Ftn, UKTV History, More4

I recently cancelled my Sky package and have now reverted to the freebie channels only.

I have discovered that Ftn, UKTV History, More4 (3 that I have found so far) are available
for nothing on Freeview but they are subscription channels on Sky!

Why can Freeview customers enjoy them for nothing but make them subscription on Sky? Are
Sky being greedy again?

I spoke to 3 uninformed Sky representatives yesterday. None of them could explain why.

While ever I have a Sky box, there is a chance that I could return as a paying customer
again but I am now thinking about ditching the box and getting a Freeview one instead.

Any info much appreciated :-)

Paul.

Banana wrote:
I recently cancelled my Sky package and have now reverted to the freebie channels only.

I have discovered that Ftn, UKTV History, More4 (3 that I have found so far) are available
for nothing on Freeview but they are subscription channels on Sky!

Why can Freeview customers enjoy them for nothing but make them subscription on Sky? Are
Sky being greedy again?

I spoke to 3 uninformed Sky representatives yesterday. None of them could explain why.

While ever I have a Sky box, there is a chance that I could return as a paying customer
again but I am now thinking about ditching the box and getting a Freeview one instead.

Any info much appreciated :-)

Paul.


The deal with E4/E4+1/More4/More+1 is that Channel 4 is locked into a
carriage deal with $ky until 2008, AIR. The deal is that Channel 4 won't
get any subscription revenue but $ky will preserve their EPG numbers if
they remain part of a package. At least, that's what I recall.

As for the others (FTN, UKTV History, UKTV Bright Ideas and ABC1) who
knows? In real terms, FTN & ABC1 are half-channels - for example, ABC1
stops at 18:00 on Freeview but remains available on $ky.

Assuming that you can get Freeview OK (all channels) then this is
possibly a better way to go. You're not at the mercy of the Murdoch
monopoly and you can still use your $ky box to view the FTV channels
that are still available via your smartcard - C4, C5 & $ky Three, along
with the FTA stuff from the BBC and ITV, not forgetting the other FTA
channels which are, IMHO, of little real value.

Remember too that for £7.99/month you can subscribe to the TopUp TV
channels on DTV, providing that you buy a box with a smartcard reader.
There's no contract AIUT, so you can subscribe pretty much how you like.
Whether the TopUp TV stuff will do it for you is of course another thing.

I junked my $ky subscription a couple of years ago now, and apart from
some stuff on $ky One that I wouldn't mind seeing, I haven't really
missed it and my bank balance is +£20/month better off!

The really irritating thing about $ky is the way that they have their
packages set-up. If I could subscribe to a dozen or so channels for
£7.99/month (say) then I'd re-join right away. Unfortunately, the powers
at $ky haven't worked that idea through yet. I think that it will come
in time though. Anyway, it's up to you. For a relatively small outlay
you could try Freeview/TopUp TV. If it doesn't work for you, $ky will be
happy to have you back .....


Clem

"Clem Dye" wrote in message
...
| Banana wrote:
| I recently cancelled my Sky package and have now reverted to the freebie channels
only.
|
| I have discovered that Ftn, UKTV History, More4 (3 that I have found so far) are
available
| for nothing on Freeview but they are subscription channels on Sky!
|
| Why can Freeview customers enjoy them for nothing but make them subscription on Sky?
Are
| Sky being greedy again?
|
| I spoke to 3 uninformed Sky representatives yesterday. None of them could explain why.
|
| While ever I have a Sky box, there is a chance that I could return as a paying
customer
| again but I am now thinking about ditching the box and getting a Freeview one instead.
|
| Any info much appreciated :-)
|
| Paul.
|
|
| The deal with E4/E4+1/More4/More+1 is that Channel 4 is locked into a
| carriage deal with $ky until 2008, AIR. The deal is that Channel 4 won't
| get any subscription revenue but $ky will preserve their EPG numbers if
| they remain part of a package. At least, that's what I recall.
|
| As for the others (FTN, UKTV History, UKTV Bright Ideas and ABC1) who
| knows? In real terms, FTN & ABC1 are half-channels - for example, ABC1
| stops at 18:00 on Freeview but remains available on $ky.
|
| Assuming that you can get Freeview OK (all channels) then this is
| possibly a better way to go. You're not at the mercy of the Murdoch
| monopoly and you can still use your $ky box to view the FTV channels
| that are still available via your smartcard - C4, C5 & $ky Three, along
| with the FTA stuff from the BBC and ITV, not forgetting the other FTA
| channels which are, IMHO, of little real value.
|
| Remember too that for £7.99/month you can subscribe to the TopUp TV
| channels on DTV, providing that you buy a box with a smartcard reader.
| There's no contract AIUT, so you can subscribe pretty much how you like.
| Whether the TopUp TV stuff will do it for you is of course another thing.
|
| I junked my $ky subscription a couple of years ago now, and apart from
| some stuff on $ky One that I wouldn't mind seeing, I haven't really
| missed it and my bank balance is +£20/month better off!
|
| The really irritating thing about $ky is the way that they have their
| packages set-up. If I could subscribe to a dozen or so channels for
| £7.99/month (say) then I'd re-join right away. Unfortunately, the powers
| at $ky haven't worked that idea through yet. I think that it will come
| in time though. Anyway, it's up to you. For a relatively small outlay
| you could try Freeview/TopUp TV. If it doesn't work for you, $ky will be
| happy to have you back .....
|
|
| Clem

Very helpful reply. Many Thanks for your time, Clem.

