BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

If Virgin Media did an deal to carry all the 'BT Sports' channels on Virgin Media but as an add on Package will you pay extra to watch them?

Will you pay extra for BT Sports?
 

The question is will you pay the extra likely subscription for the BT Sports channels or do you think it should be included in the XL pack.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

big NO from me MB not paying for it pay enough as it is

Re: Will you pay extra for BT Sports?
 

big NO for me if it pay channel don't think it be in xl but hope it will be

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Highly unlikely as l believe we are paying enough as it is.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

With the announcement today that bt have bought all espn's uk broadcasting rights (fa cup, Scottish league, rugby) etc I can't see it being for free, I think bt subscribers will get it for free with sky sports but everybody else will have to pay £10, I may not be prepared to pay virgin extra for it, another company maybe.

Re: Will you pay extra for BT Sports?
 

i have voted 'depends on price' - cant see it being part of the XL pack- BT have sunk too much money into it.

As i have posted on other related threads cost will be key. i am leaning towards not subscribing unless i see it as good value for money.

i think BT have overbid in their keenness to acquire the Premier League- another thing to blame overpaid footballers for! ESPN clearly thought so and have decided quit their venture into the relatively small but relatively expensive UK pay TV sports market.

i am a self confessed sports nut but there is a point where you say this is costing too much. Whilst acquiring other football and other sports clearly Premier League Football is the marque event for both Sky and BT- whilst BT may have got more games than ESPN had they still fall way short of Sky's package.

i have doubts to how many will subscribe to both and if it comes down to choosing one over the other then wonder how many punters BT will take from Sky.

Perhaps if they price it right they might get a few in which case you never know sky might drop their price. Unlikely i know but if it meant Sky getting one over a competitor maybe ????

Re: Will you pay extra for BT Sports?
 

Den you can think it should be included but it won't surely? BT will charge VM too much for it to be an option to put it free with XL. :-(

Re: Will you pay extra for BT Sports?
 

Yes we are all hoping beyond hope that it will be included but any hope we had is receding fast now l am afraid.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Defo no from me,pay enough

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Said on another thread pay £113 or so just now has to stop somewhere. £1356 a year :shocked: just worked that out (not in my head) for tv and Internet, rarely use landline. That is scary.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

As a pensioner, additional expense is not on the cards.
So unless included with XL TV NO.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

I'm not sure Bt's outlay has any real relevance, does it? The question really is whether Virgin are prepared to continue to subsidise it as they currently do ESPN and whether Bt are prepared to let them. I certainly won't be prepared to pay for it - I'm put off by the Saturday lunch time kick offs as much as anything else. I'm going to take up the 3 months half price Sky Sports offer for the start of the f1 season and I may just well stick with them.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Not a chance, i already pay more for Virgin than i do in electricity for the whole house per month.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Highly unlikely I will pay an additional cost if it is not included in the XL package. I already pay for Sky Sports so might it be included in that package as per Sky F1?

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

no it a bt channel not sky channel so no way can it be included in sky pack

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Probably.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

All I watch is UFC. Nope. First televised womens fight last weekend. :D

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Sorry, I meant include it in the Sky Sports package and rename it the Sports Collection or something (hopefully at no additional cost!).

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Nope, I don't pay for sky sports either.
Any footy match I care to see is streamable 'somewhere' on the internet.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

If this poll is a snapshot cross section, BT could be in trouble

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Here is a blast from the past:

http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/11...e-to-espn.html

It's interesting to look back at views and opinions 4 years ago when ESPN came along.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

BT will get viewers but they still need to pull a few things out the bag. its all very good being a rival to Sky. the big thing is whether BT can tap into any assets they have or can get hold of which could prove to be sleeping giants, then BT could see viability with more and more customers signing up whether its on its own platform or another. stating the obvious i know but thats how it is. it will be interesting nonetheless, ill sign up to see how its all evolving not to mention the football contents.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Have voted wait and see, but unless it's a nominal price and/or I win the lottery, probably not...

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

No from me, wouldn't pay for ESPN either if it wasn't included in XL.

PS my team aren't on TV much at the moment to make it worthwhile anyway! ;-)

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

And the majority had near enough the same views then so unless it is included in the XL pack this bodes ill for BT Sports in my humble opinion.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

£113 a month now,so no way I will be adding to that.Think it should be free after all these price rises.With ESPN gone from that my package is starting to look overly expensive.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

It cannot be free as BT will charge VM lots for it....

