Virgin may change it's name..
Seems like they are being screwed by Sky.Watching Stargate SG1 and BattleStar Galactica last night. If you remember two of the three shows I watch a week. During the adverts which I don't really pay attention to I noticed that Sky were sending out messages saying that Virgin have put up their prices and yet were considering a move that would stop the showing of Sky One. Sky One, of course, being the channel that covers my three shows. So we were being told to register with Virgin to put them under pressure or alternatively move to Sky. Seems like Sky must be renegotiating their prices and Virgin are baulking. Must be a doozy. Of course it if Virgin gave in it would mean going around everyone and changing their prices again or absorbing the extra cost themselves and impacting profit.
Who will blink first? Both will lose out from this I would have thought but Sky must have an advantage because Sky One is such a popular programme.
Mmmm. On the plus side this could mean that I may end up on BT broadband after all and get a fixed IP which NTL have always refused to do. Although I have not checked with Virgin yet. I think I'll wait and see what happens with the Sky channels.
posted by Bag @ 10:12 am
5 Comments:
Sky are saying Virgin are putting up their prices? At the weekend I saw some full page ads by Virgin accusing Sky of being the one raising prices!
I can't help but think that's it on a par with Tesco negotiating with Sainsburys to sell Tesco branded goods in Sainsburys!?!
If people want Sky One, why not simply move to Sky!?! NTL customer service is notoriously poor anyway!
When Virgin took over NTL, where I was a customer, it consolidated all the disparate pricing bundles and came out with a set of standard packages. Most of them went up and most of those by a significant amount. I would envisage that perhaps Virgin or Telewest customers may have different experiences. So it may not have in other cases. I understand that process is now complete.
In a totally unrelated piece Sky is renegotiating it's content provision with third party providers and want to raise the prices for the Sky packages. Sky One is just in the mix but as the only programme I watch I have more of an interest in that one.
So if Sky getsmore dosh the prices will go up again for all the packages with Sky content.
This Virgin/Sky discussion has been ongoing for a few days now, I am behind the curve on writing on it, but it wasn't till I wathed the adverts in every adverts slot through the shows that I realised how much pressure Sky was puting on Virgin and I really wanted to just use the headline.
Although I can not envisage Virgin will drop Sky content as it will lose customers, I will be one, it is an option being used at the negotiating table. Sky is trying to negate that with customer pressure.
Who will blink first will be important in setting the price increase level.
Snafu, You put your comment in as I was typing the previous.
I think it is slightly different. I could go to either of these stores and buy a branded product or a third party product. I cannot do that with Virgin. If they cannot provide Sky One I have no alternative but to find a provider who can. Unlikely or get a Sky dish put on my house with all the associated hassle.
Virgin will pay up for Sky One but how much?
NTL customer service poor. What an understatement. The bit I hate is 'reset the box and call back if that doesn't fix it' 'Click' Bzzzzz.
Go with Virgin - their more ethical.
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