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SKy closing down TV channels
corbyboy
Posts: 1,169 Forumite
I just found out today that a few pay to view TV channels are closing down on 1 January, this includes Bravo and Channel One.
As far as I remembered, these channels were owned by Virgin Media (in fact Channel One used to be called Virgin One until a few months ago). I did a little reading up and it seems that Sky purchased these channels in Septmeber.
How stupid is it to buy channels from Virgin Media and then close them down? Did they do it just so they could get hold of Living TV, which is also part of the package?
As a Virgin Media customer this annoys me as VM are still listing Bravo and Channel One as part of the package available to you as a new customer.
As far as I remembered, these channels were owned by Virgin Media (in fact Channel One used to be called Virgin One until a few months ago). I did a little reading up and it seems that Sky purchased these channels in Septmeber.
How stupid is it to buy channels from Virgin Media and then close them down? Did they do it just so they could get hold of Living TV, which is also part of the package?
As a Virgin Media customer this annoys me as VM are still listing Bravo and Channel One as part of the package available to you as a new customer.
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Programming will be re-deployed to other channels;the Living TV channels will apparently receive a 25% boost to programming budget.How stupid is it to buy channels from Virgin Media and then close them down?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/sep/15/bravo-channel-one-bdkyb
As I see it, there's every chance that Sky will derive better value from the assets they've bought, and closing a few of the less valuable channels is only a part of the plans.0 -
Programming will be re-deployed to other channels;the Living TV channels will apparently receive a 25% boost to programming budget.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/sep/15/bravo-channel-one-bdkyb
As I see it, there's every chance that Sky will derive better value from the assets they've bought, and closing a few of the less valuable channels is only a part of the plans.
Well let's take a specific example. I love watching TNA Wrestling on Bravo every Saturday. Where will this be shown now? Sky already show WWE so it's extremely unlikely they will show TNA alongside it. There is a possibility it could move the the Extreme Sports channel, but you can't get that on the VM package I am on.
When Virgin stopped supplying Sky One to customers there was an outrage. I feel the same about losing Bravo.
Part of the reason I subscribed to Virgin Media is because they show TNA Wrestling. Now I am stuck in the middle of a contract without it. Presumably Virgin Media have made a pile of cash selling these channels to Sky and they will save money in the day to day running of the channels too. Will we see this saving passed onto customers? I highly doubt it.0 -
Well let's take a specific example. I love watching TNA Wrestling on Bravo every Saturday. Where will this be shown now? Sky already show WWE so it's extremely unlikely they will show TNA alongside it. There is a possibility it could move the the Extreme Sports channel, but you can't get that on the VM package I am on.
When Virgin stopped supplying Sky One to customers there was an outrage. I feel the same about losing Bravo.
Part of the reason I subscribed to Virgin Media is because they show TNA Wrestling. Now I am stuck in the middle of a contract without it. Presumably Virgin Media have made a pile of cash selling these channels to Sky and they will save money in the day to day running of the channels too. Will we see this saving passed onto customers? I highly doubt it.
I see your frustrations and sympathise with you. I was a virgin customer when virgin lost sky etc and I was very annoyed as I was an avid Lost fan and watched every episode, I was pretty peeved and in the end I left Virgin for Sky. They tie you into a contract and now you have effectivly lost the channels that was your reasoning in purchasing the package. Is it possible to phone Virgin and ask them to release you from the contract as they are now not delivering what they said they would. The problem is that Sky is a monopoly when it comes to tv.0 -
Well let's take a specific example. I love watching TNA Wrestling on Bravo every Saturday. Where will this be shown now? Sky already show WWE so it's extremely unlikely they will show TNA alongside it. There is a possibility it could move the the Extreme Sports channel, but you can't get that on the VM package I am on.
When Virgin stopped supplying Sky One to customers there was an outrage. I feel the same about losing Bravo.
Part of the reason I subscribed to Virgin Media is because they show TNA Wrestling. Now I am stuck in the middle of a contract without it. Presumably Virgin Media have made a pile of cash selling these channels to Sky and they will save money in the day to day running of the channels too. Will we see this saving passed onto customers? I highly doubt it.
The revenue from the sale will be ploughed back in to the business in other ways,such as maintaining the network,upgrading the network & in new techy things.
