General : Virgin Media & UKTV+ITV Channels

[batchain]

Not the deal ITV was after - most likely no huge sums involved over and above what Virgin already pays and Virgin maintains its long-held position on the issue of retransmission fees.

New ITV CEO Carolyn McCall was under huge pressure from shareholders to secure a deal and she managed that without losing too much face. The promise of extra HD, 4K, box sets and catch up content should give ITV's coffers a boost (although not as much as retransmission fees) and Virgin's concession - agreeing to expand advertising and marketing of ITV programming- should help too.

All in all a good deal for both, but better for Virgin.

Next for ITV will be to secure a similar deal with Sky.

[japitts]

Originally Posted by alwaysabear

I am sure a deal will be done eventually with UKTV, there is a lot of posturing going on from both sides and unfortunately its the customer who suffers.

Never a truer word said - I really don't see any winners out of the current situation. VM losing customers and goodwill, UKTV losing carriage fees & advertising, customers missing out.

I guess it's all a question of who blinks first, how long it takes them, and how bad the damage gets in the meantime.

For what it's worth, I may not be cancelling or downgrading myself but I've stopped recommending Virgin to anyone who asks - and will be remaining "neutral" for quite a while yet.

[RichardCoulter]

Originally Posted by batchain

Not the deal ITV was after - most likely no huge sums involved over and above what Virgin already pays and Virgin maintains its long-held position on the issue of retransmission fees.

New ITV CEO Carolyn McCall was under huge pressure from shareholders to secure a deal and she managed that without losing too much face. The promise of extra HD, 4K, box sets and catch up content should give ITV's coffers a boost (although not as much as retransmission fees) and Virgin's concession - agreeing to expand advertising and marketing of ITV programming- should help too.

All in all a good deal for both, but better for Virgin.

Next for ITV will be to secure a similar deal with Sky.

Tho the retransmission issue won't affect Sky until they start their dishless service...

---------- Post added at 20:05 ---------- Previous post was at 20:03 ----------

Originally Posted by japitts

Never a truer word said - I really don't see any winners out of the current situation. VM losing customers and goodwill, UKTV losing carriage fees & advertising, customers missing out.

I guess it's all a question of who blinks first, how long it takes them, and how bad the damage gets in the meantime.

For what it's worth, I may not be cancelling or downgrading myself but I've stopped recommending Virgin to anyone who asks - and will be remaining "neutral" for quite a while yet.

Yep, the current position is that everyone is losing out.

[japitts]

Originally Posted by telegramsam

Looking at it from another point of view, ITV could of looked at Virgins hard stance with UKTV and thought "hey we don't want our channels withdrawn from the Virgin Media platform, we'll give in to what Virgin Media want". Just my opinion guys.

But it's been widely intimated that UKTV pulled their channels rather then Virgin chopping them. It would kinda make sense, that if new commercial terms can't be agreed.. on balance I think it's more likely to be in Virgin's interest to drag out existing contracts on borrowed time.

[Ddonald2016]

Originally Posted by RichardCoulter

Tho the retransmission issue won't affect Sky until they start their dishless service...

---------- Post added at 20:05 ---------- Previous post was at 20:03 ----------



Yep, the current position is that everyone is losing out.

Once the dishless service launches I’m off to get my UKTV channels

[Arthurgray50@blu]

Two points to make on this issue/s.

1) If Sky are going to have a 'dishless' service with the full channels. Would this be stream via a computer etc.

2) IF, VM sort out the terrible business of taking off UKTV channels. And VM have replaced them with 'new' channels. What will happen when the deal is sorted out.

Do they take off the 'new' channels and cause even more problems.

I stopped promoting VM long time ago. They seem to have a motto - don't worry about the customers, we will do what we want. But still put the prices up.

[Stephen]

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

Two points to make on this issue/s.

1) If Sky are going to have a 'dishless' service with the full channels. Would this be stream via a computer etc.

2) IF, VM sort out the terrible business of taking off UKTV channels. And VM have replaced them with 'new' channels. What will happen when the deal is sorted out.

Do they take off the 'new' channels and cause even more problems.

I stopped promoting VM long time ago. They seem to have a motto - don't worry about the customers, we will do what we want. But still put the prices up.

It will still be they Sky Q box but channels delivered via broadband.

No they would have to move all the channel numbers around.

[telegramsam]

Originally Posted by japitts

But it's been widely intimated that UKTV pulled their channels rather then Virgin chopping them. It would kinda make sense, that if new commercial terms can't be agreed.. on balance I think it's more likely to be in Virgin's interest to drag out existing contracts on borrowed time.

Yes true but once UKTV withdrew their channels Virgin could of quickly given in to their demands and got the channels back the very next day or at least within days but they didn't, did they?

[Mr K]

Originally Posted by telegramsam

Yes true but once UKTV withdrew their channels Virgin could of quickly given in to their demands and got the channels back the very next day or at least within days but they didn't, did they?

Point of order ! UKTV didn't withdraw their channels or make any demands, VM decided they didn't want to pay any longer. Same as if you and i went into a shop and decided we didn't want to pay today....

[batchain]

Originally Posted by RichardCoulter

Tho the retransmission issue won't affect Sky until they start their dishless service...

I said a similar deal - continued carriage of non-PSBs plus HD, 4K, box sets and catch up plus Sky agreeing to expand advertising and marketing of ITV programming.

If ITV feels Sky is not paying enough (or not doing enough to promote ITV) they can still threaten to remove content. Sky is not immune to carriage disputes, Discovery threatened to pull all its channels before Sky caved in at the 11th hour (unlike Virgin who told UKTV to shove it, same as they did with Sky in 2007 - the same Sky who eventually came crawling back telling Virgin to name their price).

Sky also needs to secure a renewed deal if it wants to match the ITV content and ITV services that Virgin will now be able to offer.

---------- Post added at 21:40 ---------- Previous post was at 21:13 ----------

Originally Posted by Mr K

Point of order ! UKTV didn't withdraw their channels or make any demands,

Oh, but they did.

VM decided they didn't want to pay any longer.

Virgin offered a revised deal (lower price) for UKTVs pay channels due to customers now viewing more and more content on demand (Netflix is now the most popular pay tv channel in Virgin TV homes), due to UKTV putting pay tv content on its FTA channels and due to what Virgin considers to be a poor UKTV Catch Up/VOD offering. UKTV turned them down and also pulled the FTA channels as well.

UKTV pays to have its FTA channels & services on both FTA and subscription platforms, but refused to give Virgin access to the FTA channels unless it also pays (pays more) for its pay tv output.

Same as if you and i went into a shop and decided we didn't want to pay today....

Same as if you and i went to pick up a free copy of The Metro, but told sorry, you can't have a free copy today unless you also agree to buy the Daily Mail.

[Ddonald2016]

Originally Posted by batchain

I said a similar deal - continued carriage of non-PSBs plus HD, 4K, box sets and catch up plus Sky agreeing to expand advertising and marketing of ITV programming.

If ITV feels Sky is not paying enough (or not doing enough to promote ITV) they can still threaten to remove content. Sky is not immune to carriage disputes, Discovery threatened to pull all its channels before Sky caved in at the 11th hour (unlike Virgin who told UKTV to shove it, same as they did with Sky in 2007 - the same Sky who eventually came crawling back telling Virgin to name their price).

Sky also needs to secure a renewed deal if it wants to match the ITV content and ITV services that Virgin will now be able to offer.

---------- Post added at 21:40 ---------- Previous post was at 21:13 ----------


Oh, but they did.

Virgin offered a revised deal (lower price) for UKTVs pay channels due to customers now viewing more and more content on demand (Netflix is now the most popular pay tv channel in Virgin TV homes), due to UKTV putting pay tv content on its FTA channels and due to what Virgin considers to be a poor UKTV Catch Up/VOD offering. UKTV turned them down and also pulled the FTA channels as well.

UKTV pays to have its FTA channels & services on both FTA and subscription platforms, but refused to give Virgin access to the FTA channels unless it also pays (pays more) for its pay tv output.

Same as if you and i went to pick up a free copy of The Metro, but told sorry, you can't have a free copy today unless you also agree to buy the Daily Mail.

“Sky also needs to secure a renewed deal if it wants to match the ITV content and ITV services that Virgin will now be able to offer.” what does the changes mean

[Dave42]

Muse’s Song

@musesong
·
1h


So it’s official then? Parting of ways.




Official UKTV

@UKTV


Replying to @musesong, @tonksy84, and @virginmedia
It appears that way sadly.

[RichardCoulter]

This is what happened last weekend.

Because the contract for the UKTV channels expired without a new agreement being made, it was VM who prevented their customers from viewing the channels. Not doing so would have left them open to the threat of legal action by UKTV for showing unauthorised material.

The UKTV feeds continued and remained on new two digit numbers on the EPG.

The reason that they looked to have disappeared is because they were flagged to be in hidden mode, meaning that domestic set top boxes could no longer see them.

[mot12]

I'm glad ITV and VM came to an understanding in the end, the combo of Coronation Street lovers and ITV4 sport lovers would have destroyed VM and they knew it. It would have been UKTV channels what UKTV channels.

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I've looked up BTSport4K, Women's Hockey in 4K not bad! The OH wanted to know if they do Weightlifting or Swimming in 4K, I said no but there is Speedway, Helmets and all.

On a more serious note after looking up the schedule there's going to be more 4K to watch than I expected.

[telegramsam]

If ITV and Sky had a spat over contracts and ITV channels were removed,imagine the loss of revenue ITV would suffer through lost advertising! Sky have a massive TV customer base,much larger than Virgin,so it would really be suicidal for ITV to ever contemplate it.