November 26, 2011

More on the Sky F1 channel and Virgin Media

I hear that Virgin Media has already been in talks with Sky over the dedicated F1 channel and should be carrying it when it starts in March next year. As reported in the Guardian story quoted in the earlier post it should be at no extra cost because it will be included in the Sky sports package.
Our reliable friend Square Eyes has posted in a comment to the previous post that Virgin Media is "very confident" that the HD channel this will also be on VM.

24 comments:

Tom Chiverton said...

"should be at no extra cost because it will be included in the Sky sports package"
So, that's an extra cost then, because the sports package aint free.

alan said...

done over by sky again

Square eyes said...

This is not meant for everyone, its just the select few and you know who you are

I remember post a few weeks ago, that there would be something else that would raise up from sky and someone would have a moan

well surprise surprise you did not let me down, it you want to bitch and moan about it, complain to the right people, because it was not VM fault that Bernie Eggleston sold the rights to Sky & its not VM that Sky are creating a channel to show it on or for the fact that Sky charge for the sports channels themselves.

So you have 2 choices watch & don't watch - just remembered 3rd choice watch the highlights on the BBC later on the day, because they will be showing them.

howardmicks said...

Well said square eyes getting sick of the constant moaning,Its comman sense that it was going to be part of the sports pack,if it was on sky sports 1 they would have to take out the sports pack anyway to expect it for free is ludicrous.Yet again vm getting a bashing for somthing sky have done,cut your moaning at vm and email your moans direct to sky.Get a grip people

Richard Hall said...

Well, if you don't want people to moan the don't post saying that it will be at no extra cost when it will be if you don't already take Sky Sports.

If you ae on Sky's HD package but don't have Sky Sports then Sky F1 is free.

If you are on Virgin Media's HD service but don't have Sky Sports then it will cost at least £22.50 to add the Sports pacage. I don't call that "no extra cost".

Martin_e93 said...

Square eyes:

Thanks for the great info.

streaky_7 said...

If anyone is to blame then it's the BBC in my opinion!

Direct quote from Ben Gallop, Head of F1 at the BBC

"And while our coverage from 2012 may not be as extensive as it has been up to now, the bare facts are that the BBC needs to save money. Given the financial circumstances in which we find ourselves, we believe this new deal offers the best outcome for licence-fee payers."

The money you all pay for your TV licence and they cant hold on to quality programming? And we dont actually get a say??

The BBC had the rights and chose not to continue the exclusive deal they have had despite viewing figures being at a 10year high. Surely that's an indication of what the fee paying public want to watch??

And it certainly isn't VM's fault!! Virgin Media are in the same boat as BT or Freeview.

If anything, we should all be grateful that Sky were forced (I can only assume they were forced considering their track record) to make it available on Freeview and hopefully VM because if they had their way they would have kept it to themselves and used it as a way to try and get more subscribers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and I know Sky are charging for it - whether additional fee or through sky sports package - but it was never "free" before - you did pay for it before through your licence fee - so again, blame the BBC - as your still paying the same for that TV licence but now you get less for it!!

Jay said...

Richard Hall - cut your moaning, nothings been confirmed yet, you dont know either way if you have to pay for sports, hd or a just a stand alone channel.
Sure it could have been worded differently, but it does say 'no extra cost if you subscribe to sky sports channels'... but at the end of the day, if you want to watch all 20 F1 races you WILL need to pay something....
I've resubscribed to sky sports so i can watch all the races live, but if freeview and non ss subs can get the F1 channel for £10 a month i'll cancel and get that...saves me £12.50 a month!

Nialli said...

According to Sky on Twitter, Sky customers will need to be either Sky Sports or Sky HD customers to get the F1 channel: "So you don't need sky sports pack to get F1?! Does that mean if I don't want HD I could get a £20pm sub?"
"No you'll have to get either Sports pack or HD pack - one or the other (or both) to receive the F1 channel"

Nialli said...

@Streaky7: I don't blame the BBC, which has had the purse strings pulled so tight they have to make some tough calls and at least they've kept some F1 for the masses. If anyone, blame the government (who cut the BBC's funds), who blame the previous government (for running up debts), etc etc
I'm not an F1 but it will be on BBC live next season, albeit less extensively than this.

Martin_e93 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Martin_e93 said...

They could change Sky Premium HD to also include Sky HD non premium channels without Sky Sports and Sky Movies.

For example XL TV + Sky HD channels pack £7 (Sky Sports F1 HD).

That would make it a very simliar offer to Sky.


