Virgin Media too Confident?
 

Results from Virgins site at 08:12


Sky withdraws its non-premium channels
What do you think of Sky withdrawing its non-premium channels like Sky One, Sky News and Sky Sports News from Virgin Media's TV service?

• 32.22 %Murdoch's trying to bully me into switching to Sky, but I am not going to be bullied!
• 45.92 %Virgin Media promised me channels that are now not available, it's unfair and I am definitely leaving
• 4.84 %I am happy with Virgin Media, I don't know what all the fuss is about?
• 17.02 %Virgin Media should spend whatever it takes to save these channels, even if that means I pay more in the long-run

Now that looks to me like...

Did you want Skyone or not?

• 62.94 Yes i want it
• 37.06No i Dont

Maybe Virgin have been more confident about what customers want than they should of been.

Re: Virgin Media too Confident?
 

Ive never even been to the Virgin Media site, which just goes to say polls like that are probably not indicative of anywhere near VM's entire user base.

Re: Virgin Media too Confident?
 

hmm, exactly where is this poll. It's not obviously linked to from anywhere on the main virginmedia.com site :confused:

However I don't think your broadbrush analysis of the results are fair.

Firstly how many people have voted, and more importantly how does it ensure one person one vote (many of these things can be amnipulated). Is it a representative sample. We know for example that many of the votes on Cable Forum, are only getting a very small proportion of the population who might have an opinion, simply because on ly a few use forums and even fewer of those forum users visit CF.

The point is, with those 4 questions I couldn't accurately answer any of them. I would want to respond - yes I'd like to have Sky (I did watch it), but I'm not leaving VM because it's gone.

Re: Virgin Media too Confident?
 

I was hoping other people would post the results at different times...

Its linked to from the fairplay page
http://allyours.virginmedia.com/fairplay/index.html

It now has a section called were listening, and you can vote from in there.

Im more than willing to look at the results again as more people post :)

Re: Virgin Media too Confident?
 

The only way that vote would actually be fair and correct would be if you had to register with your account number to vote. Any open vote on a website can be fiddled by getting employees etc to register or vote.

Re: Virgin Media too Confident?
 

One channels the same as another when you fall asleep. :zzz:

Re: Virgin Media too Confident?
 

But I dont think anyone would have been happy paying an extra subscription fee because of the riddiculous increase Sky were expecting.I would have gone to Freeview if my subscription had risen to fund thiscrap

Re: Virgin Media too Confident?
 

Oh goody!

Another Sky versus VM thread - I was a bit worried that we didn't have enough of them on Cable Forum.

I understand that some people are upset/annoyed/(fill in appropriate emotion) that as VM customers, they will no longer be able to see some of their favourite TV programmes which were on Sky One et al.

At the end of the day, two businesses couldn't agree contractual terms - it happens all the time; I don't remember everyone complaining this much when BBC lost the "24" series to Sky; there weren't people posting online saying "I am willing to pay more for my TV licence so I can watch "24"", or, "I want my TV licence reduced because I can't watch "24" on the BBC anymore".

There are, however, a number of options available to people:-
a) Cancel VM
b) Cancel VM and take a Sky subscription
c) Cancel VM and get a Freeview box
d) Stay with VM and do nothing
e) Stay with VM and talk to CS about a better deal
f) Stay with VM and take a Sky subscription (unusual, but possible)
g) Do nothing, but complain a lot
h) Take one of options a) - f), and complain a lot

Re: Virgin Media too Confident?
 

Or Sky employees (heaven forbid....)

Re: Virgin Media too Confident?
 

With websites with ownership hidden (couldn't happen, could it?) ;)

"Visit AboutUs.org for more information about virginmediasucks.com
AboutUs: virginmediasucks.com
Registration Service Provided By: NameCheap.com
Contact: support@NameCheap.com
Domain name: virginmediasucks.com
Registrant Contact:
WhoisGuard
WhoisGuard Protected (8da5488c0d03484aa26990ea0c1f3d71.protect@whoisgua rd.com)
+1.6613102107
Fax: +1.6613102107
8939 S. Sepulveda Blvd. #110 - 732
Westchester, CA 90045
US
"

Re: Virgin Media too Confident?
 

Indeed. I wonder why VM even bothered with such a poll. It's just begging to be abused. I wonder whether a memo went round Sky head office encouraging staff to take part.

Re: Virgin Media too Confident?
 

I can't imagine anything so underhand.....

Re: Virgin Media too Confident?
 

Exactly. How many times has anyone been to the VM site
other than to check on service status or subscribe initially.

The only reason a lot of people are going to the site now is
to is fnd a way to contact VM to complain, so of course any
polls they put up wil be skewed! (the '37%' has to be mostly
from here or DS?)

I reckon VM have finally got wind of some of the customers
who are disgruntled at not having a say in the first place and
have thrown up this poll as in a knee-jerk reaction...
and possibly shot themselves in the foot.

Ah well, I'm not overly bothered. If they can keep their heads
above water on this one (and get their finger out as far as
new TVOD content and re-routing funds to score big rights)
they should be on equal footing with BskyB within a year or so.

Cheers,
-Mark

Re: Virgin Media too Confident?
 

I was acutally hoping people might just talk about the poll results, and maybe post what the results where at when they voted.

Re: Virgin Media too Confident?
 

So, of the people who have tuned into Sky, found the channels missing, gone to the special Virgin Media URL and voted, only two-thirds of them actually wanted to watch Sky in the first place! ;)

Re: Virgin Media too Confident?
 

I agree, that vote is far more interesting. I would have expected it to be in the 90s to keep Sky One, i would have voted to keep it, but only on certain conditions. The fact that a third didn't even want it is strange considering the first vote. I think it goes to prove that the figures for both votes are a load of rubbish.

