General : Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2013) Vol. 2.

Originally Posted by DaMac

"I got the same response from both BT and VM. They may have to embargo any new deals until the takeover is complete."

I said this when the takeover was first announced and a few so called experts rubished me....

Wasn't the Discovery deal done because of LGI?

[passingbat]

Originally Posted by JustaBloke

Interesting. The other week I was simply arguing that as a non TiVo user I shouldn't be asked to pay for the development of a TiVo Netflix app. You and a few others rounded on me and said that everyone should pay for the app because 'we all subsidise each others services', regardless of if we're interested in it, or not.

I'll leave you to dig yourself out of that one...

The difference is that adding useful apps such as Netflix and Lovefilm could possibly attract new customers to VM.

That is why ESPN was included free on the XL package.

That is why Sky keep Atlantic to themselves.

This is why BT sport is free with a BT internet account.

But there is a difference between the fairly low cost of ESPN on the block rate that VM are rumoured to have paid and the £10 extra that was suggested was added to the price of XL to include BT Sports.


Personally, I think VM missed the boat on Netflix and Lovefilm, as they are both on so many other devices, and it is debateable as to whether they would bring in any extra customers if they were added to Tivo.

[harry_hitch]

Originally Posted by Mad Max

Rubbish, it was a suggestion that a poster made, and i commented that it may entice some people to consider this, personally i wouldn't pay anymore than i am at present as i think we are all paying over the odds for what we get, and to suggest that sports fans have been getting subsidised is ridiculous!

BIB only

Personally I do not and secondly, LOL, stop paying over the top for Sky Sports then

[Mad Max]

Personally I do not and secondly, LOL, stop paying over the top for Sky Sports then

Sky Sports was the main reason that i took out a subscription with Telewest and now Virgin, and imo is probably the main reason that most of Virgin/Sky customers subscribe to their services, of course i may be wrong in my assumption, but it would be interesting if we could see the figures to show what % of their customers have the sports channels as part of their package.

[Doug P]

I would agree that Sky Sports is and will be a far bigger attraction on Virgin than BT Sport will be....

[BexTech]

I remember BSB and no fee for The Sport Channel. When it 'merged' with Sky later remember when it became Sky Sports and subscription being offered it for around £1 a month instead of £2.99, now look at the extortionate rates!

[denphone]

Originally Posted by Mad Max

Sky Sports was the main reason that i took out a subscription with Telewest and now Virgin, and imo is probably the main reason that most of Virgin/Sky customers subscribe to their services, of course i may be wrong in my assumption, but it would be interesting if we could see the figures to show what % of their customers have the sports channels as part of their package.

Only a guess but l would say between 500,000 and 700,000.

[HDFootyMan]

Originally Posted by passingbat

Personally, I think VM missed the boat on Netflix and Lovefilm, as they are both on so many other devices, and it is debateable as to whether they would bring in any extra customers if they were added to Tivo.

Here's a (wacky) thought:

Who would it be easier for VM to do a wholesale deal with?

BT Sports? Or Netflix?

"Netflix. Now included in the XL pack."

I'll stop dreaming now.

[harry_hitch]

Originally Posted by Mad Max

Sky Sports was the main reason that i took out a subscription with Telewest and now Virgin, and imo is probably the main reason that most of Virgin/Sky customers subscribe to their services, of course i may be wrong in my assumption, but it would be interesting if we could see the figures to show what % of their customers have the sports channels as part of their package.

That's all well and good, but don't moan about over the top prices when you are contributing a massively over priced product, whose price would come down drastically if a large number of people stopped subscribing to the channel for a few months (i.e. when the football season ends and do not subscribe again when the football season starts.) People may miss a months worth of football, but Sky would soon drop the price.
Perhaps the same could be said for the XL package, but I doubt people will want to lose their main source of entertainment, I could be wrong though

I understand your point regarding enticing customers, (its the reason mum and dad got Cambridge Cable when I was a child - shows my age)
Having said that, IIRC, I think someone posted the % of SS subscribers is 12% of TV customers. I may be wrong (and the figure may be higher on this forum) but I hope this helps

[Superblade7]

I'm a sports fan and will obviously miss ESPN from my XL TV pack. It would be nice to get a straight replacement and have BT Sport included but I very much doubt that will happen.

Sky and Virgin could however play a clever game here if they wanted to squeeze the opposition. Sky know Virgin are here for the long haul and could allow Virgin to have Sky Atlantic and pop it in the XL TV package with the costs covered by the savings from the loss of ESPN. Sky could also give Virgin access to the other Sky Sports channels in HD within the Sky Premium HD channels. This would then make both Sky and Virgin much more attractive and reduce churn from both to BT. Whilst it would reduce some of the exclusivity of Sky, it would increase their advertising revenue and also make BT a far less attractive option against Sky and Virgin. You only have to think back to what Sky did to ITV Digital to see how they like to crush the opposition!

BT will do a deal with Virgin as they are going to have to make it available as widely as possible in order to recoup some of the money they paid for the footy rights. Virgin could then offer it as a premium channel and then at least those who wish to subscribe to it would be able to, albeit for an additional cost.

Obviously this is just my opinion but I wouldn't be surprised to see something like this pan out over the coming couple of months.

[Mad Max]

Originally Posted by Superblade7

I'm a sports fan and will obviously miss ESPN from my XL TV pack. It would be nice to get a straight replacement and have BT Sport included but I very much doubt that will happen.

Sky and Virgin could however play a clever game here if they wanted to squeeze the opposition. Sky know Virgin are here for the long haul and could allow Virgin to have Sky Atlantic and pop it in the XL TV package with the costs covered by the savings from the loss of ESPN. Sky could also give Virgin access to the other Sky Sports channels in HD within the Sky Premium HD channels. This would then make both Sky and Virgin much more attractive and reduce churn from both to BT. Whilst it would reduce some of the exclusivity of Sky, it would increase their advertising revenue and also make BT a far less attractive option against Sky and Virgin. You only have to think back to what Sky did to ITV Digital to see how they like to crush the opposition!

BT will do a deal with Virgin as they are going to have to make it available as widely as possible in order to recoup some of the money they paid for the footy rights. Virgin could then offer it as a premium channel and then at least those who wish to subscribe to it would be able to, albeit for an additional cost.

Obviously this is just my opinion but I wouldn't be surprised to see something like this pan out over the coming couple of months.

Very good and interesting points in your post, maybe you should make this a suggestion to the Hierarchy of Virgin/Sky!......

Originally Posted by HDFootyMan

Here's a (wacky) thought:

Who would it be easier for VM to do a wholesale deal with?

BT Sports? Or Netflix?

BT Sports because the other one doesn't do deals with anyone.

Originally Posted by passingbat

The difference is that adding useful apps such as Netflix and Lovefilm could possibly attract new customers to VM.

Eh? What interest do I have in whether new customers are attracted to VM or not??? I'm not a shareholder, I'm a customer.

And I'd suggest that adding BT Sport would attract a darn site more customers than an app for Netflix that everyone's already (repeatedly) got elsewhere anyway.

Originally Posted by denphone

Only a guess but l would say between 500,000 and 700,000.

Good guess last I heard it was 600K

[passingbat]

Originally Posted by JustaBloke

Eh? What interest do I have in whether new customers are attracted to VM or not??? I'm not a shareholder, I'm a customer.

Because the more customers they have the more profit they make and the more able they are to invest in more content.

And I'd suggest that adding BT Sport would attract a darn site more customers than an app for Netflix that everyone's already (repeatedly) got elsewhere anyway.

Did you read my post?

I said:

Personally, I think VM missed the boat on Netflix and Lovefilm, as they are both on so many other devices, and it is debateable as to whether they would bring in any extra customers if they were added to Tivo.