Re: Coming soon to Virgin TV 2014
 

Should really fit into a "Not coming soon" thread and don't want to come across as a troll but it looks like the new ITV Encore channel will be strictly Sky-only like Sky Atlantic currently is. Maybe Liberty Global can bid for the channel in four years' time and make it cable-only?
"ITV plc today announced that it would be launching ITV Encore this year, a new pay channel dedicated to the very best of the broadcaster's great British drama.

ITV Encore, which will be available on Sky's platforms, will be ITV's first brand new channel launch in eight years and forms part of a wider four year partnership with Sky - ITV's biggest ever with a platform operator.

The new channel will be home to some of ITV's most successful drama series of recent years. From 2015, it will also screen original commissions with the ITV hallmark of high quality production values, big name lead actors and compelling narratives penned by some of the UK's best writers."
http://www.itvplc.com/investors/anno...nch-itv-encore

Re: Coming soon to Virgin TV 2014
 

Well lets not come to kneejerk reactions as for all we know a deal between LG and ITV might be announced soon for carriage of this new channel.

Re: Coming soon to Virgin TV 2014
 

but

Maybe Virgin and ITV are still in talks for all we know.

Re: Coming soon to Virgin TV 2014
 

Seen as Sky are the ones pushing the launch and are probably funding it I feel that it's going to be exclusive.

If it was being launched by just ITV I don't think Sky would make a song and dance about it on their site. This could possibly be a change in plan instead of Sky launching Sky Bravo on their own back.

Re: Coming soon to Virgin TV 2014
 

Fair comment, we may learn more soon as Sky's first-half year results are announced tomorrow.

Re: Coming soon to Virgin TV 2014
 

Sky really are the nastiest company ever with how they withhold channels. How the government allows sky to do this is incredible- i know the answer though...money.

In a way i want bt sports just to kick them right where it hurts and give them a taste of their own medicine and withdraw bt sports from the sky platform. Seeing murdoch on tv crying about how unfair it is would be priceless. But BT sport being the dominant football provider would mean...more michael owen. So perhaps i'm being too rash

Looking like ITV Encore will be a Sky exclusive
 

"Jeremy Darroch, Sky Chief Executive, said: “Our customers love great drama and so we are delighted to bring them exclusive access to a new channel from one of the best loved brands in TV."
http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2014/...ay-tv-channel/
Of course, the channel may not be exclusive for ever.

Re: Coming soon to Virgin TV 2014
 

the fact that it will be a pay channel rather than a free channel would suggest to me that this is not a sky exclusive (I dont see anything about Sky exclusive)

and as denphone says usually its a sky first then VM will follow (like BT) so time will tell. I think it will be siome time before its ready this channel

Re: Looking like ITV Encore will be a Sky exclusive
 

Maybe the Sky CE was talking about Satellite - like only on Sky but not on Freesat.

Re: Coming soon to Virgin TV 2014
 

It's difficult to understand why you think that way Vince. I agree it's frustrating that Sky withholds channels, but it's entirely understandable. It's business, not nastiness they want to differentiate themselves from the competition, that's all.

VM choose to differentiate themselves by withholding their fibre broadband from other suppliers. BT do likewise by bundling their sport channel free with their broadband where as it's a pay channel on VM and Sky.

If we want the discounts that come from bundling TV, BB and phone we have to figure out which combination is best for us. I'd quite like a few channels that I can't get on VM but for me, the strength of their BB overcomes my frustrations.

Sky merely wish to overcome my desire of fast BB by offering more channels. It's not nasty, it's predictable, it happens in all market sectors, it's business.

Re: Looking like ITV Encore will be a Sky exclusive
 

No, it was a press release so would be written and rewritten several times to ensure there's no misinterpretation. But I too can see this channel being on VM once Sky's initial period is over.

Re: Coming soon to Virgin TV 2014
 

If itvs recent quality is anything to go by then it's no big loss.

---------- Post added at 12:03 ---------- Previous post was at 12:02 ----------

Virgin had their own channels and sold them. Sky have treated Living shows like Supernatural, nikita etc like crap quite frankly. VM only have themselves to blame.

Re: Coming soon to Virgin TV 2014
 

In your opinion that is , ITV won channel of the year at the Edinburgh Television festival so clearly not everyone agrees with you.;)

Re: Coming soon to Virgin TV 2014
 

I don't think that this deal replaces Sky's plans for their new Bravo channel, which is aimed at a different audience.

Perhaps Sky intends to use ITV Encore as their unique selling point to replace Sky Atlantic, which will be a cheaper option than continuing to fund SA from Sky satellite subscribers alone. This will make availability of SA to VM more acceptable to investors. I wondered how they were going to accomplish that.

Thursday's announcement will be very interesting indeed, possibly!

Re: Coming soon to Virgin TV 2014
 

vm had no choice had to sell the channels we have lot less channels if VM didn't sell the channels