Agree with what was said above though in a previous post, a vote using your Virgin password, or a phone poll to customers, they are the only ways to use figures and claim any truth in them.

Re: Virgin Media too Confident?
 

Of course these polls are open to manipulation.. and the people who tend to vote in them are usuaully motivated to do so for whatever reason. However, I can't imagine for a moment that VM expected nearly half of the votes to go to the "bugger it, I'm off" option.

Only VM know the true figures of people leaving, they should be able to come up with an estimate of the potential losses from the past couple of days cancellations.

YouGov are also doing a more balanced survey on this and the whole issue of multiplay carriers. I don't know if they'll make the results public, or if its privately commissioned.. but nonetheless someone is probably paying to see the figures.

Re: Virgin Media too Confident?
 

Why is that your stock answer when anyone posts something you don't agree with?

Re: Virgin Media too Confident?
 

I'm not sure it's worth getting wound up about, but i don't think Paul was eluding to only Virgin Media eployees, i'm sure he meant employees from any organisation!

Re: Virgin Media too Confident?
 

Absolutely. Sky employees of course have nothing better to do with their time than distort VM polls, and it's not like anyone would notice hundreds and hundreds of votes coming from internal BSkyB addresses is it?

Should I get a 666 avatar, or perhaps go into selling foil hats? :)

I'm quite astonished that I'm not burning up in sunlight and can still touch holy water seeing as I work for the anti-Christ :D

Anyway gotta go it's the Sky Friday afternoon baby eating session now.

Re: Virgin Media too Confident?
 

no I dont think virgin media is too confident.

However I do think there getting victimised by the rubbish press biased to Sky. Who owns the news murdock.

I said on another post if Sky keep bashing lie after lie enough times then people will believe anything that Sky is the victim and not the perpetrator. Virgin media need to come out now and force the issue else like Ntl they lose. YEs they have lost programmes is hard life. But going to sky still not the right option. Sky if they got a monopoly would just put prices up. They are in debt they cannot sustain the spending without cuts. With poor viewing figures its sky one or the so called blue ribboned shows will get the chop anyway. I bet Sky would never admit this is likely.

Re: Virgin Media too Confident?
 

Rupert Murdoch has stated quite categorically that he is not the Anti-Christ.
The Anti-Christ, in fact, works for Rupert and regards him as a role-model. :D


I thought that was only for senior management? ;)

Re: Virgin Media too Confident?
 

Hell was bought in a leveraged buyout :)

For morale reasons it's now extended to all staff, it's a nice promotion from the usual Friday afternoon dog kicking. :)

---------- Post added at 13:50 ---------- Previous post was at 13:47 ----------

Murdoch doesn't own the beeb dude, moreover Sky have some debt but even with that debt, the spending and the loss of revenue from VM Sky will still end each quarter making profit, and that's real profit after all expenditure :)

I think you're thinking of Virgin Media when commenting about companies being in debt and unable to sustain spending - VM barely make an operating profit and once the interest, etc, has taken its' cut they are still losing 8 figures a month. ;)

Re: Virgin Media too Confident?
 

Just as long as you don't salt your baby before you eat it, that would be cruel, and no good for your blood pressure.

I assume Sky employees generally have home broadband. It wouldn't be too difficult for people to do it in a way that doesn't give away a Sky IP.

And if I was a Sky PR man, considering the level at which they have pitched their media campaign against VM so far, I wouldn't consider it a waste of my employees' time - I'd consider sabotaging VM to be a core activity. It certainly seems as if Sky thinks this way anyway, considering the way they have been carrying on for some weeks now.

Re: Virgin Media too Confident?
 

So very true - I wouldn't put it past them adding to various forums with mis-information either

Re: Virgin Media too Confident?
 

Thats a really good point!

Re: Virgin Media too Confident?
 

Looks like the poll on that VM site has been pulled. - At least i can't find it on the fairplay stuff anymore.

Re: Virgin Media too Confident?
 

Anyhow, as both a VM employee and customer what's wrong with having a say. What if in a family one works for each, now that would make for an intersting time, new Reality show anyone?? Polls should be set so only one vote per user, don't need to record the vote, just that had voted. Anonymous votes are far too easy to "cheat".

Me, I miss the channels, but I get subsidised service so am not going to jump. Would I jump if I didn't? Probably not. Don't like Sky (the company) so would not want to directly give them money.

Re: Virgin Media too Confident?
 

I agree, having ones say is perfectly healthy - and it doesn't matter who you work for to have your say.

It's when 'having your say' (and I am not pointing this statement at you Teetie) crosses the line of vehmently attacking anyone with a differnt and/or oposing point of view. And some take this to an apparent display of being brainwashed - by what I have no idea, but wierd that something as insignificant as a TV company (either one will do) can get people so full of bile.

Re: Virgin Media too Confident?
 

There are an awful lot of people that think the same, I would rather not watch tv than give Murdock a penny

Re: Virgin Media too Confident?
 

At the end of the day, I guess in this household we watch around 70% terrestrial television anyway - I prefer the English made programmes to American.

Re: Virgin Media too Confident?
 

The only vote that counts will be when people vote with their feet and leave and by all accounts that's not happening(yet). VM will help themselves a great deal if they move quickly to get more content to VOD.

Re: Virgin Media too Confident?
 

Agreed, building up a big library would be a big asset, something to boast about.

Re: Virgin Media too Confident?
 

Building up a big library costs a lot of money. With hindsight this is something that should have been done before, not after. £40m, as is the figure some are banding about being how much VM witll save, doesn't buy you many episodes of top drama productions.