General : Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2023)

[OLD BOY]

Originally Posted by Hugh

Does your prediction about streaming include the streaming format mix - what mixture of linear/on-demand do you foresee?

50/50 (OD/linear). 75/25 (OD/linear), or ??/??

I think it is most likely that all the channels that each broadcaster owns will morph under the one banner - BBC, ITV, etc and all on demand. That would be the most straight forward thing for them to do and I have said so all along since 2015.

I don’t discount that they may offer a scheduled service at the time the changeover commences (ie the switch off of transmitter-broadcast TV) as a means of assisting the transition, but it is more likely, in my view, that they will grasp the opportunity to go for on demand only unless forced to do otherwise by the government.

---------- Post added at 15:29 ---------- Previous post was at 15:23 ----------

Originally Posted by jfman

“I’ve never met anyone”

The final haven of anecdotal evidence. TV ratings since the beginning of widespread digital TV would demonstrate the vast, vast majority of people don’t watch the vast, vast majority of it. Why? The market is saturated.

It’d be as pointless as saying “I’ve never met anyone who has watched” the vast majority of any of the content on any streaming provider. Why? The market is also saturated.

The question is who is running a sustainable business model.

Well, I haven’t met anyone who has heard of FAST channels or know what I am talking about when I mention Pluto TV.

Yes, I’m sure that some people will watch FAST channels, particularly if they don’t subscribe to a streamer, and as long as the owners of the FAST channels make enough money from advertising, they will continue to operate. I guess they wouldn’t need that many people to view to make it worthwhile.

I don’t think the bigger broadcasters will see it that way, though.

None of us will know until it happens. I’m just expressing a point of view - one that I have held for early 10 years now. I accept that others may disagree.

Originally Posted by OLD BOY

I think it is most likely that all the channels that each broadcaster owns will morph under the one banner - BBC, ITV, etc and all on demand. That would be the most straight forward thing for them to do and I have said so all along since 2015.

I don’t discount that they may offer a scheduled service at the time the changeover commences (ie the switch off of transmitter-broadcast TV) as a means of assisting the transition, but it is more likely, in my view, that they will grasp the opportunity to go for on demand only unless forced to do otherwise by the government.

---------- Post added at 15:29 ---------- Previous post was at 15:23 ----------



Well, I haven’t met anyone who has heard of FAST channels or know what I am talking about when I mention Pluto TV.

Yes, I’m sure that some people will watch FAST channels, particularly if they don’t subscribe to a streamer, and as long as the owners of the FAST channels make enough money from advertising, they will continue to operate. I guess they wouldn’t need that many people to view to make it worthwhile.

I don’t think the bigger broadcasters will see it that way, though.

None of us will know until it happens. I’m just expressing a point of view - one that I have held for early 10 years now. I accept that others may disagree.

Do you mean like Roku, Paramount's (CBS) Pluto, Fox's Tubi, Comcast's Xumo, or Amazon’s Freeview?

[ozsat]

But no doubt many will have heard of ITVX? They may not have heard of FAST channels - but ITVX has them.

Originally Posted by OLD BOY

Well, I haven’t met anyone who has heard of FAST channels or know what I am talking about when I mention Pluto TV.

[OLD BOY]

Originally Posted by ozsat

But no doubt many will have heard of ITVX? They may not have heard of FAST channels - but ITVX has them.

ITVX is fine, and is not a part of my debate

---------- Post added at 22:13 ---------- Previous post was at 21:45 ----------

Originally Posted by Hugh

Do you mean like Roku, Paramount's (CBS) Pluto, Fox's Tubi, Comcast's Xumo, or Amazon’s Freeview?

Actually I was talking about the likes of BBC, ITV, Sky, etc, which you probably know I was talking about. Not the more obscure channels which more obsessive people on here are into.

Sorry to you. Hugh, it you need to burst that bubble you are into.

Originally Posted by OLD BOY

ITVX is fine, and is not a part of my debate

---------- Post added at 22:13 ---------- Previous post was at 21:45 ----------



Actually I was talking about the likes of BBC, ITV, Sky, etc, which you probably know I was talking about. Not the more obscure channels which more obsessive people on here are into.

Sorry to you. Hugh, it you need to burst that bubble you are into.

I quote

I don’t think the bigger broadcasters will see it that way, though.

Are you stating that Amazon, Paramount/CBS, Fox, NBC/Universal, & Comcast aren’t some of the, to use your words, "biggest broadcasters"?

So you were talking about the likes of ITV, but when someone mentions ITVX’s FAST channels, they are "not part of your debate"?

[OLD BOY]

We are at cross purposes because we are conflating two different subjects - the FAST channels on one hand and the broadcasters like the Beeb and ITV on the other.

My point is simply that the myriad of traditional broadcast channels (ie those published in the TV magazines) are likely to present all their programmes under one banner in the future and would not be divided up into individual channels as now (ITV1,2,3,4) and so on.

The FAST channels are a relatively new phenomenon that tend to be subject related (eg Baywatch, Friends, etc). While I agree that these FAST channels will continue to exist if operators can make money out of them, I believe the main channels that we watch now will simply be streamed under one banner. That’s all I’m saying.

