[steveh]

I get the impression LG's senior management have been so caught up in mergers and acquisitions that they've taken their eye off the UK television business. They probably thought with having the TiVo that everything was fine - especially compared to the state of the technology of some of the other cable networks they own elsewhere - and anyway it doesn't make as big a profit as broadband.

However, the British TV sector has changed really fast and probably reached the tipping point in the move to Internet services before they anticipated it would. We're also still seeing the effects of the recession and people don't have the money in their pockets they might previously have had so are less willing to spend a large wedge on entertainment. Sky anticipated the Internet shift with Now TV and that also hits a sweeter price point but Virgin have no comparable offer. It hasn't helped with the TiVo performance and user interface issues - especially as people have increasingly seen how they compare against smart TV apps or Internet TV boxes / sticks - and the poor on-demand offering. Quality US comedy and drama are also increasingly found on Netflix, Sky Atlantic and even Amazon rather than channels Virgin carries, so if you're not a sports fan there's not much except the low-budget reality TV and lifestyle shows you can find anywhere.

In this forum you're more likely to find the early adopters so of course there will be more whingeing than among ordinary users, but those I know outside here are starting to question keeping cable TV too. After twenty years as a customer I'm probably going to ditch it myself after the Christmas holiday.