That is the most realistic and cheapest option.

streaky_7 said...

@Nialli

I know what ur saying and not wanting this to get in to political debate, because as you say, they all blame each other, but the BBC have a pool of cash to use how they see fit. It might have been slashed, they might have to make some tough calls, but one of those calls was losing a lot of the F1 coverage. A tough decision but one they made. Not anyone else. Now this is all personal preference - im not a massive F1 fan but I can see why some would be a very disappointed with how it's all panned out.

But, and this was the point I was really trying to make, no one can blame VM. Just like no one can blame BT or Freeview.

Rightly or wrongly BBC chose not to have it, Sky paid big bucks for it so will naturally seek to get as much of that cash back through subscriptions one way or another.

Blame the government, blame BBC, blame Sky, whoever, but please stop blaming VM - as I said, Sky could have kept it exclusively or whacked the prices right up for non-sky customers if they had their way - just like Atlantic!

GBNetworks said...

It looks like I won't be watching F1 at all be cause I am not going to pay any extra and won't watch half a season. I don't watch any other sport so SkySports is out of question. What a joke!

yelwor said...

I for one will not be subscribing to Sky so i'll watch the highlights instead. After this season even that might not keep my interest. Worst season of F1 ever and they sell out at the same time.

frank said...

I wont be paying for sky sports package so I will relie on the highlights. Could be the worse decision F1 has made to date as they are going to loose alot of watchers.

twastard said...

I am a VM HD subscriber. Sky say you get f1 at no extra cost providing you have the sky sports package.
11 quid extra for to make ss1 and ss2 into HD.

Virgin media customers on the hd package that don't already have ss1 and ss2.. all we have to pay is 22.50 or 33.50. I pay extra already for hd so I hope that I don't have to pay extra again for more hd.
Sky One Hd, skyarts hd etc is there and I don't pay sky 11 quid for that on top so hopefully it's just another 22.50 a month extra
Very angry I was when I heard about sky taking half of the races.
As long as I can get F1 live in HD without having to stick a dish on my house I don't care. I hope VM do this channel.

lumpaywk said...

Its not about having to pay, I dont mind having to pay for it but the costs of sports as a whole is to extreme. Its the same with all sports i mean should we be forced to pay £22 a month extra when we are struggaling to get by just so some sportsman can be paid millions to play a game? We are all being mugged off not just F1 fans but all sport fans. They rape our pockets because they know they can. Its time for us to say enough is enough we wont pay you millions of pounts you can have a real wage and live with it because the normal hard working familys are fed up with bending over backwards so you can have lavish lifestyles.

dskxalive said...

So will virgin get Sky Sports F1 or not?

Martin_e93 said...

Any more news Square eyes on the Sky Sports F1 channel ? Smallworld cable have announced they have got it. They have said they have asked for the HD version but have had no answer as yet.

Will the HD version come to Virgin Media ?

F14EVA said...

VM and Sky really need to make an announcement soon re F1 HD - I am a full SS1 and SS2 and HD subscriber and big F1 fan, really need to know if VM are going to carry the channel, or I will leave VM.

ukhiker said...

http://duncanblog.dailymail.co.uk/2011/11/f1-sky-sports-to-make-dedicated-channel-available-for-freeview-customers-in-2012.html

quote "Sky Sports will run a dedicated Formula One channel next season which could be available to Freeview customers for a monthly fee."

quote "The new channel is set to be included free of charge in Sky and Virgin Media packages."

ashteadman said...

Just telephoned VM re a new subscription package. As a F1 fan I needed to know if VM are going to offer the new F1 Channel free with their other HD channels. They seemed unaware that the F1 Channel was being offered free to Sky HD Subscribers and tried to make me take the Sky Sports at extra cost!! Come on VM wake up!! We need to know what's going to happen sooner not later. Are you or are you not going to match Sky and offer the F1 Channel free with the full HD package?

bfc_1882 said...

I'm sorry but your all having a good old ear bashing at sky for using there initiative and buying the rights to F1. Well I don't blame them at all it's a lucrative sport and if virgin media don't have the same drive and initiative as sky do to get in there first and put an offer on the table then they don't deserve it. If you have a business you would always be thinking how you could get one over on your competitors and if you didn't you wouldn't be in business for very long. So if you want someone to blame then blame virgin media for being dinasours and expecting everyone else to make tv channels for them, these channels cant be made for free so somebody has to pay for them. If you think that if it was virgin media's channel that it wouldn't come as some form of extra package then you live in a dreamland. Pay or watch the highlights show!!