Sky buys Virgin Media TV channels

peter999

I wonder how this will affect future and deals people get with Virgin Media & Sky ??

I think Sky are very difficult to get deals from.

BSkyB buys Virgin Media TV channels
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/10238515.stm

Satellite broadcaster BSkyB has bought Virgin Media TV, which includes the Bravo and Living channels, in a £160m deal.

As part of the deal, Virgin Media will be able to offer some Sky HD channels for the first time. These include Sky Sports HD1 and Sky Movies HD.

Virgin's four million TV customers will also start getting access to Sky content through the On Demand service.

Sky and Virgin have previously clashed over access to each other's channels.

The new arrangement means that Sky will no longer have to pay to show Virgin channels, which also include Challenge, Challenge Jackpot and the Virgin 1 channel. It also brings Sky's HD services to a wider audience.

For Virgin, the deal generates what it called "substantial value" and signals a further move towards distributing TV content rather than owning it.

peter999

Pokerlad

It wont have any effect. Sky have purchased the company that owns and operates the tv channels mentioned, not the company that supplies tv and internet services.

mjm3346

Shouldn't make any difference to deals but watch out for Virgin One on Freeview filling with tat, Sky will want to drive people to their pay package and virgin one is currently the closest free thing to Sky one/two.

spike7451

mjm3346 wrote: »

Shouldn't make any difference to deals but watch out for Virgin One on Freeview filling with tat, Sky will want to drive people to their pay package and virgin one is currently the closest free thing to Sky one/two.

Except Virgin1 is'nt free on Sky.
It wont make any difference to subscribers apart from possibly re-branding of the stations.Shrewd move on VM's part.It gives them more money to operate especially as when VM bought NTL ect,the cable companies were struggling,NTL having just gone thru Chapter 11.

mjm3346

spike7451 wrote: »

Except Virgin1 is'nt free on Sky. It wont make any difference to subscribers .

Thats basically what I said

Virgin One on Freeview....Sky will want to drive people to their pay package...

Perhaps it will become Sky 3 (+1) on freeview, I don't think Sky are permitted to change the freeview slot to a pay channel at the moment.


(There are plenty of freesat from sky and sky users who also have freeview)

spike7451

mjm3346 wrote: »

Thats basically what I said

No,you said:

virgin one is currently the closest free thing to Sky one/two.

As you need to subscibe to Sky in order to recieve it,it's not free.