General : Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2014) Vol. 2

[vincerooney]

Why are VM a broadband company first and tv second ? I know they have to maintain their own infrastructure for broadband etc but if it's universally known VM don't care as much about tv I wouldn't have signed up! If you offer tv, telephone and broadband services I expect you to treat every part the same.

Whoever's in charge of channel acquisitions must have the best job ever

"Fancy buying my channel?"
"Nahhhhhhh"
"Would you be interested in a HD version of ..."
"Nahhhhh"
"Do you actually want any channels?"
"Nahhhhhh"

As he sits with his feet on the desk wearing sunglasses drinking cocktails with love film and anyone else they can throw on TiVo boxes and it doesn't cost them a penny

Originally Posted by vincerooney

Why are VM a broadband company first and tv second ? I know they have to maintain their own infrastructure for broadband etc but if it's universally known VM don't care as much about tv I wouldn't have signed up! If you offer tv, telephone and broadband services I expect you to treat every part the same.

Whoever's in charge of channel acquisitions must have the best job ever

"Fancy buying my channel?"
"Nahhhhhhh"
"Would you be interested in a HD version of ..."
"Nahhhhh"
"Do you actually want any channels?"
"Nahhhhhh"

As he sits with his feet on the desk wearing sunglasses drinking cocktails with love film and anyone else they can throw on TiVo boxes and it doesn't cost them a penny

And the one question that he would ask first is the one you have left out..
"How much?"

[Ultimate.Conj]

Originally Posted by vincerooney

Why are VM a broadband company first and tv second ? I know they have to maintain their own infrastructure for broadband etc but if it's universally known VM don't care as much about tv I wouldn't have signed up! If you offer tv, telephone and broadband services I expect you to treat every part the same.

Whoever's in charge of channel acquisitions must have the best job ever

"Fancy buying my channel?"
"Nahhhhhhh"
"Would you be interested in a HD version of ..."
"Nahhhhh"
"Do you actually want any channels?"
"Nahhhhhh"

As he sits with his feet on the desk wearing sunglasses drinking cocktails with love film and anyone else they can throw on TiVo boxes and it doesn't cost them a penny

Their primary focus seems to be on fibre network because this is probably where they generate most of their money...selling it third party companies

I think VM do care about their TV service otherwise they wouldnt have got us BT Sports and all the other new channels they added last year.

Just my opinion though

[BenMcr]

Originally Posted by Ultimate.Conj

I think VM do care about their TV service otherwise they wouldnt have got us BT Sports and all the other new channels they added last year.

And the new channels that are coming this year i.e. the new Sky agreement.

[andy_m]

Originally Posted by vincerooney

Why are VM a broadband company first and tv second ? I know they have to maintain their own infrastructure for broadband etc but if it's universally known VM don't care as much about tv I wouldn't have signed up! If you offer tv, telephone and broadband services I expect you to treat every part the same.

Whoever's in charge of channel acquisitions must have the best job ever

"Fancy buying my channel?"
"Nahhhhhhh"
"Would you be interested in a HD version of ..."
"Nahhhhh"
"Do you actually want any channels?"
"Nahhhhhh"

As he sits with his feet on the desk wearing sunglasses drinking cocktails with love film and anyone else they can throw on TiVo boxes and it doesn't cost them a penny

Who says they don't care about TV? The only UK provider with TiVo, the only place to watch every major sport channel in a single subscription, hd at no extra cost (and the first in the UK to even have hd channels), access to ott apps on an award-winning platform, etc.

I'm sure Virgin are serious about TV.

But, with no evidential basis for this other than my own experience, I think on the whole people choose Virgin for their superior broadband product and then take TV with them because bundles make financial sense. The simple fact is that Virgin can't compete with Sky solely in terms of TV so why would they ruin themselves by going all out? At the same time, if they fall behind BT for the UK's fastest broadband then they're in trouble. If I was a shareholder that's the fight I'd want them to have.

[denphone]

Originally Posted by BenMcr

And the new channels that are coming this year i.e. the new Sky agreement.

Perhaps you can give us the dates on when these will arrive.

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by Maggy J

And the one question that he would ask first is the one you have left out..
"How much?"

Exactly. Also someone posted a list of all channels launched after Liberty Global bought the company and it was surprisingly long. And all the small launches - be they local TV or Forces TV - don't bear out the rhetoric that VM has given up on TV.

[ase001]

I can't remember the last time I watched OD on VM the selection is that poor. I think the previous posts are hitting the nail on the head, when the competition offer decent broadband. VM then have nothing in particular that differentiates it from the competition.

