Merged:-Comcast makes Bid for Sky

[nstokes]

Originally Posted by muppetman11

News on the new TV pack

Thanks MM

Article is below

Since we launched HD in 2006, viewing in high-definition has been a huge hit with Sky customers.
Today, more than 4.5 million of our customers take HD from Sky. This number continues to grow strongly, with around half a million customers taking HD in the last year alone.

Despite this strong growth, we know that some customers who just take an entertainment TV pack from Sky feel that that they wouldn’t get full value from the existing £10.25 HD pack, which also includes access to HD versions of sports and movies channels. To help them benefit from HD picture and sound quality, we’re making HD more accessible with a new TV pack tailored around their needs.

Available alongside our existing TV packs Entertainment and Entertainment Extra, the brand new pack - called Entertainment Extra+ - will offer customers access to more than 45 HD channels. The pack offers a number of popular entertainment channels including ITV2, MTV, Sky 1, Sky Atlantic, Sky Living, Sky Arts, Discovery and Fox, all in HD.
As well as the 45 HD channels, the pack will also offer customers access to a wide range of TV box sets on demand, both on the Sky+HD box and through the award-winning Sky Go. Box sets that customers will be able to enjoy at home and on the move include Game of Thrones, An Idiot Abroad and Trollied. On top of this, Sky customers with the new pack and a 3D TV will even be able to sample entertainment shows on Sky 3D, including the documentaries Galapagos with David Attenborough and Inside the Mind of Leonardo, featuring the actor Peter Capaldi.

Available from £31.50 a month, the new pack will be available to Sky customers from April.

---------- Post added at 15:06 ---------- Previous post was at 15:04 ----------

The way i read this is that its Entertainment Extra with HD but no HD charge, is that correct?

[muppetman11]

No Entertainment Extra is £26.50 currently add the reduced £5.00 HD charge and you get £31.50 which is the price of this new pack.

[nstokes]

Originally Posted by muppetman11

No Entertainment Extra is £26.50 currently add the reduced £5.00 HD charge and you get £31.50 which is the price of this new pack.

Oh ok that makes sense. Not a bad deal that. I might inquire about that when it launches. I wonder what if the HD Charge then goes up if you add Sports and/or Moves for HD

[muppetman11]

Originally Posted by nstokes

Oh ok that makes sense. Not a bad deal that. I might inquire about that when it launches. I wonder what if the HD Charge then goes up if you add Sports and/or Moves for HD

According to the snippets I've read it appears you pay the full HD charge of £10.25 if you have Sports/Movies in HD.

[nstokes]

Originally Posted by muppetman11

According to the snippets I've read it appears you pay the full HD charge of £10.25 if you have Sports/Movies in HD.

Oh ok that would make sense tbh. Its not bad at all for people that dont want sports or movies

[telegramsam]

So for those of us who get the sports and/or film channels there`s no change. All sky are really doing is trying to make more money for themselves. As those non-sport/film subscribers don`t want to pay £10.25 sky have decided to offer them hd for a fiver in the hope they can make some more money!

[muppetman11]

Originally Posted by telegramsam

So for those of us who get the sports and/or film channels there`s no change. All sky are really doing is trying to make more money for themselves. As those non-sport/film subscribers don`t want to pay £10.25 sky have decided to offer them hd for a fiver in the hope they can make some more money!

For me on Sky World there's no change , however people who are on Entertainment or Entertainment Extra and currently pay the £10.25 HD charge will make a saving of £5.25. Someone on DS forums is also stating that going forward you'll need Entertainment Extra + to get box sets On Demand which suggests the basic packs will just get access to Catchup and Sky Store , its clearly a way of encouraging people to the new pack and increasing the take up of HD.

[Chad]

Originally Posted by muppetman11

For me on Sky World there's no change , however people who are on Entertainment or Entertainment Extra and currently pay the £10.25 HD charge will make a saving of £5.25. Someone on DS forums is also stating that going forward you'll need Entertainment Extra + to get box sets On Demand which suggests the basic packs will just get access to Catchup and Sky Store , its clearly a way of encouraging people to the new pack and increasing the take up of HD.

I suspect it's also a chance to lock customers down for 12 months prior to BT launching their full TV service in the Summer. This seems to be what Virgin are doing my offering M+ to M customers for the next couple of months.

[spiderplant]

Originally Posted by Chad

This seems to be what Virgin are doing my offering M+ to M customers for the next couple of months.

Err... "There is no additional cost and the offer does not affect your contractual commitments with Virgin Media."

Originally Posted by Chad

I suspect it's also a chance to lock customers down for 12 months prior to BT launching their full TV service in the Summer. This seems to be what Virgin are doing my offering M+ to M customers for the next couple of months.

Sky won't extend a contract just because you change package they never have. Only if you have a new piece of hardware are contracts effected.

[Chad]

Originally Posted by spiderplant

Err... "There is no additional cost and the offer does not affect your contractual commitments with Virgin Media."

I know, I didn't make myself clear in my post.

What I was suggesting is Virgin are offering M customers M+ in the hope some will take the package fulltime once the free period ends, effectively locking customers down for the next 12 months prior to BT making a push in the summer.

---------- Post added at 08:55 ---------- Previous post was at 08:50 ----------

Originally Posted by Bogof

Sky won't extend a contract just because you change package they never have. Only if you have a new piece of hardware are contracts effected.

That’s interesting. Does that include if you downgrade you services? So say I’m 6 months into my contract with SKY and decide to drop SKY World and go to SKY’s most basic TV package, I wouldn’t have to enter into a new contract? Do SKY charge a penalty for downgrading your package?

[spiderplant]

Originally Posted by Chad

What I was suggesting is Virgin are offering M customers M+ in the hope some will take the package fulltime once the free period ends, effectively locking customers down for the next 12 months prior to BT making a push in the summer.

But they wouldn't be locked in for 12 months as they are already TV customers.

[Chad]

Originally Posted by spiderplant

But they wouldn't be locked in for 12 months as they are already TV customers.

That has never been my experience. Whenever I've "upgraded" a service with Virgin a new 12 month contract followed. It happened when I went from L to XL about 5 years ago. It also happened when I went from 20mb broadband to 50mb broadband.

Section H of the terms and conditions seem to suggest you need to keep any new services for their minimum term.

http://store.virginmedia.com/the-leg....html#changing

You may add to or reduce the services you receive from time to time by contacting our customer services team. If you ask us to provide any extra services to you, you agree to accept those additional services for at least the minimum period that applies to them. If you ask us to reduce your tier of services within the minimum period for those services, we may ask you to pay a fee depending on the services being reduced and the remaining length of the minimum period.

[muppetman11]

BBC2 HD to launch on Tues 26 March. Will be on Sky HD (169), Freeview HD (102), Virgin (187), Freesat HD (109) and BT Vision (852)

[denphone]

Excellent news.