New Pick 'n' Mix option TV bundles
 

In amongst the new V.VIP pack and broadband speed level news today is this.

Source: https://www.virginmedia.com/corporat...bundle-line-up

Re: New Pick 'n' Mix option TV bundles
 

I did a VM survey about this a few months ago. All the "packs" had bizarre names, but seemed to be weighted towards including certain channels, most of which I would never watch. So less about choice, more about charging more for mainstream channels. If I could ACTUALLY choose what channels I wanted, and pay less, I'd only choose about 6 channels that were not "free to air" on freeview.

Re: New Pick 'n' Mix option TV bundles
 

Are they going to mail existing long term customers with these offers, or is it new customers only again:o::o:

Re: New Pick 'n' Mix option TV bundles
 

"New and existing customers..."

Re: New Pick 'n' Mix option TV bundles
 

Looks like they're taking the kids channels out of Full House, and putting them exclusively behind the extra £5 a month charge:

https://www.virginmedia.com/shop/bun...tvlistings-top

Re: New Pick 'n' Mix option TV bundles
 

Good, hope they have to use up their pocket money on it ;)

Re: New Pick 'n' Mix option TV bundles
 

Nice spot. I did read that, but clearly my coffee hadn't kicked in and I didn't see that interpretation of it.

---------- Post added at 13:34 ---------- Previous post was at 13:27 ----------


The table on that link now has the tiers being sold to the public as Player, Player + Drama (though you can change the +bundle part), Full House and V.VIP.

Re: New Pick 'n' Mix option TV bundles
 

If this is the case, this is just what Now TV did.

This new pick 'n' mix system might work out for some people, but by the time you've paid an extra £10/£17, you might as well get Full House anyway.

The non discounted price of the Player Pack is £54 per month. Adding one pack makes it £64 and two makes it £71. The non discounted Full House is £78 (£60.94 with my discounts). As you can see, if I went for the Player Pack and one bundle, it would cost me £3.06 more for a lot less channels!

If I only wanted the basic service plus the childrens channels, I would save the princely sum of £1.94 per month, again, for a lot less channels.

I'm guessing that's for new customers only?

Re: New Pick 'n' Mix option TV bundles
 

I just looked closer at this. If you sort that table by Kids channels only the FTA ones will be in all packs. Only V.VIP will have the Pay TV ones.

If I assume packs such as Mix and Fun are now legacy packs but will remain with current Kids TV selection but are not available to new customers.

The table is not showing the Pay TV Kids channels under Full House, so either VM is automatically going to add the Add On to existing customers (which they can remove) or they are going to have two versions of the Full House tier, the old one, which will remain but no longer be sold to new customers and the new Full House.

I suspect the latter.

Re: New Pick 'n' Mix option TV bundles
 

It's only right, really. If you don't have children in your family, why should you be made to pay for the children's channels?

This is clearly an intelligent review of bundles, taking account of the growing attraction of skinny bundles and the anticipated cord cutting that is likely to take place here as it has in the States. Expect any new UHD channels that come along to be available only to Full House and V VIP customers.

Assuming that Sky Atlantic will make its way to VM shortly, I expect that channel too to be made available to top tier customers only.

No savings for me, it seems.

Re: New Pick 'n' Mix option TV bundles
 

The Pay TV kids TV channels aren't in the new Full House if the table is to be believed, so getting Full House in the future won't get you any extra Kids channels than Player. The earlier highlighted line from the Press Release suggests this too.

Re: New Pick 'n' Mix option TV bundles
 

Whilst this won't affect me, this looks like a further devaluation of Full House then. There was a leak some time ago that said that VM were thinking of an add on kids pack, but I didn't think that they would be removed from Full House!

Thanks for explaining it. That's what I trying to get at. I assume those under contract will keep the kids channels until end of existing contract as you suggested

---------- Post added at 14:15 ---------- Previous post was at 14:14 ----------

I would imagine this leaves room for more haggling when renewing a contract! Customers won't pay the same or more for less viewing!

Re: New Pick 'n' Mix option TV bundles
 

As I said (somewhere) above, there will likely be two Full House packs, the old one at the old price with the Pay TV Kids channels and the new one at a new lower price that you can add the pack to if you want it.

The old Full House pack will be kept for existing FH customers, but withdrawn from sale to new customers.

You could be right though, there may not be enough to distinguish the tier as an ongoing product, especially if HD swaps continue. It might be worthwhile someone going through the new Full House channel table and looking for any other changes. I'm on a lower tier so am not that familiar with FH and above tier's content.