'Talks resume' over Sky carriage dispute

Virgin Media and Sky have resumed talks on their dispute over basic channel carriage, according to reports.

Virgin stopped carrying Sky's basic channels in March last year after they fell out over charges. Virgin said Sky was asking too much for its basic channels, such as Sky One and Sky News, while not offering to pay enough for Virgin's wholly-owned television channels.

Reports this weekend said negotiations were thought to be taking place though a deal remained "some way off".

Virgin launched a legal challenge against Sky in April which is due to reach the High Court some time this year. It has been suggested talks are stepping up in an effort to avoid a legal showdown.

The cable company has maintained for several months that it is still discussing the issue with Sky and acting chief executive Neil Berkett spoke about the issue last week.

"We’ve got continued interest in securing Sky basics back on our platform, that’s been evident since the close of the first quarter,” he said after announcing fourth quarter results.

"It would be inappropriate for us to talk about where we’re at."