Virgin Media News

[Media Boy]

Sky offers to concede ITV voting shares



Sky has proposed to put some of its voting shares into a trust in an attempt to mollify antitrust concerns raised by the Competition Commission.

More info here: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/broadcas...ng-shares.html

Info from Digital Spy

[Media Boy]

Virgin Media's 3Q Results will be givng out on November the 7th 2007.

[Media Boy]

Virgin dispute hits BSkyB profits

BSkyB boosted pay-TV customers over the past three months, but a continuing row with cable network provider Virgin Media dented profits.

Sky added 83,000 net new customers in the quarter with churn - a measure of subscriptions cancelled - falling to its lowest level in more than a year.

But the firm's pre-tax profit fell to £121m, down from £166m a year earlier.

Virgin's refusal to screen certain key Sky channels because of a row over transmission costs was partly to blame.
Virgin launched a High Court action against BSkyB in April, accusing the broadcaster of abusing its dominant position in the pay-TV market.

According to an agreed timetable, the case is unlikely to be heard before next summer.

The firm estimated that its operating profit would be hurt by about £15m for each full quarter that the channels, including Sky One, Sky News and Sky Sports News, remained unavailable to Virgin Media's 3.3 million subscribers.

"We expect that performance for the full year will be in line with our plans," said James Murdoch, BSkyB chief executive.

But Richard Hunter, equity strategist at Hargreaves Lansdown, said the run on Sky's shares "centred around some slight disappointment on the profit numbers".

This, he noted, came on top of continuing uncertainty surrounding the firm's contentious 17.9% stake in rival broadcaster ITV and the distraction of the Virgin Media lawsuit.

Full story here http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7074431.stm

Info from BBC News online.

[Media Boy]

Virgin Media back on track after exodus of customers slows down


Virgin Media, the struggling cable group, will claim that its turnaround is on track when it unveils a slowdown in the exodus of customers to rivals.

The pay-TV and broadband group, whose hoped-for sale collapsed amid the global credit crunch, is expected to reveal a decline of about 31,000 customers in the third quarter, compared to a loss of 70,000 in the previous one.

It will also stress to investors that a sale of the business will now not happen until next year at the earliest.

Virgin, formed last year from the merger of the former NTL/Telewest cable groups and Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Mobile, had hoped to shake up the home communications market by becoming the first “quadruple play” provider of pay-TV, broadband, fixed-line telephone and mobile services.


The company has also become embroiled in a messy legal spat with BSkyB, the satellite broadcaster which is 39.1 per cent owned by News Corporation, parent company of The Times.




At the results, on Wednesday, Neil Berkett, the group’s former chief operating officer and acting head, is expected to confirm a pledge to return the group to overall customer growth in the second half of this year.

Analysts at Citigroup are forecasting a decline of around 31,000 in the group’s customer base in the third quarter, followed by growth of around 45,000 customers in the fourth quarter. Residential telecoms customers, it says, are likely to decline by around 44,000 this quarter.

Instead of fighting for premium pay-TV customers, the group will unveil plans to focus on the cable operator’s broadband service as its core product for luring in customers.
Broadband is expected to be the strongest performing service in this quarter, with around 60,000 new customers.

Full story: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/to...cle2806510.ece

Info from Times online.

[grabbi]

Good to hear...

One thing Ive noticed, is that the Times HAVE to pont out that Sky is owned by News Corp. "parent company of the times" like the readers of the Times should have Sky!

Weird.

---------- Post added at 22:51 ---------- Previous post was at 22:43 ----------

Dunno if its really relevant, but when the Premier League rights come up for Buying again, Virgin, Setanta, BBC, ITV, BT could all have competition for On Demand rights... FROM MICROSOFT.

The 360 is doing On Demand programs, currently ESPN have signed a deal to supply some.

The other thing is, when the rights come up, a NEW Xbox could be out, so its very early stages.

[grabbi]

Sky, Virgin upset ASA again

Sky and Virgin Media have both found themselves in yet more hot water with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) after both were found to be running adverts that broke its code of conduct.

Complaints about a Sky advert questioning the speed of cable broadband, brought by two members of the public and Virgin Media, were upheld with Sky warned not to run the ad again.



