General : Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2013) Vol. 4.

[denphone]

Originally Posted by XxDanoxX

Just heard from the CEO office - they hope to have something in place by the end of August - they are working hard to bring BT Sports to VM.

My feedback was :
Communication is all wrong - just look at the facebook, you're not controlling expectation in the slightest, your front line staff must be fed up to the back teeth with it.

Sky Atlantic (Confirmed as not in discussions) - I said I value this channel more than BT sports but being on XL if you do not beef up the offering, I will reduce my spending with VM and aquire the content I want from elsewhere - this is is 100% a failing laid squarely at VM's door. Get your customers what they want or they will take their money and spend it elsewhere.

They have had months to sort BT Sports out but it seems we are no nearer to getting then we were a few months ago and although l have no intention of moving there are many others who might just say that's it and l am off to somewhere where l can get these missing channels and one cannot blame them at all because after a while the same old excuses wear very thin.

---------- Post added at 10:27 ---------- Previous post was at 10:24 ----------

Originally Posted by XxDanoxX

If they're not up to the job, they need to get out of the market. I've explained I am likely to scale down what I pay VM if they don't get to grips with content demands - Tivo is all about content, they're not doing justice to their own platform!

Indeed they have had two years to add many must have apps to the TiVo experience and here we are still waiting two years down the road with less apps then we had a year ago.

[Dave42]

Originally Posted by denphone

They have had months to sort BT Sports out but it seems we are no nearer to getting then we were a few months ago and although l have no intention of moving there are many others who might just say that's it and l am off to somewhere where l can get these missing channels and one cannot blame them at all because after a while the same old excuses wear very thin.

---------- Post added at 10:27 ---------- Previous post was at 10:24 ----------



Indeed they have had two years to add many must have apps to the TiVo experience and here we are still waiting two years down the road with less apps then we had a year ago.

Den it looking more and more like BT want to withhold BT sports nothing we can do about it sadly but cant blame VM for BT wanting to withhold it can you but yes we can point out the things VM is at fault for as we will contintue to do so

[clinteastman]

Originally Posted by denphone

Liberty chief sets out Virgin growth plans.

http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/b...059033.article

Anyone care to post that article here?

[XxDanoxX]

Originally Posted by Dave42

Den it looking more and more like BT want to withhold BT sports nothing we can do about it sadly but cant blame VM for BT wanting to withhold it can you but yes we can point out the things VM is at fault for as we will contintue to do so

Did I miss something somewhere - why do you keep saying BT are withholding BT Sport?
http://www.sky.com/shop/livesport/bestprice/

[Dave42]

Originally Posted by XxDanoxX

Did I miss something somewhere - why do you keep saying BT are withholding BT Sport?
http://www.sky.com/shop/livesport/bestprice/

they only on sky because sky customers pay directly to BT they refusing to wholesale it so it less likely VM will get it and they totally refused to wholesale it to sky too

[denphone]

Originally Posted by clinteastman

Anyone care to post that article here?

Press the link on here and it should show more of the article.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en...ac.jNc2cWiX8qY

[PISCES]

hehehe

[Dave42]

Liberty chief John Malone sets out Virgin growth plans

8 August, 2013 | By Peter White




Liberty Global founder John Malone has addressed rank-and file Virgin Media employees and Chellomedia content staff at a town hall meeting in London.


Malone, who rarely travels by plane, made a trip from the US to rally staff at the meeting and cement plans to grow the cable business over the next few years.

During an open question-and-answer session at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Malone talked about his history in the UK – he was previously a shareholder in Telewest – and how the market has changed over the past 10 years.

Malone also talked through growth opportunities, particularly around innovations for Virgin Media’s television service and quad-play offer.

Liberty Global acquired Virgin Media in February for £10.2bn and Malone reiterated that the deal was designed to quickly add significant scale in Europe’s largest and most dynamic media market.

The buyout means that Liberty Global has more than 25 million customers in 14 countries.

Malone hired former BSkyB executive Tom Mockeridge as chief executive in May, after former chief exec Neil Berkett decided to step down following the sale.

In addition to Mockeridge’s appointment, there have been a number of changes to the Virgin Media management in the past few months, including the departure of Cindy Rose, executive director of digital entertainment, and the promotion of long-term Liberty Global European programming executive Stephane David to VM executive director of content.

This week, Liberty Global restructured the management of its Central and Eastern European division to drive further international co-operation following the Virgin Media deal.

The meeting was attended by more than 200 employees of Virgin Media, Liberty Global and its content arm Chellomedia, which operates dozens of channels worldwide and was recently put up for sale.


there you go Clint

[clinteastman]

Originally Posted by denphone

Press the link on here and it should show more of the article.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en...ac.jNc2cWiX8qY

Thanks Den and Dave.

That all sounds very promissing. Didn't know Cindy Rose has left/sacked. Wunder if she took the hundreds of TiVo apps with her!

[Dave42]

Originally Posted by clinteastman

Thanks Den and Dave.

That all sounds very promissing. Didn't know Cindy Rose has left/sacked. Wunder if she took the hundreds of TiVo apps with her!

she went very quiet after that one

Originally Posted by clinteastman

Thanks Den and Dave.

