Digital TV Base Pack
 

Hot from our sources :angel:

ntl Digital TV Base Pack is about to get even better with the addition of E4!

From 1st March 2004, E4 (channel no. 144) and E4+1 (channel no. 145) will be available in the Base Pack for ntl:home Digital TV customers.
This is a great news message for our Base Pack customers as E4 premiers popular series including Friends, ER, The West Wing, Six Feet Under and Sex and the City, live coverage of reality shows like Big Brother and The Salon plus popular series like Dawsonââ‚Ã⠀šÃ‚¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢s Creek and Smallville.

There will be no extra charge to Base Pack customers for this exciting addition to their service.

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

at last... :D

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

That is good news - I'm downgrading to the base pack soon anyway.

Nice one :)

- I guess ntl's thinking on this is that with E4 available on all analogue packs, they are now more likely to upgrade to digital.

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

I guess it's also possible that, with Freeview getting more and more popular and NTL's Base Pack offering so little over and above what you can now get for nowt, they're starting to realise they need to do a little better.

The missus'll be delighted, she loves E4.

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

And E4 isn't in the basic sky package either.

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

Just as the Salon finishes :D

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

But in plenty of time for Big Brother :) :D

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

excellent news!!!
so, the base pack is getting a bit better value. all i want now is cnn and another music channel!! :D

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

Just wait for the price rise...

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

I reckon it'll go up to £20/mth........... :rolleyes:

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

If there is a price increase it won't be because they have given you E4 in the base pack, they would of increased the price anyway :)

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

I don't think there will be one now - they have normally informed us by now about the usual May price increases :)

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

i have heard june /july for a price increase :(

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

E4 has been in analogue base pack since it launched on analogue - I have a feeling it's due to top-up tv which is similarly priced to the digtal base pack. A bit of healthy competition can only be a good thing :)

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

base pack now better value for digital customers
base pack now worser value for analogue customers

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

for People who don't have this already you are in for the tv treat
of you life with shows like the secret life of us the west wing
and smallville just to name a few consider 1st March the day
real tv landed in your home

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

i don't think ntl will increase the price of the base pack, it will become extremely uncompetative and, well, i'll be cancelling £8.50 is really too much for what you get - i mean look at telewest, you get loads more for the same price! it's stupid.

who knows, maybe the ntl base pack price will go down, to make it better value for analogue subscribers?? (i hope it does!! :D)

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

This is good news - I'm subscribed to the base pack because I can't install an old analogue aerial on the roof ...stoopid Swindon council! :mad: However I have been disgusted by the pitiful amount of channels available since I've been using it. If it wasn't for being tied to ntl until the end of the contract's minimum period, I'd have already jumped ship to Sky. At least this makes the £8.50 p/month a bit easier to swallow.

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

About time, I really miss E4.

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

lo guys.

my first forum post :)

well Im on the base pack, I jsut check E4 and E4+1 and it says "Sorry you are not subscribed to this channel please phone up and pay us more money bla bla" :( Pretty sure it's the 1st of March 2day? :)

If this happens is the best thing since they put Sky Sports new son the base back. ;)

Cheers,

Mat.

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

I was quite stunned by this one - I always thought the fact you couldonly get E4 on the full package (Family pack?) was a bit of a moneyspinner for NTL...
Or are the profit ratios better the more people they get on the base pack?

And talking of price increases, Is the family pack likely to rise? My guess would be a round £30 but if that's with a B/band increase then it's a bit of downgrading for me!

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

All the recent price rises have been Sky price + £9.50. Seeing as Sky put their prices up in January I would expect NTL to follow. :(

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

The ntl base pacvk is still an almighty rip off. It is basically Freeview plus 5 channels for £8.50 per month on top of FV + BT line rental. It's still more than double the price of the TW equivalent.

I also think that it will be £20pm after the spring price rises.

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

Any base pack customers at home at the moment that would like to check and see if E4 has now appeared? I went and set it as a favourite channel at the weekend, in anticipation of getting this great little channel added to my line-up, and it worries me a little that spursmat couldn't see it in his line-up this morning.

Hope this doesn't turn out to be just another rumour.

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

I just downgraded to the base pack, and it DOES include E4 and E4+1.

Rillington - remember that with ntl you get a free STB with what is basically a lifetime guarantee, parts and labour. That's perhaps not worth £8.50pm , but it makes it slightly better value than you're suggesting.

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

There have been a couple of 'issues' which have now been sorted out.
Everyone with the base pack should have it now. If not then first try a reboot.

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

Thanks p.u.t.b., much appreciated :tu:

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

Yep,

Got E4 and E4+1. :D

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

Credit where it's due: E4 is a very welcome addition to my modest tv channel line-up. NTL have made me a happy bunny this week. Thanks, guys. :tu:

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

Indeed, NTL have given me a second reason not to leave and get Freeview (Sky1 being the other reason)!

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

I would think that NTL would be very wary of price increases to any of it's packages as they must be aware that a lot of people are borderline whether they would stay or switch to Sky or Freeview, so even a couple of quid onto your package could make all the difference.
Only thing holding a lot of folk is the hassle factor.

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

In practice, cost comparisons with Telewest have little relevance as NTL and Telewest franchises do not compete.

Overall NTL's concept of TV packages groupings does baffle me. It seems to be designed to ensure maximum customer payment for the one or two channels that are actually used. Why else at the mo have I had to subscribe to virtually everything NTL has to offer simply to get the essentials, IMO, of Sky one, E4, Movie Channels, UK Gold, ITV2, etc all which have all been scattered amongst different packages. Even finding out what channel is in what package is not exactly easy, when they change all the time and the "interactive digital TV support" (read go to sleep while it thinks about doing something), and even ntlhome pages does not clearly show this.

E4 was always supposed by Channel 4 to be a free to view type channel, much like BBCs digital TV offerrings, and indeed many other channels. Why then for these non subscripriont channels were they ever not in the base pack?

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

Even though they do not compete people compare what they get and at what price against the other cable player. If you are a NTL customer and see that Telewest give you more channels at a cheaper price you may feel cheated and more likely to jump ship and go to Sky. The same logic applies to Broadband and telephone services. People look at what Telewest charge and what tiers are available on Broadband and if they see a noticeable difference may take a closer look at ADSL packages.

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

Surely you just need the family pack and movie pack for that, the same as you would with Sky?

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

E4 was never a free channel. When it was launched on OnDigital you had to pay extra than the base package to receive it. It was intended to be like Sky1, airing shows before they were seen on analogue terrestrial TV and that was its main incentive to pay for it. The fact that you now only have to wait a day to see Friends on Channel 4 and that E4 is used for BB:live like BBC3 and ITV2 is a more recent trend that lowers the channel's value. It probably should now be a free channel like BBC3 and ITV2 but AFAIK only NTL offer it in their base pack (you still have to pay extra on Sky and terrestrial digital).

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

I've just phoned up CS and was told E4 is not in the Base Pack. I've currently got the Family Pack so would like to downgrade, not that I told CS this at that point. Are they wrong and acting off old info?

I'm in Stockport, ex-CWC, if that makes any difference.

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

I would imagine it is old info, see:
http://www.nthellworld.co.uk/index.p...ype=news&id=32

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

I have the base pack, I have E4 and E4+1 as of the beginning of this week. I'm original NTL but I don't believe the packs differ between the two digital platforms. The CS agent is either acting on old info or using subterfuge to get you to stay on the family pack.

Re: Digital TV Base Pack
 

Just phoned again and the CS agent knew his stuff. Total call time incl. menu navigation to get onto the Base Pack - 1 min 43 secs. Is this a record?