Apparently .... The owners of a well known "tech" forum sent a "Request to Comment" email out to their mods telling them that an established "UK forum" had sent an unsolicited email informing them that they are closing its doors. No names were mentioned (in the post I saw) but it all points to DS.

What was being offered was ridiculous cheap "advertising" by having the "tech forum" mentioned in a banner when people visited the site. The "tech forum" was offered the choice to have its name mentioned either alone (at a higher cost), or with other none tech forums.

I have dates.
The advert would have been shown in "two weeks" (although I don't know when the email was sent!). I guess this would tie in with a closure announcement.

The forum would close on 1st Jan (this does not ring true! businesses close as soon as they know they wont make money, they don't wait for a nice round time).

The "advert" would be live for one year while the site is mothballed.

Reading between the lines it seems that DS offered to sell the site (but not its name) two months ago. The owners of avforums rejected it

Not that I'm calling your integrity into question or anything but I don't suppose you have any proof of any description to substantiate that, do you?

Well that's as clear as mud.

Nothing lasts forever as they say.

I know what you mean! Beside being a "UK" site, the "forum interests" were a straight (in order) list of DS sub forums. Possibly another site that is currently copying DS sub forum to sub forum, but its unlikely.

I beg your pardon, what?

Perhaps a quick screenie would explain better?

on the last day everyone is gonna go postal and say what they want to other members without the consequences

With a dance off?

I have a list.

I hope I get sufficient notice - I may need an hour or two

Just like Ch4.

The last night of Ch4 forums was hilarious madness.

At least mintbro will have one less password to worry about.

On a serious note, I posted on another thread that if I were running DS, I would pull the plug without notice. This isn't only on moral grounds, but to prevent a final day of thousands of people posting thousands of angry, offensive and libellous messages (well you gotta avva laff, incha) not caring about bans or consequences. Like the last day of school.

it'll be a full day job for me

Ditto

Bless him

I generate 12 character big bastards in Norton Password Generator then let Last Pass remember them all

You are Keiō Line and I claim my £5.

So where did it all go wrong?

I guess this thread will not be around long.

Why would they close down the forums and where will we all go?

Maybe we can carry on from where we left off with our lives before we found this forum my son should be about 10 now, it would be nice to see him

Despite reading the original post several times I'm still not sure what the OP is blathering on about.

I assume it's another Has DS stop? type post.

I'll probably miss it, I always miss all the fun and scandal on here

1. Digital Spy is a business and it's evidentially not making enough money to justify its costs and make a proportional profit.
2. Our separate ways. Other forums, Twitter, Facebook survivors' groups, Usenet, Daily Mail comments, etc.

When the dotmusic forums closed down years ago I think we had like 24 hours notice or thereabouts. It was very quick either way.

Seems perfectly clear to me. The unsubstantiated speculation is that Digital Spy have told the AV forums that they're closing at the end of the year, and have offered the AV forums a discounted ad banner at the top of the Digital Spy pages advertising their forums instead. This would potentially cause loads of DS orphans to migrate to the AV forums.

But the AV forums have declined the offer. Probably because their mods don't want thousands of extra Digital Spy style threads and their participating lunatics to moderate 24/7, and most Digital Spy users probably won't even see the ad banner they're paying for because they're all running ad blockers!

It's a bit like when you're down your own pub and some ugly looking smelly man walks in and starts offering you cheap meat, puppies, jewellery or DVDs (all from the same bag!). You decline politely, then firmly, then the landlord throws him out.

Anyone around from the days that the BBC forums got extirpated?

AVForums is a large forum similar to Digital Spy but with more of focus on Entertainment technology.

The poster is suggesting that the owners of AVforums were approached by the owners of Digitalspy who said the the forum was closing down in Janurary and as such AVForums might benefit from some targeted advertising to draw users over to the AVForums website.