Virgin found itself having its wrists slapped for an advert that contrasted its V+ digital receiver with the Sky+ service for making unfair comparisons. Unsurprisingly, it was Sky that complained to the ASA about the ad.

http://www.webuser.co.uk/news/news.php?id=154041

This has actually answered the question WHY Virgin arent pushing the PVR and comparing it to Sky+; Because they arent allowed!

So, because Sky+ doesnt offer HD, then its uncomparable to the V+. Although, Skys SkyHD has PVR Functions so Virgin should be comparing the V+ against that, which is the most expensive offering Sky have between SkyHD and Sky+, thus, it makes the V+ look expensive in itself!

One way or the other, Virgin cant win, although if Sky are questioning the speeds Cable can offer, then they are in for a rude awakening...

[Media Boy]

ITV has urged the Competition Commission to force the total divestment of Sky's 17.9% stake in the broadcaster.

ITV said: "In particular, neither behavioural remedies nor a divestment to 9.9% would satisfactorily address the heads of material influence identified by the Competition Commission. ITV is also concerned that a reduction in BSkyB’s stake to 4.9% would not address all of the heads of material influence. However, if the Competition Commission were minded to propose a partial divestment, a reduction to 4.9% (accompanied by a prohibition on seeking or accepting board representation) would at least begin to address ITV’s concerns and would have a sounder analytical base than a reduction to 9.9%."

Story in full http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/broadcas...kys-stake.html

Story from Digital Spy.

[gadge]

Originally Posted by TV Boy

Story from Digital Spy.

Seems itv have some sense.

[grabbi]

Seems ITV dont want the Sky Influence to start with.

Sky are still losing money on this, also...

[lostandconfused]

I think cable has had the worst from the loss of the sky basic channels.

The people that really wanted those channels have left, and the results have been published, so it doesnt really matter how long the dispute goes on for as they are not going to lose much more.

In comparison, sky are losing out on a monthly basis due to advertising revenues, comboined with the likely loss from the ITV bid.

I think from the beginning sky has held the major bargaining power, should they chose they could cut the cost of the channel just to get the dispute to an end. Because of this i think it would make good business sense for sky to reduce the cost to get their channels on the cable platform and increase their advertising revenues.

The longer it goes on the more it will benefit cable.

[grabbi]

Originally Posted by lostandconfused

I think cable has had the worst from the loss of the sky basic channels.

The people that really wanted those channels have left, and the results have been published, so it doesnt really matter how long the dispute goes on for as they are not going to lose much more.

In comparison, sky are losing out on a monthly basis due to advertising revenues, comboined with the likely loss from the ITV bid.

I think from the beginning sky has held the major bargaining power, should they chose they could cut the cost of the channel just to get the dispute to an end. Because of this i think it would make good business sense for sky to reduce the cost to get their channels on the cable platform and increase their advertising revenues.

The longer it goes on the more it will benefit cable.

Agreed. People leaving now cant really use the Sky One excuse anymore...

They had their chance, and it went at the end of March (or was it April) so thats the end of it, as far as I am concerned. And as Ive said elsewhere, it goes to show, these channels arent needed for Cable to increase custom.

[Media Boy]

Today I saw an Virgin Media CAR.

---------- Post added at 17:27 ---------- Previous post was at 17:24 ----------

The Competition Commission will advise the government that Sky should reduce its stake in ITV, a report has indicated.

According to the Financial Times, the commission will advise business and enterprise secretary John Hutton that Sky should reduce its 17.9% stake in ITV to between 5 and 10%. Sky acquired the stake in November 2006 at 135p per share; at lunchtime today, shares in ITV were trading at 85p. It is understood that the commission would want Sky to reduce its stake within 6 months of the ruling, which is expected this week.

Sky has offered to place 3% of its shares in a voting trust; ITV, however, has urged a total divestment of the stake.

Info from Digital Spy.

[Media Boy]

Virgin Mobile and Samsung will be sponsoring the big bro spin off.

Virgin have said that the sponsorship of big bro 8 made the brand instantly recognisable and research shows that it had a positive affect on Virgin Media/Mobile.

Celebrity Hijack is due to air from 3 - 28 January 2008.

Info from DS Forum.

[grabbi]

Big Brother needs to die.... (the show, I mean! )

[grabbi]

Just thought Id bump this up.

I know Virgin havent been in the news, but this thread is well needed.