Re: ITV threaten to blackout on Virgin
 

Also there's no such thing as a digital aerial, this was a myth perpetuated by aerial installers at Digital Switchover.

Re: ITV threaten to blackout on Virgin
 

I find freeview useful as an alternative source particularly when you've got one box feeding a few TVs and you want to watch different things ! Plus the HD on freeview seems to be better for some reason.

Re: ITV threaten to blackout on Virgin
 

As usual they take a grain of truth and twist it to get sales. A so-called “digital aerial” was just a wideband UHF aerial, able to receive all frequencies used in terrestrial broadcasts in the UK.

In some places, while analogue and digital were broadcasting at the same time, it was necessary to broadcast digital outside of the transmitter’s usual frequency group. In such cases a house with a rooftop aerial optimised to receive only frequencies from within that group would be inadequate to receive digital transmissions properly. In those cases, a wideband aerial was required.

Re: ITV threaten to blackout on Virgin
 

Boost for ITV as Government backs commercial deal in £80m fees row with Virgin Media.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/...es-row-virgin/

Re: ITV threaten to blackout on Virgin
 

Itv never used to be on sky, wasn't for years and it really irked them

Re: ITV threaten to blackout on Virgin
 

They had better be ready to be irked again, I think! When VM take a different feed and put them down further in the EPG, ITV will be well annoyed!

Re: ITV threaten to blackout on Virgin
 

Serves them right if that happens..

Re: ITV threaten to blackout on Virgin
 

It irked sky, apologies for not being clearer, we used to like to remind them that Britain's most popular independent channel wasn't available on their platform

Re: ITV threaten to blackout on Virgin
 

How can VM get round this by showing a different feed? Surely they will still be 'rebroadcasting' the channel? :confused:

Re: ITV threaten to blackout on Virgin
 

My idea of making ITV responsible for individual collection of those who choose to take ITV as a ppv channel is the best idea.

A second option would be for virgin to agree to pay the £80m and charge ITV £150m for access to Virgin's system.

Re: ITV threaten to blackout on Virgin
 

Then itv would say no thanks

Re: ITV threaten to blackout on Virgin
 

No loss, I am sure most people can get ITV main channel through an aerial, or other method.

I certainly do not want to pay for what should be a free channel (and is such on other platforms), hence my preferred solution of making it a PPV channel with
ITV being responsible for collecting the fees - or even paying Virgin to collect them.

To be forced to pay for ITV included in existing packages, through a price increase, is just not on!

Re: ITV threaten to blackout on Virgin
 

The World Cup next year might be ITVs trump card...

Re: ITV threaten to blackout on Virgin
 

Only for viewers with no recourse to freeview, freesat, sky, BT tv or terrestrial

Probably an insignificant minority.

Re: ITV threaten to blackout on Virgin
 

The World Cup Finals are a protected sporting event which has to be made available free to air by ITV to at least 95% of UK households under the Digital Economy Bill. Virgin Media's 3.8 million TV customers account for nearly 15% of total UK households. Virgin could argue a blackout of ITV on their platform could result in ITV not maintaining their obligation to reach 95% of UK households. Virgin could also argue if ITV start charging a rebroadcast fee, which Virgin have to pass onto their customers, then ITV are not technically delivering the World Cup on a free to air basis on the Virgin Media platform.

I'm sure I'm just looking at this at a very basic level however the Digital Economy Bill was brought in to safe guard key cultural sporting from disappearing behind a paywall and making sure the events are made available easily to the widest possible audience.