I think it would make quite a lot of sense for Virgin Media buy Homechoice / Tiscali TV.
I hope Virgin Media consider this when developing their x-net strategy. Homechoice/Tiscali TV would benefit from becoming part of the Virgin brand, and allow Virgin to offer TV service in areas that it currently does not reach.
Alternatively, maybe it would be more cost effective to just develop virgin.net and eventually offer IPTV.

I don't really see the point. Companies buy up other companies for various reasons:

* Brand - ntl have already spent lots on the Virgin name, and would probably scrap the Tiscali brand if they bought it.
* Technology - They could probably get a better system cheaper by going to the technology companies (Samsung, Seachange, whoever) directly.
* Customer base - Not that large from what I know, and yet another billing system to integrate!
* Staff - no idea on that one, but they've gone through at least one takeover recently, so have probably lost their strongest staff in that.

You may be closer to the mark.. I have heard that Virgin.net are in talks to get a Virgin branded version of the HC/Tiscali TV up and running.

Zen

I see much more potential for a tie-up between Tiscali and T-Mobile or 02.

i dont think they would as them firms can develop there own homechoice-style network so why would the pay alot of money for the small cusomer base?

What would be intresting is if they deployed ADSL2 LLU on a grand scale in non cabled areas, then offered their cable tv packages over iptv.

I think I read in NTL's accounts that they intend to distribute Virgin Media outside cable areas using unbundled BT exchanges in the same way Sky, Carphone warehouse and Tiscali/Homechoice do.
A quad play distributed this way could be similar to BT Vision's product. Buying tiscali could give Virgin media a technology start if the homechoice product is any good.
The whole BT vision / IPTV thing is very complicated and Virgin may decide to wait until after the Virgin Media launch before introducing such a challenging product.

Virgin are hoping to be able to provide the full virgin media through a BT phone line sometimes in the future.

Unlike SKY they wont be charging the subs for the benefit of using a bt line.
They will just charge the subs the normal subscription package and just pay bt a annual fee.

This way they are reaching out to more potential subs

That may be possible but I wonder whether Sky, BT or Virgin would allow a new stronger competitor to enter the market.

I doubt large players like Deutsche Telekom owners of T-Moblile are going to let BT have the all the field in the IPTV market.

Tiscali TV is only very small and I don't see that changing. They will find it very hard to compete in the pay tv market against the afore mentioned companies on price and products. I would expect Tiscali to leave the UK market at some point unless they can grow their IPTV product significantly.

I am sure that Sky will team up/buy a mobile operator at some point. And eventually they'll be 4/5 companies max offering quad play products. I've no doubt BT, Sky and Virgin will be there, but its unclear yet who the other players, if any, will be.

Vodafone are noticeably absent from all this IPTV/vod whoha at the moment. Perhaps their lying low and waiting to strike once there's been some blood-letting/consilidation in the broadband market. Or, perhaps they and the other mobiles may stay out of the tv/vod business. But can they afford to?