Quote:
Originally Posted by mersey70
You make a very good point about VM selling their channels, of course they didn't have to.
What I think might be useful is if Sky did indeed enter an agreement (as they possibly did with VM, no one for sure knows though) where they agree access to all of their basic HD channels (where OFCOM have not set a price unlike some of the sports channels) is that they are not circumventing such agreements by pricing them unreasonably and again I am speculating on whether that has happenned too, there could be all manner of reasons why certain channels are not available on VM, I really do not know. No one on here does.
|
The only thing that concerns me here is that we are actually talking about a position where pre Atlantic HD, Sky actually went ahead and weakened their own position. Sky 1 is an important channel for alot of people. And Sky actually charge their customers a sub of £10 per month to receive the the HD version of this channel.
Now Sky consolidated their position over BT Vision firstly removing SSN from Freeview in response to making SS1 and SS2 to BT Vision customers and then via the purchase of VM channels they will remove Channel One from Freeview which it would seem is an important channel for Freeview.
However in this process they weakened their position to VM as for the average viewer with no premium subs or HD subs they probably get a better deal on VM as they at least get some HD channels in their basic sub as well as actually get Sky 1 HD included. Sure Sky will always have more channels but for the average viewer VM does cover the basics.
Atlantic HD is Sky's strike back to this. It just seems to me specifically in relation to how things have transpired over the last few months, VM aren't actually the weaklings in this industry. If anything, VM have many advantages on their platform and Sky having to make its channels available under a structure where VM do not continue to sub their HD would be unfair. If HD content was charged the same way on both, then that would be fair but then inevitably VM customers would have to pay more and customers not wishing to do so would lose what they already have for HD.