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Originally Posted by ntl.wotcha
I really don't see how they can say that this move will give NTL a good chance to take on Sky. Sky do not offer Mobile services and I doubt that many customers give two hoots if NTL want to give them a mobile deal, I certainly don't.
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With their recent licencing of TV shows to vodafone (I think), you can bet that even if they aren't already, Sky will be looking into moving into the mobile market.
In fact, the idea of TV on your mobile appears to be catching on (at least in the eyes of the mobile operators).
It might be good for NTL to get into this market before Sky.
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What will give them a good run against sky, is a decent PVR deal, and a good VoD/HD service. These are the two services which will make people spend money, not mobile phones. IMO.
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Agreed, and these are coming. Maybe not quickly enough, but they are coming.
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The problem with the mobile phone market in this country is cross network charging and with most people on O2 or Orange or Vodaphone, who wants to be on T-mobile ?
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Actually, I do alright with T Mobile. TBH, with the amount of phones people appear to be buying (we have one of the largest mobile phone markets in the world), I suspect most people don't give a monkey's about cross network charges.
Also, as Chris said, you underestimate the power of branding. Sky (in the early days at least) was inferior to Cable, yet they still succeeded. Why? Initially it was because they had enough money to buy the rights to the Premiere league footy matches, and price everyone else out of the market. Now, they have a good brand. Why can Nike get away with charging 120 pounds for a pair of trainers, when exactly the same pair would cost 30 from a no-name make? Because they have a good brand.
I have criticised Virgin in this thread, and stand by what I said, but you don't get a much better brand than Virgin. Richard Branson is very effective at marketing his companies, and this is just what NTL (and to a certain extent Telewest) need right now.