[Peter We]

Who else but Tiscali have offered their service as a wholesale package?


Virgin Media, which is engaged in an acrimonious battle with BSkyB over the pricing of Sky's basic channels, has announced it plans to launch a Virgin Media-branded digital terrestrial set-top box bundled with an on-demand internet protocol television (IPTV) service for those households living beyond its cable network. Virgin Media said it was close to securing a wholesale local loop unbundling provider "which will enable us to launch new quad-play product propositions outside of our cable network with only modest capital investment".

The IPTV service—which will directly challenge BT Vision, which launched in December; Tiscali TV, launching outside of London from next month; and Orange TV, due to launch later this year—will deliver both pay broadcast channels and video-on-demand (VOD). Virgin Media said the 'off-net' strategy would help reduce churn when customers moved out of its cable network areas.

Virgin Media revealed its hybrid DTT/IPTV strategy as it unveiled fourth quarter results to December 31, the last full quarter that the company traded as ntl:Telewest before absorbing Virgin Mobile, and rebranding the merged entity as Virgin Media on February 8. The company generated revenues of £1.08bn, up from a comparable £916m a year ago, and operating profits of £9.2m against a £19.4m loss last time. Consumer revenues in Q4 rose from £642.8m to £644.4m.

The company said that it had yet to agree a deal with Sky to carry its basic channels. Virgin Media had offered Sky a binding arbitration process, and was awaiting its response. The current Sky basic channels contract expires at midnight tonight.

"If Sky withdraws its basic channels, we will no longer have to pay BSkyB significant wholesale charges for its channels," said Virgin Media. "We will divert some of these savings into further content additions to our existing on-demand library. Although we expect that there may be a short-term impact on customer churn and customer acquisition, we believe our differentiated VOD content, and the excellent value and flexibility of our product bundles will continue to attract and retain customers."

Cable TV subscribers rose to 3.35m from 3.31m a year ago. Virgin Media had 348,000 analogue subscribers at the end of Q4, down from 594,400 last time.

Virgin media said its VOD services were now available to all of its digital subscribers. Its digital TV recorder service, V+, was also now available to subscribers, offering high-definition playback of recording programming. The company said it now had 79,000 V+ subscribers.

Virgin Media CEO Steve Burch said: "Our rebrand and the ongoing improvements to our business that it reflects, signal a great opportunity for our customers and investors and poses a serious

[mega pixels]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter We

Who else but Tiscali have offered their service as a wholesale package?

http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds...fx3402237.html

Virgin Media is close to announcing a strategic tie-up with Cable & Wireless (C&W) to help it provide telecom and television services to homes not served by its existing cable network, The Times newspaper reported.

The deal with Virgin Media -- formerly NTL -- marks a significant coup for C&W, which has been seeking to push into wholesale provision of broadband since the failure of its consumer Internet offering, the paper said.

The tie-up will see C&W provide the telecoms network for Virgin to reach a further 12.5 million homes.

If successful, it will represent the most lucrative single wholesale broadband contract in the UK, the paper said.

[Polly_Perkins]

wow how exciting, I was thinking only the other day about why Virgin were not offering this service as I am out of their cable area.

Its really heating up isnt it ?

Its good for us but Tiscali surely can't compete ? Can it ?

[mbear]

It's getting hot in here... I think it's a great idea. Quite why others haven't thought to do IPTV via a wholesale route is beyond me - given HUGE costs otherwise.

[nexusexile]

Remember Tiscali have 1.5 million plus Broadband Users. Many like myself cannot get sky, or Virgin Media, and are in contracts with tiscali, for better or worse. Alot will sign up to Tiscali Tv, especially the basic package as it is at no extra monthly cost. They will compete, and Virgin Media will buy them out to screw SKY.

Nexus

[NEWLINEtv]

I wonder as Virgin Media have a (bt based) broadband service if they will buy Tiscali TV

[tv watcher]

yes they do and thats how they started of a few years ago from the dialup service and now cable broadband
virgin adsl

[Polly_Perkins]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nexusexile

Remember Tiscali have 1.5 million plus Broadband Users. Many like myself cannot get sky, or Virgin Media, and are in contracts with tiscali, for better or worse. Alot will sign up to Tiscali Tv, especially the basic package as it is at no extra monthly cost. They will compete, and Virgin Media will buy them out to screw SKY.

Nexus

Yes but isnt that the problem. Like you I can not get Virgin media at the moment and love the VOD concept of HC.

But with little choice I am stuck, but with Virgin targeting people like us, who are out of range for other services then its turning up the heat for Tiscali.

If for example Vmedia were to provide rich content, like high rated US shows from Sky One on demand then I would probably/maybe pack my bags and head over to watch 24 or Lost.