Don't forget,Virgin bought two cable companies that were on the verge of bankrupcy,NTL was on a Chapter 11 insolvency when I worked for them.
The are many areas of the country that have the cable infrastructure in place (ie,Newtownards which is 6 miles from me have had cable since 2003 but has no one connected to it) but the money was not there to
release to sale.0 -
I don't follow that spike. if the physical infrastructure is in place, then surely most of the cost is already incurred and written off and it makes sense to offer cable services in that area? The only additional cost is to connect individual new subscribers up?No free lunch, and no free laptop
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I don't follow that spike. if the physical infrastructure is in place, then surely most of the cost is already incurred and written off and it makes sense to offer cable services in that area? The only additional cost is to connect individual new subscribers up?
The are two towns near me,Newtownards that I mentioned & Bangor.
One half to three quarters of Ards is cabled.The are street cabs,muxes & swept tee's outside every property.It's been like that since 2003,when the work was completed & then stopped from release to sale as the was no money to install the property.
Bangor on the other hand has fibre optic cabling in place (It was done when Phoenix gas laid their ducting from Belfast) & muxes but nothing else.
NTL basically ran out of money to complete the work.
It might make sense to do it the logical way but I've never known NTL/VM ect to make a logical decision.
Hell,I have a mate that lives in Ards & has the cable tee outside his house,he can't get Sky (no line of sight) & has terrible terrestrial reception as he's sandwiched between a PSNI Barracks & Ambulance station!He'd love to get VM in!0 -
Sky have already started advertising a new channel,Sky Atlantic HD...
http://corporate.sky.com/media/press_releases/2010/sky_atlantic.htm01 October 2010
Sky Atlantic HD is new home of HBO & Mad Men
Sky Atlantic HD will exclusively house HBO's new slate as well as HBO Originals
Sky secure a life of series deal for exclusive rights to Mad Men from Season 5
Sky Atlantic to showcase more of the best entertainment content from the US and UK
Sky today announced plans to launch Sky Atlantic HD , a new entertainment channel, in early 2011. Sky Atlantic will provide an exclusive home to some of the most hotly anticipated shows in television to customers throughout the UK and Ireland.
Following Sky and HBO's multi-year output deal announced in July, Sky Atlantic HD will air all of HBO's new series exclusively in the UK and Ireland including the already critically acclaimed Boardwalk Empire . The Prohibition-era drama from acclaimed director and Oscar® winner Martin Scorsese and The Sopranos' Emmy® Award winning writer Terence Winter features an all-star cast including Steve Buscemi , Michael Pitt and Kelly Macdonald. Boardwalk Empire made its US debut on HBO on September 19, 2010 and a UK and Ireland premiere is scheduled for February 2011. The series has already been green lit for a second season after scoring HBO's best premiere audience for over six years.
Even tho the press release is dated Oct 2010,I've only just started to see adverts for it on Sky...0 -
Sky have already started advertising a new channel,Sky Atlantic HD...
http://corporate.sky.com/media/press_releases/2010/sky_atlantic.htm
Even tho the press release is dated Oct 2010,I've only just started to see adverts for it on Sky...
I am not sure any of those programs were ever shown on any of the channels that are about to close down.0 -
Sky have already started advertising a new channel,Sky Atlantic HD...
http://corporate.sky.com/media/press_releases/2010/sky_atlantic.htm
Even tho the press release is dated Oct 2010,I've only just started to see adverts for it on Sky...
great, just what we need, i was only saying to the mrs the other day that sky need to get some more channels, as there is not enough american drivel been shown at the moment:mad:Take every day as it comes!!0 -
Ah this explains it then.
I was annoyed and confused when Sky told us they had the new series' of Bones and Lie to Me "just days after the US" and then stopped showing them after episode 4:mad:.
The voice over at the end of Bones said it would be shown on "Sky Living" in the new year. I assumed this meant we were getting a new channel... reading this thread it seems like they are just rebranding Living.Grr.
Oh and has anyone had a letter saying that their Sky subs will be rising with the VAT in January? I ask because I haven't (and I don't get the mag so I don't get the letter that comes with) and while they didn't decrease it when the VAT decreased 2 years ago I don't believe they won't use this as an opportunity to put up prices.
It's only a game
~*~*~ We're only here to dream ~*~*~0
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