Can Sky Buy Virgin Media?

mattboothers · 05-11-2010, 16:51

Just thought I would create my own thread about this issue so it wont make the coming soon thread go off-topic again!

Virgin Media was alowed to buy ntl:Telewest. Why cant Sky buy Virgin Media?

Sirius · 05-11-2010, 16:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattboothers

Just thought I would create my own thread about this issue so it wont make the coming soon thread go off-topic again!

Virgin Media was aloud to buy ntl:Telewest. Why cant Sky buy Virgin Media?

Monopolies commission would have a hell of a lot to say about it and i feel never allow it to happen.

Anyway i know i don't want them anywhere near cable thank you very much.

alwaysabear · 05-11-2010, 17:01

As legislation stands at the moment any bid by Sky for Virgin media would be thrown out by the monopolies and merger commission.
News Corps bid for the 60% of Sky they don't own, has already got the EU and the UK government investigating as they own The Times,Sunday Times and the Sun newspapers.

TheDon · 05-11-2010, 17:12

Not a cat in hells chance.

On another note though, why would Sky want to buy VM? It makes no sense for them to do so.

Sure the cable platform might be superior to satellite, but is that benefit worth it when you look at the difficulties of running two very different platforms side by side, with customers getting a different service based on which they were connected to?

Sky only need a decent return path, they aren't going to spend billions buying VM just to get a return path, it makes FAR more sense for them to just use BT infinity. They only need to be able to provide around 10mbps of bandwidth to do anything that VM can do, and whilst that would be on a connection shared by the domestic broadband it's not too hard to QoS it so the STB always got what it needed.

Stephen · 05-11-2010, 17:13

Virgin media didnt buy ntl:telewest they bought virgin mobile then change their name to VM

Sky wouldn't be allowed to purchase VM due to the monopoly issues.

VirginMediaPhil · 05-11-2010, 17:18

Sure it would never happen, sure it wouldn't make any logical sense, sure the regulators wouldn't approve it...

But it would be great wouldn't it! sky by cable... All the Sky channels in HD and no waiting for new channels.

mattboothers · 05-11-2010, 17:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by VirginMediaPhil

Sure it would never happen, sure it wouldn't make any logical sense, sure the regulators wouldn't approve it...

But it would be great wouldn't it! sky by cable... All the Sky channels in HD and no waiting for new channels.

Im feelin that

- I mean we only live once and for a limited time too. We could be dead tomorrow for all we know and we wont have experienced full HD like Sky HD customers.

SnoopZ · 05-11-2010, 17:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattboothers

Im feelin that

- I mean we only live once and for a limited time too. We could be dead tomorrow for all we know and we wont have experienced full HD like Sky HD customers.

You watch too much tv and talk about it as if you can't live without it!

bw41101 · 05-11-2010, 20:00

I would imagine that SKY buying Virgin Media would be about as welcome as Diarrhoea in a spacesuit. No chance, anyway the monopolies commission would have a field day with this one.

Though it would be interesting to see how VM's customers would react to such an undertaking. Perhaps a poll would be in order - the results would prove interesting.

Si thee

windy · 05-11-2010, 20:33

Yeah why not go for it..hes owns the 3rd of the world if he wants the rest he might aswell.

andrew.shearman · 05-11-2010, 20:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by bw41101

I would imagine that SKY buying Virgin Media would be about as welcome as Diarrhoea in a spacesuit. No chance, anyway yeasu FT 857would have a field day with this one.

Though it would be interesting to see how VM's customers would react to such an undertaking. Perhaps a poll would be in order - the results would prove interesting.

Si thee

I wish sky would buy virgin media we would get the red button for all the channels free calls and broadband that would be great or if thay don't I am going to sky ok

Andrew

**Chris** · 05-11-2010, 20:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattboothers

Virgin Media was alowed to buy ntl:Telewest.

No it didn't. There was no such thing as Virgin Media until NTL:Telewest bought the rights to use the Virgin name.

Mr R. Branson became a shareholder of the company as part of the deal but he does not own it.

Quote:

Why cant Sky buy Virgin Media?

Because that would create something called a 'monopoly', which is frowned upon in the UK. The Monopolies and Mergers Commission would prevent it. It is so plainly disallowed under British law that Sky wouldn't even try.