Virgin Media News

[Media Boy UK]

Scripps Networks 'closes on UKTV deal'

US cable broadcaster Scripps Networks is reportedly close to acquiring a 50% stake in UKTV, the operator of Dave, Watch and Good Food, in a $500m (£319m) deal.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/broadcas...uktv-deal.html

[Media Boy UK]

Broadcast: Scripps poised for UKTV deal.

Media Boy highlights -

Scripps Networks Interactive is on the verge of buying Virgin Media’s 50% stake in UKTV, and the British broadcaster is preparing to follow the deal by launching a VoD player.

Scripps’ acquisition is “all but done”, according to one UKTV insider. An announcement is expected imminently.

Another factor in the deal was whether BBCW would grant VoD rights. Several sources indicated an agreement is now in place, and that UKTV is “well down the line” with plans to launch an on-demand player before the end of the year.

The player is likely to launch via the UKTV website, as well as via Virgin Media’s cable-based TV on Demand service and website.

UKTV, Scripps, Virgin Media and BBCW all declined to comment.

Full story here: http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/b...030056.article

[AfxTwn]

Good to see your still posting news MB, I've been following your blog for some time and was sad to see that you have decided to close it but it makes sense if you're going to continue your posts on this forum instead.

Keep up the good work!

[denphone]

Originally Posted by Media Boy

Broadcast: Scripps poised for UKTV deal.

Media Boy highlights -

Scripps Networks Interactive is on the verge of buying Virgin Media’s 50% stake in UKTV, and the British broadcaster is preparing to follow the deal by launching a VoD player.

Scripps’ acquisition is “all but done�, according to one UKTV insider. An announcement is expected imminently.

Another factor in the deal was whether BBCW would grant VoD rights. Several sources indicated an agreement is now in place, and that UKTV is “well down the line� with plans to launch an on-demand player before the end of the year.

The player is likely to launch via the UKTV website, as well as via Virgin Media’s cable-based TV on Demand service and website.

UKTV, Scripps, Virgin Media and BBCW all declined to comment.

Full story here: http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/b...030056.article

l think its wise that Virgin are getting out of the channel owning business and it will be a nice added extra to have the UKTV VOD on Virgins cable service.

[Media Boy UK]

Originally Posted by AfxTwn

Good to see your still posting news MB, I've been following your blog for some time and was sad to see that you have decided to close it but it makes sense if you're going to continue your posts on this forum instead.

Keep up the good work!

If any of the Media Boy Blog followers are reading this can they to go my blog and remove they name from the follower list by July 28th.

[m419]

Originally Posted by denphone

l think its wise that Virgin are getting out of the channel owning business and it will be a nice added extra to have the UKTV VOD on Virgins cable service.

Really? I think since Virgin Media sold off Virgin Media TV, there is less to watch and more to pay. That 50% ownership of UKTV was revenue that could help keep the cost of Virgin Media services down, now that is going, Virgin Media will get one lump sum which it will use to expand its network and then raise the cost to customers to cover the yearly profit that it once made from UKTV.

And the BBC owns the remaining 50% profiting from the advertising when it claims that ''we do not have adverts on our channels and therefore we impose a licence fee upon you'' To be honest i've never paid for a TV licence and never will, the BBC should have adverts on or else make them pay-tv channels and therefore be included in your Virgin Media or Sky bill. £145 per year is a lot of money just to watch Eastenders!

Originally Posted by m419

And the BBC owns the remaining 50% profiting from the advertising when it claims that ''we do not have adverts on our channels and therefore we impose a licence fee upon you'' To be honest i've never paid for a TV licence and never will, the BBC should have adverts on or else make them pay-tv channels and therefore be included in your Virgin Media or Sky bill. £145 per year is a lot of money just to watch Eastenders!

The BBC wouldn't work as a Pay-TV company despite the fact its great reputation for quality programming. Adverts may be a solution but personally I'd rather pay my license fee than have Go Compare every 15 minutes into the F1 or Doctor Who. Plus they offer much more than Eastenders seeing as they operate at least 7 channels and countless radio stations all with a large viewing/listening percentage.

Plus without innovations like iPlayer, all the channels would be lagging behind and I doubt you'd have catchup for anything.

Also, BBC and BBC Worldwide are two separate companies so the reason there are adverts on UKTV channels is the same reason they don't hand out DVDs of the shows, and probably why shows like Doctor Who and Top Gear can even afford to be made.

[the_pidgeon]

The licence fee is a bargain

[HDFootyMan]

Originally Posted by m419

Really? I think since Virgin Media sold off Virgin Media TV, there is less to watch and more to pay.

Well there's more HD to watch - without the sale, we wouldn't have any of the Sky HD channels.

For that alone, the sale was worth it. Plenty of cable companies worldwide don't own any content (Time Warner Cable in the States being a good example) and those companies do just fine.

[gcampbell]

Depends on what you think is more worth it, picture quality v programme quantity, for me it's programme quantity - I'd happily trade HD channels to get Sky Atlantic on VM even if only on SD.

[alwaysabear]

Originally Posted by HDFootyMan

Well there's more HD to watch - without the sale, we wouldn't have any of the Sky HD channels.

For that alone, the sale was worth it. Plenty of cable companies worldwide don't own any content (Time Warner Cable in the States being a good example) and those companies do just fine.

Time Warner cable are part of the group that owns Warner Bros so I am sure they have plenty of content within easy reach, from Warner Bros TV.

[muppetman11]

Originally Posted by alwaysabear

Time Warner cable are part of the group that owns Warner Bros so I am sure they have plenty of content within easy reach, from Warner Bros TV.

Indeed you are correct

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Warner

[HDFootyMan]

Originally Posted by alwaysabear

Time Warner cable are part of the group that owns Warner Bros so I am sure they have plenty of content within easy reach, from Warner Bros TV.

Originally Posted by muppetman11

Indeed you are correct

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Warner

That's just a minor detail.

[TheDon]

Originally Posted by Jameseh

The BBC wouldn't work as a Pay-TV company despite the fact its great reputation for quality programming. Adverts may be a solution but personally I'd rather pay my license fee than have Go Compare every 15 minutes into the F1 or Doctor Who. Plus they offer much more than Eastenders seeing as they operate at least 7 channels and countless radio stations all with a large viewing/listening percentage.

Plus without innovations like iPlayer, all the channels would be lagging behind and I doubt you'd have catchup for anything.

Also, BBC and BBC Worldwide are two separate companies so the reason there are adverts on UKTV channels is the same reason they don't hand out DVDs of the shows, and probably why shows like Doctor Who and Top Gear can even afford to be made.

Not to mention that if the BBC carried adverts it would destroy the advertising market in the UK.
The BBC channels are the most watched, as such they'd have the highest advertising fees, and people would rush to advertise on them. The advertising market isn't infinite, there's only so much advertising spend to go round. That means that the other channels would get less income, budgets would have to be cut, and we'd have an inferior service overall.

Channels are feeling the squeeze from advertising at the moment, can you imagine how much worse it would be if they were competing with the BBC for advertising draw?

[Media Boy UK]

Virgin Media News: Virgin Media sells UKTV stake to Scripps for £339m.

For more info to go this thread: http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/10...e-scripps.html