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

There's another issue though. My thoughts are that I love sport and currently get Sky Sports (in HD) plus ESPN via XL. But if I were no longer getting ESPN why would I pay for XL tv? I wouldn't, I'd move down to M+ TV, and subscribe to BT Sports instead.

I'm sure there'd be lots like me re-assessing if they needed to be paying for an XL TV pack with no ESPN in it.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

No chance of me paying more than I do already.

Can't really believe I shell out £114 a month as it is!

---------- Post added at 12:34 ---------- Previous post was at 12:29 ----------


Blades v Bees 12:45, 23rd March on Sky. :)

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Really good point.

Another interesting point will be whether Virgin Media class the loss of ESPN from the XL package as a significant change to the package. If so you will be able to cancel your TV service free of charge under section J 3b of the terms and conditions. In fact regardless of what Virgin think, do customers think the loss of ESPN from XL will be a significant loss?

http://store.virginmedia.com/the-leg...es.html#ending

“If we and/or Virgin Media Payments:

J3b) make significant changes to the services so the services you are entitled to receive in return for the charges you pay are significantly altered or reduced you may cancel those services affected without penalty by giving us and/or Virgin Media Payments (as applicable) at least 30 days' notice�

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

The going rate to subscribe to ESPN is £10 (or is it £11) per month via Sky or Freeview (BT Vision or Top-Up TV) Take that from the difference between L and XL TV packs and I'd say you have a 'significant change' in the value of the XL pack.

Looking at the VM website channel list, I would guess that the number of programmes that I've watched on XL only channels apart from ESPN in the last year could be counted on the fingers of one hand. So it's not all bad news for the BT Sports channel, it can easily be afforded. Not sure it'll be good news for VM though.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

I understand what people are saying but am betting BT Sports will be £15 and won't be paying that.

XL pack has lots I enjoy as well as ESPN so doubt will change the pack.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

I don't see it being part of the XL package.

I don't know what VM pay ESPN per customer now but I'd imagine BT would be looking for far more, given what they've just paid for the EPL packages. BT's packages include far more lucrative fixtures than ESPN or Setanta did.

I reckon that the price for BT will be tiered depending on the TV package you have, e.g. £8 if you're on XL, £12 on L and £15 on M+.

That provides an incentive for those who want the sport to keep the higher TV package.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Will BT be able to dictate how much Virgin charge for BT Sports similar to how SKY dictate that Virgin must charge £7.00 for HD?

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

I'd seen that Mad Bee but I'll be at the game, thanks anyway! May the best team win ;-)

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Of that we don't know as it is likely to remain private and confidential.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

I'm waiting to see what happens to ESPN America.

When NASN started as was £10 pm I was happy to pay that because of the content, but ESPNA seems to have been losing content (to the point of showing NCAA athletics and lacrosse) so I'll wait and see what happens.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

ESPNA is a shadow of its former self, the loss of NHL, sports centre, Sports nation, NFL MNF and NFL support programming has damaged the channel IMO.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

This is the key question for me.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Do Virgin have multiple negotiation teams when it comes to carriage deals?

Virgins current carriage deal for SKY Sports and SKY Movies expires on 30th June 2013. It looks like BT Sports will launch one month later on the 01st August 2013.

Virgin will have a busy few months negotiating. What will almost be certain is that Virgin won't be paying any less to SKY or BT than they current pay for SKY Movies, SKY Sports and ESPN.

Is there a real possibility that come July / August Virgin might have to put prices up again for anyone taking premium channels?

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

The loss of Sports Center had totally passed me by.

Used to watch it for a quick NHL review so I guess I haven't missed it since we lost NHL coverage.

I'd miss MLB coverage and March Madness but it's not worth shelling out for.

---------- Post added at 12:24 ---------- Previous post was at 12:21 ----------

It's going to be a good last couple of months.

Went up to your place last season but think I'll watch this one on the TV. A red and white striped top two come 5pm on 27th April would go down a treat. :)

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Well i wont be paying it if it does go up July/August, i am already paying £115-£120pm now, and dont even have the top package :nono: rang retentions {as i am now out of contract} to try and get a better deal, and was fobbed off with "If you pay your line rental for the 12 months up front, we can knock you an EXTRA £5 a month off your package, as well as line rental" making out it was such a great deal, in the end told them to shove it, i will just wait for infinity in my area {sometime after March}

Does downgrading your package = new contract?

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

The poll results so far suggest Virgin would be wasting their time adding BT Sports. There only seems to be limited demand for the channel.

