Telewest have announced details of a digital TV shakeup and accompanying marketing campaign to target "disillusioned" Sky premium subscribers.
The revamp of its subscription packages - effective from this month - includes the expansion of the entry-level 'Starter' pack to incorporate the "five most popular digital TV channels". The mid-tier 'Essential' pack will include the top fifteen. The move, Telewest says, is to make "quality rather than quantity" the top priority.
The new marketing campaign will run across poster, radio and direct mail through the next two months ahead of Sky's price rises in September. One of the key messages to be pushed in the campaign is that consumers who sign-up to Telwest's 'Essential' pack with either Sky Sports or Movies, together with one of its unlimited phone services, can save 25% compared to the equivalent services from Sky.
Philip Snalune, director of TV at Telewest Broadband, explained: "This is the first time we have directly targeted Sky subscribers, who are getting uneasy about the money they have to stump up each month. There is a misconception that you can't get Sky premium channels with cable. We're making sure consumers know you can - and its 25% cheaper. Our TV packages offer the best quality content at the best possible price. Consumers shouldn't pay too much for loads of channels they're unlikely to watch."
Telewest currently has around 1.3 million subscribers to its analogue and digital TV services, compared to 7.4 million for Sky.
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The revamp of its subscription packages - effective from this month - includes the expansion of the entry-level 'Starter' pack to incorporate the "five most popular digital TV channels". The mid-tier 'Essential' pack will include the top fifteen. The move, Telewest says, is to make "quality rather than quantity" the top priority.
The new marketing campaign will run across poster, radio and direct mail through the next two months ahead of Sky's price rises in September. One of the key messages to be pushed in the campaign is that consumers who sign-up to Telwest's 'Essential' pack with either Sky Sports or Movies, together with one of its unlimited phone services, can save 25% compared to the equivalent services from Sky.
Philip Snalune, director of TV at Telewest Broadband, explained: "This is the first time we have directly targeted Sky subscribers, who are getting uneasy about the money they have to stump up each month. There is a misconception that you can't get Sky premium channels with cable. We're making sure consumers know you can - and its 25% cheaper. Our TV packages offer the best quality content at the best possible price. Consumers shouldn't pay too much for loads of channels they're unlikely to watch."
Telewest currently has around 1.3 million subscribers to its analogue and digital TV services, compared to 7.4 million for Sky.
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