Sky: "We're available for talks"

Sky has said it is "disappointed" that its basic channels were removed from Virgin Media's television service after a carriage agreement between the two parties expired at midnight in the absence of a new deal.

A spokesperson for the broadcaster said this morning: "We know that Sky’s basic channels have many loyal cable viewers and our aim has been to avoid any disruption to their enjoyment of our programmes. We’re disappointed that we will now be denied access to cable TV homes.

"We’ve made repeated efforts to reach an agreement but Virgin Media has rejected all of our proposals – including our latest offer of just 3p per customer per day.

"To ensure that Virgin Media’s customers would continue to enjoy access to our channels, Sky even offered to retail them directly to customers on the Virgin Media Network. This proposal was also dismissed by Virgin Media.

"Six frustrating days have passed since Virgin Media last put forward financial terms for a proposed agreement to Sky. As late as yesterday, Virgin Media declined to re-enter negotiations of financial terms and confirmed that it did not intend to make a new offer of financial terms to Sky.

"Sky stands by the value of its basic channels. Millions of customers count on Sky to invest on screen. We understand that it’s an important part of attracting and retaining customers.

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

Click here for the full story about the withdrawal of Sky's basic channels from Virgin Media.