If you then start paring up broadband only providers with appleTV or googleTV or even or your Smart TV then what does VM offer that differentiates?

So unless VM improve TV and OD (please, please) then the next time my contract is up for renewal then VM are not front runners for my future business.

Offering Netflix and possibly other Pay TV add on services doesn't make sense, as long as you have 10Mb broadband or above then most families have multiple ways to view these services other than VM.

I've been with VM since the NTLworld days and all I see is year on year increase in cost and little progress in services. Sorry to all those Tivo lovers but the Tivo is not that brilliant!

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by ase001

Offering Netflix and possibly other Pay TV add on services doesn't make sense, as long as you have 10Mb broadband or above then most families have multiple ways to view these services other than VM.

It does makes sesnse to VM. It discourages a household buying a different device be it Roku or Apple TV to view Netflix and eventually unsubscribing to VM's TV service. Plus presumably VM gets a small fee for each subscriber it gets on board. And not every household wants a host of devices connected up to its TVs nor understands them. I appreciate that many households will have games consoles though.
As to whether VM should upgrade its inclusive on-demand offerings like ITV and UKTV? Absolutely.

[ase001]

Originally Posted by 1andrew1

It does makes sesnse. It discourages a household buying a different device be it Roku or Apple TV to view Netflix and eventually unsubscribing to VM's TV service. Plus presumably VM gets a small fee for each subscriber it gets on board.
As to whether VM should upgrade its inclusive on-demand offerings like ITV and UKTV? Absolutely.

When you can watch OD/Netflix etc via an app on a tablet and throw it to your TV, then why do you need VM? A lot of TV's these days have apps built in to watch OD/Netflix etc, then why the need for VM. The Kids use their computers to watch OD in their rooms or their phones, then why the need for VM.

The only way it makes sense is if it is exclusive to VM and has original content and we know what we think of Sky who do that!

So what do VM offer that differentiates?

[andy_m]

Originally Posted by 1andrew1

It does makes sesnse to VM. It discourages a household buying a different device be it Roku or Apple TV to view Netflix and eventually unsubscribing to VM's TV service. Plus presumably VM gets a small fee for each subscriber it gets on board. And not every household wants a host of devices connected up to its TVs nor understands them. I appreciate that many households will have games consoles though.
As to whether VM should upgrade its inclusive on-demand offerings like ITV and UKTV? Absolutely.

I don't think that's right, is it?

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by ase001

When you can watch OD/Netflix etc via an app on a tablet and throw it to your TV, then why do you need VM? A lot of TV's these days have apps built in to watch OD/Netflix etc, then why the need for VM. The Kids use their computers to watch OD in their rooms or their phones, then why the need for VM.

You need to understand it from a commercial perspective and not a consumer perspective, namely VM's desire to keep you in its ecosystem as much as possible and not unsubscribe to its TV service. It may not work for every household but then again BT Sport in XL or 152Mb broadband doesn't work for every household. And there are consumer benefits in it being on Tivo - one device, common searches, dedicated broadband line. Not every household is a tech savvy as yours.

I don't expect people to accept the word of every random poster on the subject. But I trust they will accept Netflix's. In its Q1 2014 letter to shareholders it wrote "From an MVPD point-of-view, they would rather have consumers use Netflix through the MVPD box and remote
control than have consumers become accustomed to watching video from a smart TV or Internet TV device remote control."

Originally Posted by ase001

The only way it makes sense is if it is exclusive to VM and has original content and we know what we think of Sky who do that!

No, that's not the only way, see my reasons above.

Originally Posted by ase001

So what do VM offer that differentiates?

Again, see my reasons above.

[BenMcr]

Originally Posted by andy_m

I don't think that's right, is it?

Suppose it depends. I can't see VM getting anything for people who use the apps who already have a subscription.

But there must have been a commercial advantage to both parties for Virgin Media to offer the six month free Netflix (and previously Spotify) offers.

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by andy_m

I don't think that's right, is it?

Yes but obviously the details of the deal are not in the public domain. Smart TV manufacturers have similar arrangements. It's simply a form of sales and marketing.

[Media Boy UK]

Originally Posted by 1andrew1

Exactly. Also someone posted a list of all channels launched after Liberty Global bought the company and it was surprisingly long. And all the small launches - be they local TV or Forces TV - don't bear out the rhetoric that VM has given up on TV.

List of channels NOT on Virgin Media as of June 19th.

http://mediaboyblog.blogspot.co.uk/p...adcasters.html