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Sky Sports Prices on TUTV ...
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Top Up TV to offer Sky Sports channels
By Ben Fenton, Chief Media Correspondent
Published: July 21 2010 09:06 | Last updated: July 21 2010 09:11
The battle for premium sports viewers warmed up again on Wednesday when Top Up TV, the only pay-TV service on the Freeview platform, announced it would be offering Sky Sports 1 and 2 to subscribers from August 2.
The company said its offer would start at £22.99 a month for one of the channels and £31.99 for both, with a full package of the two Sky channels and ESPN – which would provide all Premier League live matches – for £39.99
It throws the small subscription service into direct competition with British Sky Broadcasting, Virgin Media and BT Vision, all of which will have similar offers although differently priced.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4caebf10-949c-11df-b90e-00144feab49a.html
By Ben Fenton, Chief Media Correspondent
Published: July 21 2010 09:06 | Last updated: July 21 2010 09:11
The battle for premium sports viewers warmed up again on Wednesday when Top Up TV, the only pay-TV service on the Freeview platform, announced it would be offering Sky Sports 1 and 2 to subscribers from August 2.
The company said its offer would start at £22.99 a month for one of the channels and £31.99 for both, with a full package of the two Sky channels and ESPN – which would provide all Premier League live matches – for £39.99
It throws the small subscription service into direct competition with British Sky Broadcasting, Virgin Media and BT Vision, all of which will have similar offers although differently priced.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4caebf10-949c-11df-b90e-00144feab49a.html
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I think the next fight on DTT will occur if BT starts to increase Sky's churn rate.
Such a shame as I was really keen to sign up to this...
I will probably take ESPN on DTT.
Reminds me of the feeling I had the last time I bought popcorn in a cinema. :eek:
Just had a look at Sky and I can get Sky+, SS1/2/3/4, ESPN, and Ent pack for £45.
Looking at BT, you can get SS1/2/ESPN and Phone, Broadband, Vision Box(£60) for £40.
I cant help but think that TopUp have had their hands tied with this deal. They had to offer it as they'd look stupid, but they dont have the cash to compete, or they've had to pay for a large chunk of the broadcast costs.
SKY SPORTS 1 and SKY SPORTS 2 TO FREEVIEW
Launching Monday 2nd August 2010
No contract ~ No bundles ~ Lowest stand-alone price
London, Wednesday 21 July 2010: Top Up TV has today announced that it will bring Sky Sports 1 & Sky Sports 2 to over 10 million Freeview homes in the UK when it launches its new sports packs on Monday 2 August 2010. Sky Sports 1 & 2 will join ESPN on Top Up TV, giving subscribers live access to 2010/11 Barclays Premier League games and Champions League matches previously only available on satellite and cable, plus a vast array of other sports.
The deal will also see Top Up TV become the only UK provider to offer sports fans access to Sky Sports 1 & 2 with no contract and no requirement to buy bundled packages of channels or services, such as phone and broadband.
Top Up TV will offer subscribers the lowest stand-alone price for sport in the UK, with Sky Sports 1 available for just £22.99 a month, Sky Sports 1 & 2 for £31.99 a month and the whole pack, Sky Sports 1 & 2 and ESPN, for just £39.99 a month. Top Up TV will also offer Sky Sports 1 & 2 free for the first month with no obligation to a contract if you subscribe before 6th September 2010.
Top Up TV CEO, Nick Markham, said: “Top Up TV is the easy place to get Sky Sports 1, Sky Sports 2 and ESPN in the UK. With no 12 month contract, the lowest stand-alone price and no need to buy bundled packages, Top Up TV puts fans in control – you can choose the best sport on your own terms.”
Top Up TV is the only Sports, Entertainment and Movies subscription TV service in the UK on the digital terrestrial platform, Freeview. Launched in 2004, Top Up TV offers premium sport, films and great TV content. It currently offers subscribers access to a wide range of international and domestic TV and movies from global brands, including Warner Brothers, Disney, Universal and BBC Worldwide, plus sport from ESPN.
