Quote:
Originally Posted by Superblade7
Virgin provide three TV packs which contain various channels. Depending on what channels you want, you choose the appropriate one to meet your needs. The SD and HD variants of a channel are two individual channels and Virgin can choose which packs each one is put into. The more channels you want, the more you have to pay. Yes, the HD charges are factored into the cost of the packs but at no point will you or any VM customer pay any extra charges for HD channels alone (again with the exception on Sky Premium HD) and hence they can advertise them as 'free' within your chosen pack. So yes you do pay for them, but as part of the price for the pack you choose.
Sky on the other hand charge an additional £10.25 for their customers to obtain the HD variants of the majority of channels. So you have an advertised additional fee with Sky.
So either way you do pay for HD, I'll agree with you on that. However, VM do nothing wrong by advertising that HD is 'free' with you chosen TV pack.  |
Sorry, but SD and HD is not a different channel in the way Virgin sell the free HD message. They say you don't pay for HD on Virgin, which is no longer true - in order to get the HD version of a channel your pack comes with you need to buy a (much) more expensive pack.
Therefore HD is a cost - pure and simple.
I can see Virgin dropping the free HD message now given Sky's upcoming package changes.
i will say this, Virgin must be bleeding customers at the moment with the amount of 50% off sky codes around - come close of liberty takeover it would be very interesting to see just how many customers virgin are losing (alot are doing what I did though, keeping Virgin TV as part of a bundle because they are never going to give up the fiber BB - so to the stats it looks like VM's customer base is consistent, but the ARPU must be dropping, my addition of Sky saw my overall cost drop and my monthly Virgin bill go from £115 to £30.