I think that is perhaps the key really. What we can get on VOD and old 80s shows and repeats of BBC content is ok but they need to raise the stakes.

[Peter We]

HC are just as likely to get the on demand programmes as VM. What we should hope for is VM to setup a competing channel to Sky one and poach the programs.

To be honest, buying a channel for US TV series is a bit pointless if you have broadband, if you know what I mean..

[Polly_Perkins]

Yes but I prefer to watch them on my tv rather than my pc screen.

I am still looking at how to that, but I guess thats for another forum

[Peter We]

Can't you plug your PC into your TV? A media centre PC is a good idea, I'm looking at the PS3 as a possibility.

[spacepostman]

Yep there's tons of IPTV channels and packages out there you can get on your PC over broadband.

[blackic3]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter We

Can't you plug your PC into your TV? A media centre PC is a good idea, I'm looking at the PS3 as a possibility.

Xbox Media Center, its the answer to all you IPTV problems, bit tricky to get set up, but when you do, it will change you viewing forever

Xbox Media Center

[Peter We]

I've got XMC on one of my Xbox's. Its the best thing about the Xbox1.

[tvtimes]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter We

HC are just as likely to get the on demand programmes as VM. What we should hope for is VM to setup a competing channel to Sky one and poach the programs.

To be honest, buying a channel for US TV series is a bit pointless if you have broadband, if you know what I mean..

Vm have a huge library already of VOD content over 2,700 hours. They believe by june they will be able to offer over 6,000 hours with deals being made with the likes of HBO, buena vista disney and others

[Lummo]

I was just browsing through all the forums and saw this and the VMedia On-Demand stuff has alot more than you probably think.It has already bought the VoD rights to all 3 series of lost to appear soon in its library.It also has the O.C.,Greys Anatomy,Desperate Housewives,CSI Crime Scene Investigation,Alias all of them are in its VoD library to watch whenever you want including many more.

[Captain W]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lummo

I was just browsing through all the forums and saw this and the VMedia On-Demand stuff has alot more than you probably think.It has already bought the VoD rights to all 3 series of lost to appear soon in its library.It also has the O.C.,Greys Anatomy,Desperate Housewives,CSI Crime Scene Investigation,Alias all of them are in its VoD library to watch whenever you want including many more.

Fair enough it appears they have bought some rights - which seasons do they own the rights to though? I want to watch these shows now and not have to wait 6 months, or perhaps six years; let's face it such shows are about now and talking to people at work the day after watching it for example is about what happened on the new 24 rather than what happened a couple of years ago is really what I'd rather have.

Perhaps I'm the only person who thinks this way - but if I wanted to watch VOD content for a series showing now, I'd wait and buy the DVD's or download online and that way, it's mine to own and watch.

Yes VOD is a great invention and is good if you want to watch something you missed last week or have missed a whole series of but not for the TV I pay for now and want to watch now and that's why VM have missed the boat recently with loosing Sky One and it's show's which are now being shown within days of release from the US on Sky and not on VOD months or years later - RANT EXHAUSTED

---

Last edited by Captain W : 30-03-2007 at 02:35.

[Peter We]

Then there is people like me who have never watched Lost or 24. I can watch them VOD without being blackmailed to but Sky. I suppose I'm unusual in that I makle the effort NOT to watch the latest films and TV shows so I can get them a few years down the line, cheap

[bLaZeR666_uk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter We

Can't you plug your PC into your TV? A media centre PC is a good idea, I'm looking at the PS3 as a possibility.

ye ghads! PS3 - what a rip off, get a xbox 360 this is much cheaper and works great as a media player. Also all the old xbox games work on the 360, unlike the PS3 where at this time NONE of the PS2 games will work on European PS3's

[Peter We]

Don't be ridiculous, the xbox needs a media PC as well, for it to function as a Media streaming device. The x360 is crippled, it also lacks a web browser, HDMI interface, HD playback device. Its also noisy and unreliable as hell

>NONE of the PS2 games will work on European PS3's
Thats a flat out lie. 75% of PS2 games work on the PS3 and the number is increasing

http://faq.eu.playstation.com/bc/

What is it that makes xbox owners so obsessed by spreading lies about the PS3?

[DonnyDave]

For non-cable customers, Virgin Free TV will be come with a free set-top box for customers taking upto 8Mb broadband and talk anytime phone package at £19.99 per month. For those who just have broadband, there will be a one-off charge of £40 for the box.

[Peter We]

Speechless.

Why would virgin do a DTT service?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter We

Speechless.

Why would virgin do a DTT service?

To reach more people with the Virgin brand. of course!

[jongatera]

Broadcast have reported that Virgin will deliver an IPTV service to the box in 2008.

[Peter We]

But, until then its simply a Freeview box?