Sky Atlantic on Virgin Media

Originally Posted by Flyboy

I'm glad you got those words the right way round.

Careful what you say guys Maggy might ban you

Originally Posted by mersey70

No chance, not even in SD for at least a while anyway. 'Exclusive to Sky customers' is a bit of a giveaway as far as I am concerned, as it was with ITV2 HD.

Sky never mention SD channels in promos so I read it as applying to SD and HD.

Personally I would be happy with Sky Arts HD which is still 'coming soon' 6 months later!

Yes sky Arts HD was supposedly part of the deal that sold vms channels to sky,wonder just when sky arts HD1 and HD2 will actually arrive.

[Lew]

Originally Posted by spiderplant

So most people either aren't interested in HD, or think they are watching it when they aren't.

Considering how many people think that putting their TV into "smart" mode on a 4:3 channel means that that channel is widescreen, I wouldn't be surprised.

[Felim_Doyle]

Be careful how you interpret the use of the word 'exclusive' with regards to Sky Atlantic. AFAIK, the HD variant will, initially, be exclusive to BSkyB customers but there's no surprise there. The expectation is that the SD channel will be available on BSkyB satellite, Virgin Media cable, FreeView DTT and possibly elsewhere. Also, they state that it will be 'an exclusive home' to some programming, meaning that those shows will not be available on other channels but may be available to other platforms on Sky Atlantic channel.

---------- Post added at 12:32 ---------- Previous post was at 12:23 ----------

Originally Posted by spiderplant

I don't know how many households, but 24 million HDTV sets had been sold by the end of 2009. Yet only 5.1 million households had a HD source (STB or integrated TV) by mid-2010. And the actual HD viewing figures are tiny..

So most people either aren't interested in HD, or think they are watching it when they aren't.

My in-laws have had a Sony Bravia HD-ready TV for a few years now. Unfortunately, since the UK's adoption of MPEG4 for FreeView DTT broadcasting in HD, they can only receive HD through an external source. However, the subsidised switch-over scheme for the elderly, disabled etc. has made it easier for them to get a FreeSat HD box (the dish came with the house).

My point is that, as DSO completion nears, more households should have a HD source available to them and the ratio of available HD programming to people actually viewing it will begin to balance out.

[Chad]

Well SKY Atlantic launches on SKY on the 1st of February.

It's not looking good for us Virgin customers getting the channel from launch. There's nothing been announced via the Virgin Press Office to suggest the channel is coming soon. Nobody has noticed any testing for this channel coming plus Virgin Staff who post on here have been fairly quiet about it all. Usually we'll get a cheeky wee smile or a light hearted comment advising we should just be patient or just wait and see etc.

Until someone actually posts proof here that the channel is coming, then don't believe the rumours.

[Media Boy UK]

Originally Posted by Chad

Well SKY Atlantic launches on SKY on the 1st of February.

It's not looking good for us Virgin customers getting the channel from launch. There's nothing been announced via the Virgin Press Office to suggest the channel is coming soon. Nobody has noticed any testing for this channel coming plus Virgin Staff who post on here have been fairly quiet about it all. Usually we'll get a cheeky wee smile or a light hearted comment advising we should just be patient or just wait and see etc.

Until someone actually posts proof here that the channel is coming, then don't believe the rumours.

I ask my insider last week if Sky Atlantic plus any new channels will launch on Virgin Media and I got this back:

Unlikely to be any new information until after 4th January when everyone comes back from Holidays.

[Chad]

Cheers Media Boy, let's hope there's some good news! As long as the SD version is available from launch, then I'll be fairly happy.

[nialli]

Originally Posted by Chad

Cheers Media Boy, let's hope there's some good news! As long as the SD version is available from launch, then I'll be fairly happy.

Sky Living rebranding is due shortly too of course and there have been no announcments I have seen on that. As Media Boy suggests I doubt there'll be any announcement on forthcoming services until after the holidays.
I'd hope for some news on the availability of the TiVo this month and maybe something on Sky Atlantic SD and Sky on demand programmes too. Announcements of new SD channels can be last minute, and they hardly need to test, what with Channel One and Bravo slots all being available already - 119 would be logical places for Sky Atlantic SD and maybe the HD slotting in to 120 if/when it eventually arrives.

[v0id]

Originally Posted by spiderplant

I don't know how many households, but 24 million HDTV sets had been sold by the end of 2009. Yet only 5.1 million households had a HD source (STB or integrated TV) by mid-2010. And the actual HD viewing figures are tiny..

So most people either aren't interested in HD, or think they are watching it when they aren't.

Might have something to do with no retailer selling CRT television sets anymore, and people are just going out to buy a new one ready for the digital switchover in their area ..or because a HD ready set takes up less space

Originally Posted by v0id

Might have something to do with no retailer selling CRT television sets anymore, and people are just going out to buy a new one ready for the digital switchover in their area ..or because a HD ready set takes up less space

Exactly. I would be curious to know how many non-HD TV sets were sold, compared to the number of HD TV sets sold, during 2009 and 2010. The statistic is a little meaningless otherwise.