When I was cancelling my package over the phone, I did mention a similar solution to keep
me as a customer i.e., give me 5 channels that I chose and I'll pay a tenner a month.

Some may see that as a cheek and maybe it is but because Sky are so inflexible, they now
have a total of £0.00 per month from me.

I could go on forever but many thanks for the reply, Clem.

Paul.

On Mon, 6 Feb 2006 10:52:32 +0000 (UTC), "Banana"
wrote:

Why can Freeview customers enjoy them for nothing but make them subscription on Sky?

Because the owners of those channels have chosen to make them
subscription channels on Sky. (Doubtless to offset the losses from the
ridiculous and extortionate costs of obtaining Freeview carriage.)

Zero Tolerance wrote:

Why can Freeview customers enjoy them for nothing but make them subscription on Sky?

Because the owners of those channels have chosen to make them
subscription channels on Sky. (Doubtless to offset the losses from the
ridiculous and extortionate costs of obtaining Freeview carriage.)

Well, there's an odd way of viewing the world.

In fact the owners of those channels were railroaded into making them
subscription on Sky in order to avoid the prohibitive costs of
carriage on Sky Digital.

The argument must have gone this way:
Sky to C4: you've got to be scrambled because of spillover into
unauthorised regions. So here's the offer you can't refuse. Either you
go FTV and pay us a large fortune for EPG placement and encryption
services, or you make your extra channels (but not C4 as we all know
that has to be FTV) part of the pay package, in which case we'll give
you a big discount on the cost of it all.

This procedure is well documented, has been applied to other channels
and is the main reason why the BBC and ITV went FTA.

--
Digibox problem? : A reboot solves 90% of these.
The Sky Digital FAQ: http://tinyurl.com/8vef5
UK TV overseas: http://tinyurl.com/6p73
BBC reception questions? ; http://www.astra2d.com/
Fed up with on-screen logos? : http://logofreetv.org/
----
Only the truth as I see it.
No monies return'd. ;-)

On Tue, 07 Feb 2006 08:12:13 +0100, Jomtien wrote:

In fact the owners of those channels were railroaded into making them
subscription on Sky in order to avoid the prohibitive costs of
carriage on Sky Digital.

Your suggestion is that Sky are able to somehow "railroad" all of the
largest media companies in the world into making their channels
subscription, even if those companies do not wish to have them
broadcast like that? I don't think so.

Any channel is going to look at the options and make the decision that
works best for them. And if being subscription makes good sense
financially then that is what they'll do. Doubtless the fact that most
homes with satellite do already pay for Sky will be a deciding factor.
Only channels that are desperate for every last possible viewer (e.g.
shopping and gaming channels) have any compelling case to be FTA.

"Zero Tolerance" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 07 Feb 2006 08:12:13 +0100, Jomtien wrote:

In fact the owners of those channels were railroaded into making them
subscription on Sky in order to avoid the prohibitive costs of
carriage on Sky Digital.

Your suggestion is that Sky are able to somehow "railroad" all of the
largest media companies in the world into making their channels
subscription, even if those companies do not wish to have them
broadcast like that? I don't think so.

C4 are on record as saying that it is Sky's choice that channels like more 4
are part of a subscription package, not C4's (though C4 clearly signed the
contract allowing that decision). And that as soon as the contract is ended,
they will all be FTV

Loz

loz wrote:

: C4 are on record as saying that it is Sky's choice that channels like
: more 4 are part of a subscription package, not C4's (though C4 clearly
: signed the contract allowing that decision).

This is true. However I believe this *was* a commercial decision by C4 as
they get services from Sky for free in return - which otherside would cost
them.

: And that as soon as the contract is ended, they will all be FTV

I think this is wishful thinking! AFAIK C4 have committed themselves to
NO such promise.

Brian McIlwrath wrote:
loz wrote:

: C4 are on record as saying that it is Sky's choice that channels like
: more 4 are part of a subscription package, not C4's (though C4 clearly
: signed the contract allowing that decision).

This is true. However I believe this *was* a commercial decision by C4 as
they get services from Sky for free in return - which otherside would cost
them.

: And that as soon as the contract is ended, they will all be FTV

I think this is wishful thinking! AFAIK C4 have committed themselves to
NO such promise.

I believe that they have. The current deal with $ky AIR ends in 2008, at
which time C4 is expected to go FTA, along with E4 & More4. C4 wanted to
go FTV earlier but are contractually bound until 2008 to the existing
$ky deal, which is why they can't join FreeSat - it would cost them too
much to leave the contract early.


Clem

On Tue, 7 Feb 2006 17:13:40 +0000 (UTC), "loz"
wrote:

C4 are on record as saying that it is Sky's choice that channels like more 4
are part of a subscription package, not C4's (though C4 clearly signed the
contract allowing that decision). And that as soon as the contract is ended,
they will all be FTV

Just because C4 signed a long-term subscription contract (in the
assumption that E4 and More4 would always be subscription channels),
then changed their mind, doesn't mean that any other broadcaster is in
the same position.