We are currently in a transitional period, but once the broadcasting is switched to online only there will be no point in carrying on with categorising programmes in that way. The big streamers of course categorise their offerings by programme type, eg new releases, dramas, etc and not by labels such as Netflix 1, Netflix 2, and so on.

So while for example you can still look up your programmes by channel at present, as you can on ITVX and the BBCi-Player, I don’t think the broadcasters will display their content in that way after the transmitters are no longer used for TV.

The FAST channels are likely to continue to exist for the foreseeable future.

[jfman]

Linear channels delivered over the internet then?

[epsilon]

Originally Posted by OLD BOY

We are at cross purposes because we are conflating two different subjects - the FAST channels on one hand and the broadcasters like the Beeb and ITV on the other.

My point is simply that the myriad of traditional broadcast channels (ie those published in the TV magazines) are likely to present all their programmes under one banner in the future and would not be divided up into individual channels as now (ITV1,2,3,4) and so on.

TV magazines in which country? Maybe we could simplify that and just say the ones that people you know have heard of..

The FAST channels are a relatively new phenomenon that tend to be subject related (eg Baywatch, Friends, etc). While I agree that these FAST channels will continue to exist if operators can make money out of them, I believe the main channels that we watch now will simply be streamed under one banner. That’s all I’m saying.

The ones we are seeing at the moment but there are thousands of them globally and not all of them are meant for bingeing on a single show.

We are currently in a transitional period, but once the broadcasting is switched to online only there will be no point in carrying on with categorising programmes in that way. The big streamers of course categorise their offerings by programme type, eg new releases, dramas, etc and not by labels such as Netflix 1, Netflix 2, and so on.

So while for example you can still look up your programmes by channel at present, as you can on ITVX and the BBCi-Player, I don’t think the broadcasters will display their content in that way after the transmitters are no longer used for TV.

The FAST channels are likely to continue to exist for the foreseeable future.

So, put simply, it doesn't fit in with your vision of the path to 2035 so is doomed to failure?

[jfman]

Originally Posted by epsilon

TV magazines in which country? Maybe we could simplify that and just say the ones that people you know have heard of..

The ones we are seeing at the moment but there are thousands of them globally and not all of them are meant for bingeing on a single show.

So, put simply, it doesn't fit in with your vision of the path to 2035 so is doomed to failure?

Hang on he might be onto something with this new definition. If “linear tv” relies upon the existence of TV magazines, and those go out of business, there’s no more linear TV.

[SonicMaster]

What to watch in Ultra HD this August

https://www.virginmedia.com/virgin-t...tra-hd-channel

This month on the Virgin TV Ultra HD Channel (CH 175/999), the UK’s first and only dedicated Ultra HD channel, you can see the world in super-sharp Ultra High Definition with incredible movies and documentaries. Experience the stunning urban landscapes of New York in the thriller Premium Rush and Paris in the inventive biopic Julie & Julia, or enjoy a slice of colourful small-town life in Big Fish.

Travel through the African savannah in Elephants Up Close and view Antarctica in a new way in Dancing On Icebergs. And from ancient hunting grounds to modern farms, it’s a real feast for the eyes in The History Of Food.

You can get the absolute best picture quality of any TV channel in the UK on Virgin TV Ultra HD, watching superb drama series, films, documentaries and more in stunning, pixel-perfect UHD.

[SonicMaster]

I'm sure it's already been pointed out, but 8 of these 14 'new' FAST channels were actually already available on VM via the Pluto TV app:

- Inside Crime
- Mystery TV
- Homes Under The Hammer
- Great British Menu
- Fear Factor
- Wipeout
- Haunt TV
- Baywatch

[gilburton]

Flicked through the "new" fast channels and what a load of old crap.
Seems to me Virgin are just desperate to fill up space with any old rubbish especially with the loss of TCM.
Not really impressed with Pluto either as it seems to be all US programmes that I've never heard of.
Yes it's all free but ,as with 3d, rubbish is rubbish in whatever format.
To me Virgin needs some "proper" movie channels to replace TCM.
I remember years ago when 24hr tv was proposed and it was predicted that quality would suffer.
They were correct.

[OLD BOY]

Originally Posted by gilburton

Flicked through the "new" fast channels and what a load of old crap.
Seems to me Virgin are just desperate to fill up space with any old rubbish especially with the loss of TCM.
Not really impressed with Pluto either as it seems to be all US programmes that I've never heard of.
Yes it's all free but ,as with 3d, rubbish is rubbish in whatever format.
To me Virgin needs some "proper" movie channels to replace TCM.
I remember years ago when 24hr tv was proposed and it was predicted that quality would suffer.
They were correct.

I’m glad someone agrees with me on this. All the FAST channels I’ve looked at are low quality programmes with advertisements thrown in. The ads appear to be of better quality than the programmes themselves.

I maintain my view that they are a flash in the pan, although the fact that so many people are happy with watching dumbed down material is frankly worrying, so who knows?

[Media Boy UK]

Warner Bros Discovery new Virgin Media deal update:

My Sources has just told me that Warner Bros Discovery are not happy with the money being offered by Virgin Media that is on the table for the new deal to be signed and Warner Bros Discovery are ready to walk away.

[gilburton]

Well if Discovery channels go it'll be back to Freeview when my contract runs out..