[AbsDigi]

http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcas...024166,00.html

10.45am

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Virgin baits 'Sky Snooze'


Chris Tryhorn
Thursday March 1, 2007
MediaGuardian.co.uk


Both BSkyB and Virgin Media continued to blame each other today for the removal of Sky's basic channels - with the cable operator rubbing salt into the wounds with spoof names for the disappeared services on its electronic TV guide.
Cable viewers lost access to channels such as Sky One, Sky News and Sky Sports News this morning because the two companies could not agree on what Virgin should pay for them.

"We're disappointed but not surprised by this outcome," said Steve Burch, the Virgin chief executive.

"Nothing Sky have said or done in the course of the negotiation indicates they had the slightest interest in doing a commercially viable deal."

"Their action here is consistent with their plans to withdraw their free channels from Freeview and, in our view, reflects their desire to limit consumer choice."

Sky said it had endured "six frustrating days" waiting for Virgin to improve its offer for the channels.

"We're disappointed that we will now be denied access to cable TV homes," a spokesman said.

"We've made repeated efforts to reach an agreement but Virgin Media has rejected all of our proposals."

Virgin Media's biggest single shareholder, Sir Richard Branson, also expressed his disappointment but promised not to let the company's 3.3 million TV customers down.

"Consumers have my whole-hearted assurance that Virgin Media will not allow this dispute to prevent us from giving them the freshest and most exciting TV service in the UK. With Virgin Central and our massive library of on-demand, programming, there's a lot to look forward to."

Virgin has taken the aggressive step of replacing Sky One with its new video-on-demand channel, Virgin Central, on the channel 120 slot.

Virgin also gave its rival's old slots new jokey names. Channel 602 - the former Sky News slot - was renamed "Sky Snooze try BBC" and Channel 515, formerly Sky Sports News, was named "Old Sky Sports Snooze".

Negotiating Sky One's slot allocation could provide a further obstacle to reconciliation if the groups try to do a deal after all.

However, despite Sky's suggestion today that it was "available for talks at any time", there seems little chance of any deal happening soon, after a week of rancourous and very public exchanges between the companies.

"If Virgin Media decides that it wants to bring back the TV that its customers enjoy, we're available for talks at any time," a Sky spokesman said.

Both sides will be looking for early signs of customer defections to monitor the potential damage the row could cause.

Virgin will be hoping customers decide that the revamped on-demand offering makes up for the loss of the Sky channels and hit shows such as Lost, 24 and Battlestar Galactica.

Sky could lose up to £60m a year from the advertising revenues and channel fees it has drawn from cable viewing in the past.

It can claw some of this back if enough customers - 150,000 on one analyst's estimate - decide to ditch their Virgin subscription and sign up with the Sky Digital satellite service, as of today the only place to see Sky's basic channels.

[Hotbird]

Virgin seem to have taken a very petty and childish approach to the issue while Sky News are currently running an unbiased report on the issue. I think Virgin have tried to give Sky a blood nose but today are looking petty by rubbing salt in the wounds of customers losing channels they enjoy.

[ogryn]

I think its quite tongue in cheek, and the exact sort of language for a Virgin company to use. The tone in a lot of Virgin communications is a bit cheeky, going way back...

[Rob MacLeod]

At the end of the day, I can see the funny side of this but when you really think about it, from a big business point of view, the whole Sky Snooze thing was a pretty immature thing to do.

Had I been in charge I'd just have taken the channels off air and left it at that. Doing this has only shown that VM are more bothered about this than they needed to show at this point.

Kinda funny but ultimately a shot in their own foot.

[stehayn]

yeah they've just showed it on BBC News about renaming the channels and said it was cheeky.

[firehawk1]

what amazes me is:

1) they renamed the channels back
2) why would sky care if VM have changed the names of the channels? Sure the deal didnt go through but why do they care any more anyway since VM are not having any of the sky channels? (except for movies and sports)

[zenith52]

Isn't that what Virgin and Branson are all about.. Remember when he launched Virgin Atlantic.. He managed to drape a Virgin Atlantic Banner over a British Airways 747

[Virtuousdream]

And sky aren't being petty with their "don't lose lost" ad's

[Kev12344]

Wouldn't have lost it, if they didn't take it from channel 4.

