[Neil]

Originally Posted by McYorkie

"Absolute shambles" describes this perfectly - ntl: have had years, not months to get their PVR service designed, tested, and rolled out and still they manage to screw up rolling out a HD capable version. So currently we appear to have a situation where perhaps 20 - 30% of the network (ex TW) have access to, or subscribe to the PVR whilst 80% of the companies customer base can't even pre apply and are left both annoyed and disappointed at the companies attitude to this.

The merger won't have helped either as it will have taken managers eyes off what Sky were doing and planning for, and yet as posted above, we have customers deciding to ditch the company for an alternative provider - less revenue to ntl: and a lost customer who probably won't come back because ntl: won't provide the right standard of service to their customer base. And they wonder why churn rates keep going up and retentions offer discounts to get people to stay - wonder what excuses they'll start giving out when people start to cancel because of the lack of a PVR and HD?

People see Sky as a leader in innovation rightly or wrongly, and would expect ntl: to keep up or offer something better than - now that "our" PVR is knocked back even further it gives Sky another 6 - 8 months at least to consolidate its position as PVR market leader, making whatever ntl: offer, regardless of whether its better specified, look like an inferior product and have less chance if any, because of ntl's lag factor of taking significant numbers away from Sky's HD service in the long game. They've basically missed their chance now to beat Sky at their own game - because of their lack of foresight and planning. Shame.

Absolutely spot on.