The more meanigful statistic is the basically static number of UK homes with a pay TV subscription of any kind - about 15 million, on a generous rounding up of BT plus VM plus Sky (incidentally, by last March only 2.5 million of those had an HD sub). There are about 26 million households in the UK, which is a pretty vast number of people, and, coupled with the suggestion that there are upwards of 24 million HDTVs now sold in the UK, suggests that:

1. Almost everyone now has an HDTV;
2. Perhaps one-in-10 HDTVs are connected to a subscription-based HD broadcast receiver.

There has always been a healthy scepticism over the worth of pay-TV in this country. Most (if not all) of those who own an HDTV and do not subscribe to a pay service, are either using Freesat (which has sold well over a million units, about a million of which are HD), are content to wait for Freeview HD to launch in their area, or simply don't care one way or the other.

[mersey70]

Originally Posted by Felim_Doyle

Be careful how you interpret the use of the word 'exclusive' with regards to Sky Atlantic. AFAIK, the HD variant will, initially, be exclusive to BSkyB customers but there's no surprise there. The expectation is that the SD channel will be available on BSkyB satellite, Virgin Media cable, FreeView DTT and possibly elsewhere. Also, they state that it will be 'an exclusive home' to some programming, meaning that those shows will not be available on other channels but may be available to other platforms on Sky Atlantic channel.

---------- Post added at 12:32 ---------- Previous post was at 12:23 ----------

My in-laws have had a Sony Bravia HD-ready TV for a few years now. Unfortunately, since the UK's adoption of MPEG4 for FreeView DTT broadcasting in HD, they can only receive HD through an external source. However, the subsidised switch-over scheme for the elderly, disabled etc. has made it easier for them to get a FreeSat HD box (the dish came with the house).

My point is that, as DSO completion nears, more households should have a HD source available to them and the ratio of available HD programming to people actually viewing it will begin to balance out.

Sky Atlantic SD will be available on Freeview? I suppose it might be on DTT if Sky ever resurrect their Picnic plans, I personally couldn't see it otherwise

I don't think Sky could have been any clearer that Atlantic is their exclusive, I know they say HD in the promos but they do that with all their dual format channels. It reminds me of the palava over ITV2 HD which some people insisted would appear on VM even though ITV said it was exclusive to Sky HD customers.

I think it's their attempt to damage the Tivo launch, it will probably be pretty effective too for potential new customers when they highlight it's only available on Sky. Most people probably subscribe on the basis of content not hardware.

[muppetman11]

Originally Posted by mersey70

Sky Atlantic SD will be available on Freeview? It might be on DTT if Sky ever resurrect their Picnic plans.

I don't think Sky could have been any clearer that Atlantic is their exclusive, I know they say HD in the promos but they do that with all their dual format channels. It reminds me of the palava over ITV2 HD which some people insisted would appear on VM even though ITV said it was exclusive to Sky HD customers.

I think it's their attempt to damage the Tivo launch, it will probably be pretty effective too for potential new customers when they highlight it's only available on Sky. Most people probably subscribe on the basis of content not hardware.

I'm worried for Virgin in 2011 , Sky's money and marketing will trounce all the TIVO news , the Virgin HD lineup is weak and the loss of channel one and Bravo doesnt help the VM platform.

Originally Posted by muppetman11

I'm worried for Virgin in 2011 , Sky's money and marketing will trounce all the TIVO news , the Virgin HD lineup is weak and the loss of channel one and Bravo doesnt help the VM platform.

Remember the loss of SKY channels for a period of time, did not really effect VM TV customer numbers, I think the numbers will probably be static in 2011 personally.

[mersey70]

Originally Posted by muppetman11

I'm worried for Virgin in 2011 , Sky's money and marketing will trounce all the TIVO news , the Virgin HD lineup is weak and the loss of channel one and Bravo doesnt help the VM platform.

It's common sense that it is content not technology that sells subscriptions and Sky fully understand that, even ITV are really beefing up their content arm now, Crozier has said they will reduce their reliance on independent productions to far less than their current levels.

We can all be annoyed with Sky and in some curcumstances rightly so but it was VM who wanted rid of their channels. Things could get even worse if Sky get hold of VM's share of UKTV but from a business point of view I can still see why VM did sell, their channels were rather lacklustre and never really caught the imagination and it didn't look like they were prepared to invest much in them. I cannot personally say I will miss any of the channels that have been chopped.

I also don't see a particularly wonderful future for VM in TV terms but they should have a boom in broadband as we become more data hungry.

[mentalis]

According to Digital Spy Sky has confirmed that Sky Atlantic will begin 1st February:

On February 1, the channel will launch in standard and high definition in the UK and Ireland, available exclusively to all Sky's 10 million subscribers.

The page mentions Sky EPG numbers, but makes no mention of Virgin EPG numbers, so looks like we might be missing out (if you can miss out on something you never had before...)

(http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/broadcas...ext-month.html)