Not that it bothers me, Sky One was always full of crap.

[aladinlondon]

Originally Posted by Kev12344

Wouldn't have lost it, if they didn't take it from channel 4.

Not that it bothers me, Sky One was always full of crap.

Maybe it is full of crap but it seems quite a few VM customers are heading for Sky to sign up for that crap.

2 where I work have left VM and they spent their whole lunch hour waiting to get through to VM cancellations as so many people were lining up to leave

[Rob MacLeod]

I now know of three friends who are switching and a further two who are just cancelling VM and not going to Sky (one of which can't have a dish where he lives).

Not what I would call the best first month Virgin could have hoped for.

Originally Posted by aladinlondon

Maybe it is full of crap but it seems quite a few VM customers are heading for Sky to sign up for that crap.

2 where I work have left VM and they spent their whole lunch hour waiting to get through to VM cancellations as so many people were lining up to leave

My sister and brother-in-law are also looking to cancel, now.

[mikey23]

Originally Posted by aladinlondon

Maybe it is full of crap but it seems quite a few VM customers are heading for Sky to sign up for that crap.

2 where I work have left VM and they spent their whole lunch hour waiting to get through to VM cancellations as so many people were lining up to leave

I know of 10 people where I work who ain't going to Sky from Virgin.

[looper35uk]

Originally Posted by Nomen Luni

My sister and brother-in-law are also looking to cancel, now.

And so is my dog.

[Rob MacLeod]

Originally Posted by looper35uk

And so is my dog.

Really? Missing the Simpsons, is he?

[stehayn]

Originally Posted by Rob MacLeod

Really? Missing the Simpsons, is he?

Yeah his Dogs got a crush on Santa's Little Helper LOL

[kitano]

If Virgin actually had good channel 'replacements' they might have been able to pull off the 'funny' names, but the fact that they don't and customers are now 3 channels short will probably just annoy those who actually watched those channels.

I mentioned in another thread, the whole VOD stuff has promise, but it's not something IMO, that can replace a 'normal' channel...especially when the cable boxes and software can barely handle it.

[James2001]

It's not Sky Snooze any more. It's changed back- here at least anyway.

[stehayn]

yeah its changed to;

Old Sky News and
Old Sky Sports News

[Green Isaac]

Originally Posted by stehayn

yeah its changed to;

Old Sky News and
Old Sky Sports News

The joke was wearing rather thin though. I notice on channel 602 they still point people to BBC News 24 on channel 601 though - as the channel doesn't exist there (it should say channel 610) it takes you right back to Old Sky News.

[gs1]

Originally Posted by James2001

It's not Sky Snooze any more. It's changed back- here at least anyway.

"Branson puts stop to 'Sky Snooze' joke"

Richard Branson has ordered the removal of Virgin Media's "Sky Snooze" on-screen jibe at its rival.......

...Mr Branson told MediaGuardian.co.uk: "I have asked them to take it down. We do not mean any disrespect to Sky News. I think it is a very good news channel."

Mr Branson, who is out of the country, said he had been unaware of the spoof channel name manoeuvre .....

Media Guardian article

[Dan 8t1]

Originally Posted by Green Isaac

I notice on channel 602 they still point people to BBC News 24 on channel 601 though - as the channel doesn't exist there (it should say channel 610) it takes you right back to Old Sky News.

Nope, there's no mistake.. BBC News 24 is now on 601.

[IzzyS]

Originally Posted by Dan 8t1

Nope, there's no mistake.. BBC News 24 is now on 601.

Not here, if I select 601 as a channel it says incorrect channel number and BBC News 24 is still on 610, at least on my box anyway *shrug*

Maybe it's only 601 in ex-NTL areas....? It's still 610 for me, too.

[James2001]

Originally Posted by Green Isaac

The joke was wearing rather thin though. I notice on channel 602 they still point people to BBC News 24 on channel 601 though - as the channel doesn't exist there (it should say channel 610) it takes you right back to Old Sky News.

News 24's on 601 here.