You know....whilst I love the HD channels as much as anyone else and I do appreciate that more channels mean more choice...how much TV can anyone watch, seriously?
Personally, I haven't delved into The Sopranos, The Wire or Mad Men etc (I know, shame on me) but most of them have been on VOD virtually since it was introduced. It looks like Sky Atlantic will be showing the majority of shows that people have had the opportunity of watching before so we won't be missing out on much...except the constant ad-breaks of course
As many people are no doubt aware, there are always other ways to watch the latest US dramas or comedy.
I'm sure that there has been some survey done and I bet that survey says that in this age of multi-channel TV, people probably only watch a handful of them regularly. OK, SA might be one of them given the opportunity but what you haven't got, you don't miss IMO.
However, Virgin do need something else to attack from the front with. Tivo - yes, Broadband - yes but surely there must be something out there that despite Sky's riches of channels and HD, will make people think 'Hmmm, Sky has got a great selection of HD channels but you know, VM has the edge by a long chalk'
I'm not sure what this is yet but I am pretty sure it's going to be tied in Tivo / Internet on your TV in some way. One thing VM should
not do is hang around with the promised Tivo apps. Just imagine - proper email / messaging even Skype and Skype video calling via your TV? Browsing your pictures via your Tivo and one click sends them to a friend? The opportunity of viewing news channels from other countries via the web on the Tivo box? Maybe even online gaming via a web browser? Quake Live via Tivo anyone?
Linear channels will be dead and buried in the next ten years so why worry?