That all sounds very promissing. Didn't know Cindy Rose has left/sacked. Wunder if she took the hundreds of TiVo apps with her!

Cindy gone, shame I don't think she done that bad of a job, how many HD channels do we have again compared to BT!

[harry_hitch]

Originally Posted by Dave42

Liberty chief John Malone sets out Virgin growth plans

8 August, 2013 | By Peter White




Liberty Global founder John Malone has addressed rank-and file Virgin Media employees and Chellomedia content staff at a town hall meeting in London.


Malone, who rarely travels by plane, made a trip from the US to rally staff at the meeting and cement plans to grow the cable business over the next few years.

During an open question-and-answer session at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Malone talked about his history in the UK – he was previously a shareholder in Telewest – and how the market has changed over the past 10 years.

Malone also talked through growth opportunities, particularly around innovations for Virgin Media’s television service and quad-play offer.

Liberty Global acquired Virgin Media in February for £10.2bn and Malone reiterated that the deal was designed to quickly add significant scale in Europe’s largest and most dynamic media market.

The buyout means that Liberty Global has more than 25 million customers in 14 countries.

Malone hired former BSkyB executive Tom Mockeridge as chief executive in May, after former chief exec Neil Berkett decided to step down following the sale.

In addition to Mockeridge’s appointment, there have been a number of changes to the Virgin Media management in the past few months, including the departure of Cindy Rose, executive director of digital entertainment, and the promotion of long-term Liberty Global European programming executive Stephane David to VM executive director of content.

This week, Liberty Global restructured the management of its Central and Eastern European division to drive further international co-operation following the Virgin Media deal.

The meeting was attended by more than 200 employees of Virgin Media, Liberty Global and its content arm Chellomedia, which operates dozens of channels worldwide and was recently put up for sale.


there you go Clint

I do not feel too optimistic about this. As much I try and stay positive this does not inspire me greatly. Just exactly what can the new "innovations" be? A new STB? (if it is better than TIVO, great, but I don't want to lose TIVO just for 6 tuners and more space.) new mobile phones? more app's? faster BB?
Whilst I am pretty happy with the content we receive (a couple of extra HD variants would not go amiss Nat Geo Wild HD and possibly History and Universal HD), I know many others are not. No mention was made of content (not that there is too much left to get), or improved communication for that matter, just growth through "innovation".
The only positive I take (and will continue to take) from this is the fact some of the liberty global team are joining VM. This coupled with possible money from the sale of Chellomedia, could mean that Liberty Global can possibly give VM the help and financial support and business nous it needs to finally reach it's potential on the TV/app side of the business, which is where the best chance of growth lies, surely?

With regards to communication, it would not take much to improve in the short term. Whilst we know there is nothing happening with SA/BT Sports, it only takes a post a day on Twitter and Facebook to say "no news on BT Sport today, sorry" to pacify many, many customers.

---------- Post added at 12:01 ---------- Previous post was at 11:57 ----------

Originally Posted by mhatter67

Cindy gone, shame I don't think she done that bad of a job, how many HD channels do we have again compared to BT!

True, but the app statement did turn out to be a shocker of a statement. I am sure she believed it would happen when she said it, but alas, something went wrong that she simply could not rectify.

[OLD BOY]

Originally Posted by JustaBloke

You have been asked over and over again today to provide evidence. Mine is the TV adverts, the VM magazine, BT's stated purpose of BT Sport and the fact that it's just not here after it's launch date. Pretty damned convincing I'd say.

Your (and others) ability to invent hope where there is none is fascinating to me.

Really? I am relying on press reports and what for example Broadcast Now are reporting, which I think are far more reliable than opinions expressed on here about insiders and 'I was just speaking to customer services today....'.

The examples you give above just reflect the current situation and the fact that negotiations are not completed. You're putting 2 and 2 together and making 22.

Mark my words. It's coming.

---------- Post added at 12:21 ---------- Previous post was at 12:17 ----------

Originally Posted by ocav

you linked to a Daily Mail article from 2010. The BBC are launching both channels in HD, so I doubt they have plans to scrap them.

I know, the point I was making was that the BBC had been considering scrapping BBC 4. The current position on that is just that their budget has been reduced and they are not producing any more BBC 4 dramas.

[Chad]

Originally Posted by geordiechris

I see Sky have trademarked the name Sky Bravo and haven't ruled out a relaunch of the old Bravo channel. If VM do manage to get SA does anyone think that Sky will then launch Sky Bravo and have that as its new exclusive channel?

http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/b...contentID=2319

I posted on the 1st July 2013:

"I think SKY will make SKY Atlantic available to Virgin in the very near future. However I believe there will be a sting in the tail. I can't confirm how I know but there is a very good chance that prior to the end of 2013 SKY will be launching a brand new entertainment channel exclusive to the SKY platform.

I know that without a source this just looks like me, as a SKY customer trying, to wind people up. If people don't believe me that's understandable."

SKY Bravo is the channel I was talking about! At the time however the name had not been decided but SKY Bravo was the front runner. I would however suggest that, to the best of my knowledge, it's not going to simply be the rebirth of Bravo. The programming will be of a better quality than the original Bravo.

[OLD BOY]

Originally Posted by Chad

The programming will be of a better quality than the original Bravo.

It would have to be if it was to be Sky's new unique selling point!