It might be worth Virgin forgetting all about BT Sports and instead using their resources to try and secure SKY Atlantic, SKY Sports 1, 2, 3, 4, SKY Sports News and SKY F1 all in HD instead.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

They can't win, if they didn't give people the option of BT Sports then the forums will be full of people complaining that VM are inferior to Sky as they don't carry the channel even if very few people would actually subscribe to it

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Says the Box Nation subscriber ;)

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

A similar poll for Boxnation now would probably suggest Virgin did waste their time adding the channel :D

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

no. In a way with all the content from espn lost, we should get a reduction in current cost.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

haha no chance

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

I cannot see that. ESPN has been a bonus for XL as they wanted a deal that maximised the numbers watching to try and increase advertising.

It is not VM's fault BT Sports want to milk the sports tv watchers for a hefty subscription. I am not expecting an decrease as I don't see why we should get one. Lots more channels are being added and if XL is not to people's tastes without ESPN (which is, of course a very valid view) then they can downgrade to another package.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Could not agree more. The only reason I upgraded to XL was for ESPN. I have very little need for it otherwise.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Defiintely not keen to add any more costs to what we're currently paying on the VIP Collection. I do believe BT Sports willl be similar to the Sky Sports purchase options:

Standalone sub costs on lower tier TV packages or included in VIP.

If that's not the case, then I may need to consider subscribing/cancelling every so often, depending on what's being shown, taking into account the miniumum 30 day contract.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

this.

it should be included in vip, otherwise sky have better sports options for cheaper.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Hope BT sports will be free with the XL pack if not I still have sky sports for the football but if BT sports was free with BT vision and I got sky sports with it then I would go to BT would you guys do the same

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

no chance. the best you could hope for is some promo offer or discount code. apart from that i'd expect costs.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

No I would not go to BT Vision under any circumstances and certainly not for a package of football at Saturday lunchtime when I cannot watch!

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

I must admit the lure of first choice games is completely ruined by the fact that they're being played at the worst of all the weekends allowed broadcast times. Shame really - some potentially excellent matches will be ruined by the general malaise that has dogged this kick off time since it was first introduced.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

The simple fact of the matter is they can not show prem matches at 3pm on a Saturday, the football league would not allow it, so they have to show them either side of the slot, if they want to show 4 matches over a weekend then the existing times are the most appropriate.

---------- Post added at 11:21 ---------- Previous post was at 11:20 ----------

Also it is very unlikely that local derbies will be given police permission to be played on a Saturday evening.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

I'm aware of the limitations - but that doesn't escape the fact that the Saturday lunchtime games are often lacklustre. IMO.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

I agree!! This is what people want, especially when money is tight.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Yeah, I often end up watching Soccer Saturday build up rather than the early game.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Yes especially Paul Merson making a fool of himself again.:D

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

My Dad loves the way Jeff Stelling host Soccer Saturday he says Jeff look like he about to have an Heart Attack all the time when the goal goes in.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

To me there is no chance of a reduction as more channels have come in and the choice is now whether to pay for XL as it will be without ESPN or not. I do not see why, however desirable it may be for consumers VM should reduce the price. They simply won't do it.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Indeed not in a month of Sunday's.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

I will stick with Sky, I am already paying £114 a month...

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

no from me I wont pay for any premium channel that has adverts in.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

depends on the price for me

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Carry on voting...

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

The results so far do not paint a pretty picture for BT Sports!

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Indeed they don't but that could change if the pricing is set to a affordable level.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Den mate I really am not confident about that....

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

by the way, as sky now have 5.30pm kick-offs. The plan apparently is for Jeff Stelling to present that match after they have finished Soccer Saturday

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Well i certainly will not pay for a bt sports channel, the only sport i watch is on Sky and that does me perfectly

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Have loved having ESPN as part of the XL pack but that party is over methinks and I shan't be complaining or paying for BT on top of Sky Sports.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

I wouldn't read too much in the results until we know how much BT Sports is going to cost on VM. Having said that, the rumoured cost is £13 per month, if that's the case then.....I'm out.

Should find out tomorrow.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

They can work it!

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Same for me, I wouldn't have paid for ESPN if it wasn't in the xl package. Am £115 pm enough is enough.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Mail on Sunday says BT Sports will cost £10 pm.

http://mediaboyblog.blogspot.co.uk/2...port-free.html

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

That article is full of bullet holes.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Perhaps this will take care of it.:sniper::sniper: :D

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

There not going to be showing Super league so have no need to pay them for there channel. All they have done is split the Market even further and for a lot of people its one or the other simples. £10.00 a month will buy me a lot of better other stuff than what BT are going to be offering

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

I wonder if VM will let XL people cancel in contract if they can't replace ESPN for free?

