Virgin Media News

[Media Boy]

BSkyB gets extension to ITV appeal deadline

BSkyB has been given until the end of the month to appeal against the Competition Commission's recommendation that it reduces its controversial 17.9% stake in ITV to less than 7.5%.

Plus

David Elstein is expected to step down from the Virgin Media board after serving five years as a non-executive director.

Both storys from Broadcastnow.

I know this is old news but on December 18th 2007 Virgin Media announced that Charles Gallagher, a Director of Virgin Media, has resigned from its Board of Directors and will join the company's executive management team as Senior Vice President - Finance. George Zoffinger has succeeded Charles as Chairman of the Audit Committee. Edwin Banks has also joined the Audit Committee as an additional member.

In his new role, Charles will focus on providing senior finance support on the operational side, in particular at the division level, with a view to enhancing the effective implementation of Virgin Media's strategic priorities. He will take up his new position in January and report to Jacques Kerrest, Virgin Media's Chief Financial Officer, who has signed a new agreement extending his existing contract to December 31, 2008.

Info from Virgin Media.com

[tweetypie/8]

Originally Posted by TV Boy

1) Challange +1 is coming to the ex-Telewest viewers on Thursday and will have EPG Channel 153.

2) THE following channels will be appearing on NTL from Thursday:

Bravo2 on channel 139
( NTL Telewest moving this channel on the old Telewest Network soon. )

Trouble+1 on ch 141

UKTV History +1 on ch204

UKTV Food +1 on ch261

UKTV Documentary+1 on ch226

3) Bad News for Golf fans NTL Telewest are moving Setanta Golf to their new 'Setanta Sports Package' from this Thursday.

thanks again tv boy for the info !!

[grabbi]

So the end of the month, for Sky to appeal. No doubt they will win. Appeals usually get what they want.

Lord Huttons announcement is at the same time though, so that might sway it a little.

Still havent heard much on Virgin Media maybe getting a major share in ITV, though.

I think it would be a good addition to Virgin TV.

[Media Boy]

Virgin Media TV, the content arm of the UK cable company, has acquired Disney-ABC International TV reality series The Next Best Thing, plus documentaries from Dutch distributor Off the Fence.

Virgin will air celebrity look-a-like series The Next Big Thing (8x60') on its Living 2 channel, while over on Virgin 1 it will add two 60-minute docs from Off the Fence to its Extraordinary Humans strand, one about dwarfism and one about obesity.

Info from C21 Media.

[Media Boy]

Hedge fund SRM Global Master Fund has again raised its stake in cable giant Virgin Media to 9.1%, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
Info from Broadcast

[Media Boy]

Joe Pasquale and Suzanne Shaw have been lined up to present Virgin 1's BingoLotto show, which will be made by Spun Gold.

Info from Broadcast.

[grabbi]

JOE PASQUALE? The guy used to be funny coz of his voice, but he is so frikkin over now. lol

[Media Boy]

Gemstar sues Virgin Media over EPG patents

Gemstar-TV Guide has filed proceedings against Virgin Media in the High Court, alleging that the cable operator has infringed three of its European patents.

The company, which licenses electronic programme guide technologies to cable operators around the world, including in the US where they are more commonly known as interactive programme guides or IPGs, said today that Virgin had infringed patents pertaining to "techniques for providing certain IPGs and for handling recordings from IPGs".


Full story here: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/digitalt...g-patents.html

Info from Digital Spy.

[windy]

Originally Posted by TV Boy

Gemstar sues Virgin Media over EPG patents

Gemstar-TV Guide has filed proceedings against Virgin Media in the High Court, alleging that the cable operator has infringed three of its European patents.

The company, which licenses electronic programme guide technologies to cable operators around the world, including in the US where they are more commonly known as interactive programme guides or IPGs, said today that Virgin had infringed patents pertaining to "techniques for providing certain IPGs and for handling recordings from IPGs".


Full story here: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/digitalt...g-patents.html

Info from Digital Spy.

So what does this mean for us the "customer" ..is our epguide going to dissapear...or what.

[Ben B]

Originally Posted by windy

So what does this mean for us the "customer" ..is our epguide going to dissapear...or what.

Mine disappears every morning with "No Programme Information" need to reboot it every morning to fix it

[gadge]

Originally Posted by ben_b

Mine disappears every morning with "No Programme Information" need to reboot it every morning to fix it

lol

[Toto]

No, it will mean that VM will pay to make the law suit dissapear, because there is no way on earth they will pay for a new improved epg.

This puts a bit more meat on the bones on that law suit article.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01..._virgin_media/

[grabbi]

Virgin have spoke with their lawyers and so on, and they say the case is without merit and they arent backing down.

Basically, they accuse Gemstar of blatant opportunitism.

In other news, EasyJet has aquired a contract with ntl:/telewest Business (The Virgin Media Buisness arm) to supply their telecommunications.

The link is subscription, but Im sure something will crop up again soon.

[Media Boy]

Originally Posted by TV Boy

Gemstar sues Virgin Media over EPG patents

Gemstar-TV Guide has filed proceedings against Virgin Media in the High Court, alleging that the cable operator has infringed three of its European patents.

The company, which licenses electronic programme guide technologies to cable operators around the world, including in the US where they are more commonly known as interactive programme guides or IPGs, said today that Virgin had infringed patents pertaining to "techniques for providing certain IPGs and for handling recordings from IPGs".


Full story here: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/digitalt...g-patents.html

Info from Digital Spy.

I have just found that Gemstar-TV is 41% own by News Corporation. [The Sun and The Times ]

[hodgie99]

murrdoch trying to get more money from vm try and push em out of bussiness another way his what a t**t