Most existing subscribers will be able to get Sky Sports 1 & 2 on Freeview using their existing Top Up TV Set Top Box and Digital TV Recorder. If subscribers need an equipment upgrade Top Up TV will have very special offers on hardware available. To find out how to subscribe to Sky Sports 1 & 2 call 08444 158 158.
I can actually buy tickets to six gigs at that price.
Wholesale prices are Pre September are:
Sky Sports 1 or 2 £10.63
Sky Sports 1 & 2 £17.14
After September:
Sky Sports 1 or 2 £13.42
Sky Sports 1 & 2 £19.07
Remember the prices are still in dispute and BT and Topup TV have to pay extra money into an escrow account till the case is resolved in court.
Sky Sports DSAT subscribers also get Sky Sports 3 & 4 plus Sky Sports News (which is about to be taken off DTT)
Sky is increasing the retail price of its sports channels from £35 to £38 in September. For customers who want just Sky Sports 1 or Sky Sports 2, the cost will rise from £26 to £29.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10472058
and it's not even HD !
You can see what the wholesale prices are, when you bolt on the costs for carriage (which TUTV will be paying indirectly through BT at whatever price BT wants), TUTV are likely not making very much per subscriber at all!
I guess FM's were hoping for around £25 for both SS1 & SS2 which depending the outcome of the court case may give them a £5.93 profit. But like you said there are other costs to be taken into account.
I cant stand either Sky or BT, but there deals look better.
My plan was to subcribe to ESPN for the rugby, and if the price was right maybe SS1/2 also, but not at those prices.
Indeed it is, JSB1980, but it should be remembered that the supposed "£6.99" offer for Sky Sports 1 from BT Vision is a bit of a con because the customer is locked into a two year contract, has to get BT Vision, has to buy a BT Vision box so the real cost of getting these two channels from BT will be well over £40 a month so that's not exactly a cheap deal either. Top Up TV now looks the better deal in comparison, doesn't it?
The relatively high prices for the sports channels for both Top Up TV and BT Vision will limit their appeal and they might perhaps put on a quarter of a million subscribers each but we'll have to wait and see on that one. Sky Sports 1 and 2 sure aren't going to be the geese laying the golden eggs for these two pay television operators with prices like that.
Score: Sky 2, TUTV/BT Vision 1
Are these definately 24 hours slots by the way?
Now £22.99 for Sky Sports 1 is far too expensive. At the moment it's around £9 or £10 for one channel. The entry pack is £18 so that's about £28 and you get more channels. £40 for all the Sport is not actually cheaper than going to any other platform. You would get your Freeview channels plus £40 for these with no red button, no HD, no SS3, 4 or Eurosport.
So given that I'd say if you can get a dish or get cable go down that route. Even look at Sky Player as that's just extremely high pitched pricing. I can understand why it's so high as Sky are upping prices so what may have been £18 or £19 for SS1 is now over £20 and £28 or £29 is over £30.
I don't think many TopUp TV fans are too impressed with the prices! I'm sure some will but cant see them going in great numbers. I suspect BT will do well at TopUp TVs expense even if theres strings attached to the BT deal.
Mine was similar: I want ESPN for the UFC, and would've taken Sky Sports if at a reasonable price for the wrestling and a bit of football.
Now I'm not sure I'll bother with SS, I might just go with ESPN.
But last time Sky Sports were on DTT they were competing with another platform just offering SD and 100 channels.
Now with other platforms you get more red button, HD, VOD, 3D, more dedicated sports channels. Plus you're on a platform which only offers free channels so no Sky One, Living TV and so on.
This is a very high price for a very limited service. All be it you get alot of live Football but in terms of other services you get little for your money.
I think many will subscribe but not in the numbers people may have hoped for.
As I say Sky's new wholeselling prices have put modest prices upto a bit high. I don't think TUTV is making a loss on it but BT may as they will have to relay on people signing long term contracts.
The big perk of this deal is no 12 month contract which is worth alot in it's own. You can add say SS1 for three months for the cricket and cancel. Not possible on Sky?
I'm on a Sky Sports 1 pack with Sky. From the start of September it will will increase by £4 a month for one pack plus Sky Sports 1. It will be £31. Far too much, in my opinion.
£22.99 may be tempting to some people in comparison. I will opt for ESPN on DTT.