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

I think XL customers will be allowed to cancel, if in contract term, under J sections 3:

http://store.virginmedia.com/the-leg...es.html#ending

"If we and/or Virgin Media Payments: b) make significant changes to the services so the services you are entitled to receive in return for the charges you pay are significantly altered or reduced you may cancel those services affected without penalty by giving us and/or Virgin Media Payments (as applicable) at least 30 days' notice."

You'd have to say ESPN, ESPN HD and ESPN America dropping out of the XL package would be a very significant change. Only problem is I think you would still need to keep your broadband and telephone.

People need to be very aware of the following:

"Such notice must be given within 30 days of the increase in charges or changes to the services or this agreement being notified to you."

If you plan to cancel your TV contract make sure Virgin have notified you that ESPN will drop out of your package, and react within 30 days! Don't expect them to highlight this to you in any e-mail or letter they may send. Notice how cool they are trying to play things here:

https://customer.virginmedia.com/for...art=Tickles_18

Know your rights, don't be afraid to call Virgin and ask questions about the T&C's. Take the name of who you speak with just in case the advice you receive is not completely accurate. Remember you are not asking for your services to be changed or reduced in anyway. The change in service is being forced upon you. You do not need to accept these changes.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Virgin aren't making the significant changes though, it's not their choice that they're losing the ESPN suite of channels. Plus it could be argued that they've made up for it by providing additional channels over the past couple of months

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

The terms and conditions do also state:

"Some parts of the services (for example, television channels that form part of our television services and other content on, or accessible via, our television services) are supplied by other organisations. As a result, due to matters outside our reasonable control or for commercial or contractual reasons, we may change, cancel or postpone all or any component part(s) of the services without notice, but we will give you reasonable notice of any withdrawals and changes where it is possible to do so. You will be entitled to end this agreement if the changes are significant, as described in paragraph J3."

It doesn't matter how it happens, the package you have signed up for will be changed significantly. That's why it's important the right to cancel is within the terms and conditions. If it wasn't companies could sweep something likes this under the carpet by saying "We're not really making any changes so you can't cancel your contract."


Virgin have done a great job in recent months adding new HD and niche channels. Have these made up for the potential loss of ESPN in a few months? Personally I don't think they do. If anything the new channels have went a long way towards justifying the steep price hikes during 2012 / 2013 which saw some peoples monthly subscription shooting up by over £12 per month!

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

shouldn't "I will wait until I see how many it will cost."

'how much it will cost"

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Just got the best news for a long time,all BT Sport HD channels (including ESPN) free on my Sky HD box as I am a BT Infinity customer,after 12 months I will still only have to pay £3 a month to receive the HD format,couple this with me cancelling ESPN with Sky last month at a saving of £10 I am now quids in,only downside is I can only get it on one of my two box's,never thought this would happen.:D:D:D

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

The irony is so many SKY customers are in the same boat. So many people with SKY, who currently subscribe to ESPN for £10.00 per month, are set to make savings. Not bad at all!

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

How are ""Sports fans the winners today." when the price of watching football and rugby has just increased by 50% ?

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Absolutely ! :( Its a sad day for sports fans unless you have bottomless pockets. Just have to see what VM do for its customers.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Has it?

If you pay for the internet already, you can get BT for free. How is that extra?

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Well not on BT. They are clearly winners, I'm on about sky and virgin customers

-Have our bills for watching sports on tv decreased?
-Has the amount of sport we get for our money increased?

Saying "Sports fans are the winners today." is rubbish - Why would I go to BT where my BB connection would be 10 times slower? That's not winning. That's losing.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

because most sports fans have sky with sky bb or have virgin. The only winners are people that couldn't afford sky sports or casual sport fans

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Or the likes of me with Sky HD and BT Infinity,I am £10 a month better off and I get BT Sports1 and 2 HD,and I am a football fanatic who has the full Sky package.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

That's not true.

Unless you have basic broadband on Sky for free, then you will pay £2 extra than ESPN was.

I have Virgin of course, TV, BB and phone. It will now be cheaper to get BT internet and BT Sport with Sky TV than at the moment, by £15 per month.

so what you say is incorrect.

Re: BT Sports - Will you pay extra for it???
 

Certainly won't be leaving VM for one free year of BT Sport and two less Sky Sports channels, less HD..... ;-)

Should be £5 with XL TV available in HD