Re: Can I pause my skysports package while there is no live football on ?
 

So much for BT sports being free.

Re: Can I pause my skysports package while there is no live football on ?
 

Has anyone ever said it was free?

I think it is accepted that the cost is just included in the top package(s) which were increased when it was added.

Re: Can I pause my skysports package while there is no live football on ?
 

Is this credit per month?

Re: Can I pause my skysports package while there is no live football on ?
 

Believe so.

---------- Post added at 22:26 ---------- Previous post was at 22:25 ----------

No such thing as a free lunch or sports channel ;)

Re: Can I pause my skysports package while there is no live football on ?
 

That's not how I remember it. BT Sport was provided 'at no extra cost'. It is true that prices went up that autumn, but it wasn't by anything like this amount, it was just the usual annual price hike.

Re: Can I pause my skysports package while there is no live football on ?
 

Does beg the question if those with TV packages that include BT Sport, but aren't interested in it, should get a permanent discount? It obviously does make up a fair proportion of the cost.

Re: Can I pause my skysports package while there is no live football on ?
 

That's not how it works, though, Mr K. If VM did that, it would put up the cost to those who wanted it, and that would lead to people looking for a better deal with Sky. Channels are cheaper when bought in bulk rather than separately. Most channels I subscribe to I never view anyway - I'm on the top package so that I can receive the channels that I actually want to view.

This is one of the many reasons I'm looking forward to more streaming services becoming available. I can then get to choose the precise types of programmes I want to see. We don't really have a sufficient range of programming by this means yet, but we are getting there.

Re: Can I pause my skysports package while there is no live football on ?
 

Virgin choose (for marketing reasons) to include BT Sport with top-tier, and I dare say the economics & financials add-up that much better because they do.

It's the same with any other bundled channels that you don't want.. I've got very little interest in most of what Sky Arts or Discovery Home broadcast, but I don't expect a discount because of it.

If and when the economics mean that VM can't remain competitive on top-tier without removing the costs of BT Sport and charging separately, I don't see it changing. If anything, they probably gain more premium-customers by including it.

Re: Can I pause my skysports package while there is no live football on ?
 

.. and today I received a confirmation email from Virgin Media:

Hello Huxie,

Just a quick email to confirm that we’ve now paused your Sky Sports and BT Sport payments. Thanks for bearing with us while we got this sorted.

We’ll be adding two different credits to your bill – look out for ‘Sky Sports credit’ and ‘BT Sport credit’.

We’ll keep your Sky Sports and BT Sport payments paused until the action resumes, and you won’t need to do anything to start enjoying it again. During this paused period, you’ll still be able to watch Sky Sports and BT Sport channels.

For help with anything else, please use our website for help and support – start here. As virus quarantine measures have closed some of our call centres, we’re asking that our customers work with us and only call if they have an urgent query that can’t wait.

Take care,
The Virgin Media team

Re: Can I pause my skysports package while there is no live football on ?
 

Here am I about to agree with Old Boy here. ;)

Back in the day Setanta joined XL TV and it was widely thought something in the region of around £2.50 per XL TV (equivalent) went towards it. The logic to Setanta at the time being Virgin subscribers are less likely than Sky subscribers to buy it standalone at £12.99 or whatever it was.

There’s never been a “one off” increase as a result of changing to ESPN then BT included, it’s simply been absorbed into the overall price. The point that japitts raises is a good one above - if a few hundred thousand subscribers who do watch BT and have Ultimate Oomph coughing up £100+ a month moved to Sky suddenly the fixed costs (network upgrades and maintenance, interest payments, etc.) are having to be met by a smaller subscriber base and a sizeable amount of income removed.

Re: Can I pause my skysports package while there is no live football on ?
 

I remember being riled when they announced that BT Sport was to be added, with an increase in package cost to cover it. No ifs or buts, we all had to pay. :mad::mad::mad:

Re: Can I pause my skysports package while there is no live football on ?
 

You are mistaken, Taf. There was only the usual annual price increase that year, which some claimed erroneously was due to,BT Sport being added. Virgin also said at the time that these channels would be added for no extra charge.

Re: Can I pause my skysports package while there is no live football on ?
 

I wish now that I had kept the letter they sent me.

Re: Can I pause my skysports package while there is no live football on ?
 

They’ll have sent a generic letter around the price rise. “Your price is going up by £5, however in the last year we’ve added.... we’ve doubled your broadband, etc etc.”

However it won’t have said “because we are adding BT Sport your subscription is going up £5”.

Re: Can I pause my skysports package while there is no live football on ?
 

Press release from the time.

https://hexus.net/ce/items/entertain...nner-bt-sport/