close 4 of em and launch another surely the terms of deal have changed? Why would you continue to pay Sky £10 a month to recieve 6 channels when the deal covered 10? And then just accept it? Something doesnt add up... leads me to believe they knew that channels would be closed. Why would you sign a multi year deal with so many loopholes?

I'll go one further... its looking as if its a 1 in and 1 out in channel launches right now as it would seem VM network cant add channels (especially on HD front) without removing them. It also looks like they are trying to increase profits whilst cutting back on content to customers yet putting up prices for us. CSC wants True Entertainment on VM and launches but Pop is dropped. My son used to watch Pop and its on demand content but now they are gone to launch this new channel. Why couldnt both be on VM? Seems like they want to pay content providers the same prices in contract negiotiations yet want more content... then tell them if you wanna launch new channels you have to take some off as we aint paying you anymore!

Can anyone from VM on here honestly answer these questions? One very disillusioned cable customer of 15 years! Please correct me with facts rather than fanboy rants telling how me great everything is with VM... I think we deserve to know the truth and be updated with issues via official means such as there website or email communications if there is a problem with launches (eg: TiVo, red button, content launches etc) more efficently rather than posts from VM staff hiding behind user names on here.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2011) Vol. I.
 

Wow 2 channels the vast amount of tv viewers have no interest in, come on Virgin pull your socks up.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2011) Vol. I.
 

Was told that Sky on demand content isnt coming now coz Sly want too much money for it! They didnt even know it was mentioned in the press release when I brought it up...

That's a line they use all the time.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2011) Vol. I.
 

Your post has summed up just about everything anyone has complained about on this forum over the last 3 months. I have to agree with you in the main.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2011) Vol. I.
 

The same has been said about Sky Arts HD.

I hope this is not true and just idle miss informed talk, the whole point of something like Tivo is to move to content on demand rather live TV. But content on demand is only relevant if you can get it in the first place!

As a committed VM customer, this would get me to a situation where I would consider Sky for the first time even with VM having Tivo! Content is king and VM need to make sure they can provide content outside live channel time, you cannot record everything all of the time.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2011) Vol. I.
 

Mr-S will know he's spoke to CEO office.

---------- Post added at 14:40 ---------- Previous post was at 14:28 ----------

Sky Arts PR

http://pressoffice.virginmedia.com/p...823&highlight=

Sky OD

http://pressoffice.virginmedia.com/p...556&highlight=

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2011) Vol. I.
 

I've seen nothing official to say Sky OD/Art is NOT coming to VM...only that it is. Until we see proof it's not I'm willing to wait and see...

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2011) Vol. I.
 

Vm have had 9 months to add Sky Arts Hd, if it was coming I feel sure it would have been here by now.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2011) Vol. I.
 

http://pressoffice.virginmedia.com/p...698&highlight=

Good Food HD is mentioned here in July 09

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2011) Vol. I.
 

I have to agree with you it was about 9 months ago vm announced sky arts HD was part of the channel sale deal,when i was married to my ex she managed to deliver a baby in that time.:shocked: So if it was not coming vm have had plenty of time to say so. Although if i remember rightly the press release may have said vm only had the "option" to carry the channels if so i take that to mean no deal had been done regarding the price vm might have to pay to carry them.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2011) Vol. I.
 

As a very loyal Virgin customer l agree with a lot what you saying as matter as fact l have stated the same in some of my posts.
Virgins lack of new channels and many other things as well shows they are not listening to their customers at all and also their lack of communication and the tivo fiasco sums them up at the present time.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2011) Vol. I.
 

I'm not being picky but that link says nowt about when. Active talks was, i grant you, blurb from VM and maybe they shouldn't have said anyting if a deal wasn't done. But I stand by my point. There's never been anything official to say those things are NOT coming.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2011) Vol. I.
 

yeah - sounds rather like ESPNA HD that never seems to arrive. I have been very patient with VM and to be honest in the past 12 months (less really) we have seen a huge upswing in HD channels but now we seem to have hit a brick wall :( .

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2011) Vol. I.
 

No it says

With further HD channels due to launch over the coming months, including Sky1 HD, Sky Arts HD and, now Comedy Central HD, Virgin Media will soon offer over 30 HD TV channels.

9 months is excessive.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2011) Vol. I.
 

.



I hate to be the voice of reason here but there are a few things to concider.


The vast majority of VM customers are not telling them anything, a small number moaning on a forum is not very representative.

Almost all customers if asked would say they are happy with what they get and why would they not be unless they read press releases and post on forums like this.

My sister only knows new HD channels are adde when I tell her and she has 4 boxes in the house:shocked:


What she would like and notice more is extra content in VOD.


It's here thatVM can make themselves the best and where money should be spent


I would be much happier to have HD content adde that way than on channels as I could watch it when I want.:angel: