Virgin Media's quarterly and full year results.

He's not a real muppet....

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by Tim Deegan

Maybe now they could either cancel the price rises (unlikely), extend their cable network, or have more money on the table for negotiations with Sky over channels like Sky F1 HD...Just a thought.

They are extending their network and have been for several years.

Ok it's only been modest numbers . circa 50,000 a year but they have been doing it.

If you're expecting a build on the levels of the mid-90's, when entire cities and towns were cabled, then forget it.

It will never happen.

[Horizon]

Originally Posted by alwaysabear

Originally Posted by Mobes
I thought we were going to hear some good news about TV channels etc as well today or did i mis-read, dream that??

There was no mention of new channels today.

According to one of VM's bosses in the webcast today we've had lots of new channels over the last year. I must have missed something....there's been some new channels but there's also been channels removed. So, all in all its about break even on the channels front in 2011, the new ones launched only offset those that went.

[Digital Fanatic]

Channels aren't usually announced in quarterly results as a rule.

[Tim Deegan]

Originally Posted by qasdfdsaq

Nope.

You really can't read can you?[COLOR=Silver]
[COLOR=Black]
I don't know where you get your ideas from but last I knew the words "are on" did not mean anything remotely like "have nothing higher available to them than".

You were implying that VM were failing to provide the service. When in fact they are providing the service because 50mb is available to around 50% of UK homes. The fact that many don't use what is available is nothing to do with it.

You are just trying to twist thing around to slate VM.

---------- Post added at 09:44 ---------- Previous post was at 09:41 ----------

Originally Posted by Pierre

They are extending their network and have been for several years.

Ok it's only been modest numbers . circa 50,000 a year but they have been doing it.

If you're expecting a build on the levels of the mid-90's, when entire cities and towns were cabled, then forget it.

It will never happen.

I wasn't expecting the levels of the 90's that you mentioned, because that nearly crippled them at the time. I just think it would be goof if they increased the rate from what it is now.

I have an office in a fairly built up area, where I would switch to VM if they covered the area. But unfortunately they don't, and last time I spoke to them, they had no plans to cover that area.

[denphone]

Originally Posted by Digital Fanatic

Channels aren't usually announced in quarterly results as a rule.

Too true DF so when will they get announced.

[devilincarnate]

Originally Posted by denphone

Too true DF so when will they get announced.

When they announce them

[Digital Fanatic]

Originally Posted by devilincarnate

when they announce them:d:d:d:d

lol

[denphone]

Originally Posted by devilincarnate

When they announce them

Yes indeed but perhaps a man of your influence can have a word with them.

[qasdfdsaq]

Originally Posted by Tim Deegan

You were implying that VM were failing to provide the service. When in fact they are providing the service because 50mb is available to around 50% of UK homes. The fact that many don't use what is available is nothing to do with it.

You are just trying to twist thing around to slate VM.

No, I didn't imply anything other than the number of users that were on a specific service. How does "are on" imply "failing to provide service"? Anyone? Enlighten me?

Course you have to twist my words, but ignore all evidence to the contrary - you call me ignorant yet you can't even read the forum rules...

[Tim Deegan]

Originally Posted by qasdfdsaq

No, I didn't imply anything other than the number of users that were on a specific service. How does "are on" imply "failing to provide service"? Anyone? Enlighten me?

Course you have to twist my words, but ignore all evidence to the contrary - you call me ignorant yet you can't even read the forum rules...

Because that's the impression your post gave.

Look, I've had problems with VM on many occasions, and don't have any loyalty towards them. In fact others in these forums have slated me for speaking against VM. However I do think that they are the best of a bad bunch, and certainly offer the best service (for my requirements).

It seems that you however are just anti VM, and you jump on any thread that has anything bad to say about them. And then you try and get your boot in also.

Now I don't know what your grievance is with them, or if you just work for the competition. But for VM users the fact that they have made a profit, will most likely lead to an improved service, as they have money to spend.

[qasdfdsaq]

The only grievance I have with them is the same as I have against any commercial company that blatantly lies, and even then only against the specific unit/department doing so.

Like I've pointed out in another thread, the only thing VM's service is good at is headline download speeds, where they are 30% faster than the competition. In just about every other measure, they are worse. They continue to ride on this whole "fibre optic" hype touting big numbers whereas even anything as simple as browsing the web is faster on BT than on VM's 50mb. Downloading big files is the only thing VM connections do well, and even then their service has gotten worse over the last 6 months while the competition has gotten a lot better. This is not me being anti-VM, this is fact.

[Tim Deegan]

Originally Posted by qasdfdsaq

The only grievance I have with them is the same as I have against any commercial company that blatantly lies, and even then only against the specific unit/department doing so.

Well I'm afraid that most big companies, and some small ones tell lies. They also get away with it because the advert has normally run it's course before any action can be taken. This is known as marketing, and in the bed industry I actively campaign against all the hype, gimmicks, and lies that are used.

By the way, BT also lie. And that comes from a friend of mine who is a BT engineer. He also said that it will be a long time before BT matches VM for speed. But I don't know about the technical side, so I can't comment.

[Alan Fry]

Originally Posted by qasdfdsaq

Given the 50mb upstream uplift is many months behind schedule, the idea of them finishing that *and* getting 100mb done "months ahead of schedule" just goes to show they have no grasp of the English language. Particularly given how loosely they use the terms "unlimited" "everyone" "double" "all" "best" "gaming" and now "ahead".

As a breakdown, this puts VM's current cable broadband base at a total of 4,850,600 customers, of which:
3,600,000 (74%) are still on 2 or 10mbps
Only 500,000 (10%) are on 20mbps
Only 200,000 (4%) are on on 30mbps
Only 200,000 (4%) are on 50mbps and 100mbps combined

And if you believe TBB's figures, 8% don't exist

Half of the the UK gets VM broadband via ADSL, the 30mbps+ broadband is only avalible on the VM Fiber Netowork, which covers the other half!

---------- Post added at 12:17 ---------- Previous post was at 12:16 ----------

Originally Posted by Mobes

I thought we were going to hear some good news about TV channels etc as well today or did i mis-read, dream that??

Well they are in a better place to do that now they are now making profits!

---------- Post added at 12:19 ---------- Previous post was at 12:17 ----------

Originally Posted by Pierre

They are extending their network and have been for several years.

Ok it's only been modest numbers . circa 50,000 a year but they have been doing it.

If you're expecting a build on the levels of the mid-90's, when entire cities and towns were cabled, then forget it.

It will never happen.

What a shame, they should now improve services for VM customers outside the VM Cable network, maybe 80 mbp broadband and the full TV serice?

---------- Post added at 12:19 ---------- Previous post was at 12:19 ----------

Originally Posted by Horizon

There was no mention of new channels today.

According to one of VM's bosses in the webcast today we've had lots of new channels over the last year. I must have missed something....there's been some new channels but there's also been channels removed. So, all in all its about break even on the channels front in 2011, the new ones launched only offset those that went.

It did go past the 300 mark this year!

---------- Post added at 12:24 ---------- Previous post was at 12:19 ----------

Originally Posted by Tim Deegan

Because that's the impression your post gave.

Look, I've had problems with VM on many occasions, and don't have any loyalty towards them. In fact others in these forums have slated me for speaking against VM. However I do think that they are the best of a bad bunch, and certainly offer the best service (for my requirements).

It seems that you however are just anti VM, and you jump on any thread that has anything bad to say about them. And then you try and get your boot in also.

Now I don't know what your grievance is with them, or if you just work for the competition. But for VM users the fact that they have made a profit, will most likely lead to an improved service, as they have money to spend.

They do offer the Best Broadband, Best STB and Best VOD, but they need to work on getting more TV channels (with related VOD content) and launching the iPhone 4S on Virgin Mobile!

[qasdfdsaq]

Originally Posted by Tim Deegan

Well I'm afraid that most big companies, and some small ones tell lies. They also get away with it because the advert has normally run it's course before any action can be taken. This is known as marketing, and in the bed industry I actively campaign against all the hype, gimmicks, and lies that are used.

By the way, BT also lie. And that comes from a friend of mine who is a BT engineer. He also said that it will be a long time before BT matches VM for speed. But I don't know about the technical side, so I can't comment.

Maybe you should follow the 15-month saga that is the upstream uplifts. Other companies lie, very few have shown the level of utter incompetence that VM has when it comes to fixing their network in these parts.

Also I'd disagree on BT not catching up. BT already offer 110mbps service, which is more than VM does anywhere. BT will be offering 330mbps this year, which is again, already ahead of VM, and 1gbit next year, which will be even further again. Granted, these are only in limited areas.

BT currently offer 40mbit down and 10mbit up to all FTTC areas, this is faster than all of the nationally available VM packages in every way, except headline download speed. BT will be uplifting this to 80mbit down and 20mbit up across their network within months, VM don't even have more than 1.5mbps upload across their network yet.

The few areas VM have neglected to upgrade will see 50% faster download and more than ten times faster upload on BT. Nationwide, once all areas are upgraded we're still looking at BT Infinity only being 30% slower on the download and faster in all other respects than VM's best service.

Again, BT 40mb is already faster than VM 50mb for everything other than downloading large files (and if you're doing it via newsgroups BT will probably still be faster).