Virgin Media viewers up in arms over losing 10 UKTV Channels

[AndyOrch]

Virgin Media’s 4 million subscribers are set to lose 10 UKTV Channels from Sunday 22nd July. This includes Dave, Gold, Drama and W and popular shows such as Taskmaster, Red Dwarf XII and reruns of classics like Only Fools and Horses.

 

Virgin Media customers are venting their frustrations over the loss of UKTV via Twitter, with some threatening to switch to rival television packages Sky or BT:

 

David Bouchier, Virgin Media’s chief digital entertainment officer said:

 

“The problem is the BBC does not grant the UKTV digital rights with its TV shows which leaves it somewhat stranded as a linear dinosaur in an on-demand modern world.”

 

“Part of a commitment to audiences has to be allowing them to watch what they want, when they want and that also means being able to watch those programes on demand. From US studios to small program-makers, that is how it is done. The BBC puts UKTV in a very difficult position and we have been unable to come to terms and will replace the channels.”

 

https://uk.yahoo.com/movies/virgin-media-viewers-arms-losing-10-uk-tv-channels-132054866.html

 

 

Discuss ?

[DragonFly1967]

VM up to their old tricks again then I see.

 

They obviously don't learn, they lost quite a few thousand subscribers when they lost access to $ky channels in 2007 over them (VM) refusing to pay what $ky was asking for access. Now they're playing the same game with the BBC & Discovery Inc, Muppets.

[unclebulgaria67]

VM up to their old tricks again then I see.

 

They obviously don't learn, they lost quite a few thousand subscribers when they lost access to $ky channels in 2007 over them (VM) refusing to pay what $ky was asking for access. Now they're playing the same game with the BBC & Discovery Inc, Muppets.

 

I have VM basic TV, internet and phone package. I used to have their max package with all channels including sports, but gave up as it was a luxury, when they were hardly watched.

 

Most of the cable channels just show repeated programmes and not much else. I find Youtube, Netflix more interesting these days.

[DragonFly1967]

I don't have any Live TV in the house now UB and I don't miss it at all, and what's better, no TV Licence either

 

Youtube and Amazon Prime (as well as what I've already got on my media server) are more than enough for me and I save over £50 a year on my TV licence despite paying for Amazon. I spend maybe 2 hours a day (if that (unless i'm watching a film)) in the same room as the main TV, although I do have other TV's that I use as PC and games console monitors (which work out cheaper than 'proper' monitors (no idea why)).

[sgtbush]

Vm charge for the service so why should they demand those channels for free but then they charge you to watch them??

If you could watch free to air channels without a vm subscription then I would understand their arguments but they don't.

[DragonFly1967]

That's not quite how it works sgtbush.

 

The UKTV channels (10 of them (and their +1's)) are not all Free To Air (FTA). So VM will be paying a negotiated rate for access to the non FTA channels but bundled with the rights to re-broadcast the FTA channels as well.

 

Dave for example is a FTA channel that anyone can watch on $ky, Freeview, Freesat, TalkTalk TV, BT TV and up until today, VM. And whilst UKTV might make that channel available for free, it's bundled with others (with the exception of Freeview and Freesat which only carry the FTA channels) that are not. So if you lose the rights to the UKTV channels that you're "buying in" you'll also lose the rights to air the UKTV FTA channels.

 

So without VM paying UKTV for access to channels like Gold, they won't have the rights to show Dave.

 

So, VM customers (from today) have lost access to.. Alibi & +1, Dave & +1, Drama, Eden & +1, Gold & +1, Good Food & +1, Home & +1, Really, W & +1 and Yesterday. Plus any access that they had to UKTV Play via the VM STB (if they had that anyway). Even though some of them are FTA and available via an aerial for example.

[AndyOrch]

Excellent explanation Dragonfly....and in effect they have replaced those 10 channels with other FTV channels (except for PremierSport and few others I have never heard of ) and added a few HD versions to make the numbers back up so to retain the channel volumes per bundle.

 

Although they state they have added Sky $ports mix...this has always been available to Full house bundle and therefore not an extra.

 

Now we wait the next round of price increases

[tired mommy x]

I have been with Virgin since December last year and wasn't happy before these channel cuts. I watch these. Do I have a right to get out of the contract? Is a 10 channel loss enough to opt out as a change of contract? Didn't know about it until we went on one of the channels and it informed us it was going.

 

Sorry if this question is in the wrong thread x

[DragonFly1967]

You'd need to check with VM, but I don't see why you couldn't cancel without penalty. It's a significant change to what you signed up for after all.

 

VM are widely reported (in the general press) to be considering penalty free cancellation on a case-by-case basis. So all you can do is get in touch with them and ask

[AndyOrch]

I see all the UK channels are back...life wasn't the same without repeats of " Only Fools and Horses "