Virgin Media takes on Sky in on-demand TV
Virgin Media will renew its attack on BSkyB tonight with the launch of its video-on-demand service, Virgin Central.
With the launch of the service, the newly rebranded cable company is hoping to steal a march on Sky, whose similar service - Sky Anytime - is not accessible through TVs until next month.
Virgin Central works through a "shop window" free TV channel that will show available content. Viewers use their remote controls to order shows. At present, Sky's rival service works only through a computer.
The power to decide when TV shows can be watched is increasingly moving from the hands of the programme schedulers to viewers. This month the US cable channel HBO announced plans for a UK launch of its service with a video-on-demand component. Channel 4 already makes shows available over the internet and the BBC is developing its on-demand player.
Relations between Virgin Media and Sky have become increasingly frosty since the satellite group swooped on ITV, snapping up a 17.9% stake scuppering Sir Richard Branson's hopes of a merger between his company and the commercial broadcaster. The two companies are locked in negotiations over the continued appearance of Sky One on the Virgin Media platform. The current contract expires at the end of this month. Sky One accounts for many of the most watched programmes on the cable service.
This month it emerged that Sky had renegotiated its agreement to carry channels owned by Flextech - part of the Virgin Media empire - on its own satellite platform. Virgin Media was getting 40p a month per subscriber per channel; the new deal reduces that to 10p.
Richard Wray
Monday February 19, 2007
Guardian Unlimited© Guardian News and Media Limited 2007
Virgin Media will renew its attack on BSkyB tonight with the launch of its video-on-demand service, Virgin Central.
With the launch of the service, the newly rebranded cable company is hoping to steal a march on Sky, whose similar service - