General : Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2013) Vol. 3.

[eljay]

" none of those things are as important as a channel that carries 38 live premier league games. that is what we have on this forum, a conflict of ideals between people who understand the importance of that and people who see live premier league games as the same as an episode of 24. "

What is important is the balance of the customer base. Those that see Football as an important part of their TV package and those that don't and Virgin probably have a more accurate picture of that than anyone on this forum.

Believe me when I say I hope you get your BT Sports. If it is a stand alone extra or a carriage deal like with Sky then all well and good. However, if not and the likes of me have to pay significantly more for our XL package because of it - then VM could lose a lot more customers.

[Media Boy UK]

Other News - TCM +1 goes all day from launch on Astra.

TCM +1 to broadcast 24 hours from August 13th - no word yet on if TCM +1 will broadcast on Virgin Media.

[young_timbo]

Originally Posted by Mad Max

I think VM are at the wind-up, and have been constantly monitoring this thread like a secret service MI5 agent, laughing at all the desperation shown by some posters, there's been so much speculation about BT Sport and, quite frankly, their quite pishy 38 games, don't get me wrong i'd love to see it on Virgin, but i'm really not that bothered because their line up of games is pretty crap imo..... I would of course love to see Atlantic on Virgin, but again this seems unlikely according to some of the posts on here...

the fact is you are wrong. they have 18 first pick games. these are games that would have been on Sky last season, on BT now. that's kinda a big deal.

also Sky have overloaded their picks. wait til christmas onwards. united vs liverpool and arsenal vs chelsea will be on it before the season closes. the merseyside derby is on it for a start. this is a game that was never on Prem+, Setanta, or ESPN. never. ever.

[Pinju]

But there's not just the Premier League or niche American Sports that are an issue, well, not for me.

I've been a fan of UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) for a few years now, and whilst this is shown deep in to Saturday nights (live) and probably doesn't resonate with the masses in the UK, it is one of the fastest growing sports in the world right now...and no, it's not WWE.

Whilst I understand the delay in unraveling all these machinations, it's a right pain to, possibly and probably, miss the upcoming event this weekend and over the summer when the UFC goes into overdrive when itself moves to FOX Sports in the US. If BT Sports is not automatically available by the weekend or at all on VM over the summer then that's a deal changer for me.

Hopefully, VM will be mindful of the following in the UK which they have built up single-handedly of the UFC.

[nstokes]

Been gone less than 3 hours and 6 pages and still no BT sport announcement/ Oh dear. Time is ticking

[johnasimmons]

Originally Posted by nstokes

Been gone less than 3 hours and 6 pages and still no BT sport announcement/ Oh dear. Time is ticking

nstokes

[denphone]

Originally Posted by Media Boy

Other News - TCM +1 goes all day from launch on Astra.

TCM +1 to broadcast 24 hours from August 13th - no word yet on if TCM +1 will broadcast on Virgin Media.

Good work MB but l think people are very preoccupied at this present moment with other things on this great forum.

[AndyWW]

Originally Posted by Gunslinger

I must say I don't really buy this 'deal done, but no announcement, so more people switch to BT' line.

Why would VM go along with something that encourages customers to leave, even in the short term? Would a collusive agreement like that (to actively mislead customers) be legal under competition and/or consumer law?

And how would customers react if, having been told by BT the channels won't be on Virgin, they switch to BT on Wednesday only to find them popping up on VM on Thursday? I know all the telcos have been told off by the ASA at one time or another, but that is surely pushing the limits...

I suspect each side is holding out till the last minute for the 'best' commercial deal; at the end of the day VM 'need' BT Sports to keep customers happy, and BT 'need' the income to offset some of the costs of the rights they have purchased. Otherwise, it is a very, very, very expensive way for BT to promote their broadband service.

BT is fully entitled to impose conditions around the announcement of any deal. It has not said that the the channels will not be on Virgin, only that they are not at the moment.

[johnasimmons]

Have VM ever made a evening announcement?

[denphone]

Originally Posted by johnasimmons

Have VM ever made a evening announcement?

[johnasimmons]

Originally Posted by denphone

It was a serious question Den

[Media Boy UK]

Originally Posted by johnasimmons

Have VM ever made a evening announcement?

Once I think - they reveal the new channels numbers when Sky Basic come back in November 2008.

[muppetman11]

Originally Posted by Media Boy

Other News - TCM +1 goes all day from launch on Astra.

TCM +1 to broadcast 24 hours from August 13th - no word yet on if TCM +1 will broadcast on Virgin Media.

Wouldn't it be easier to just say goes all day on Sky ? Unless you know of another satellite platform that broadcasts TCM + 1 from 28 East.

[denphone]

Originally Posted by johnasimmons

It was a serious question Den

l know John.

[johnasimmons]

Originally Posted by Media Boy

Once I think - they reveal the new channels numbers when Sky Basic come back in November 2008.

Thanks MB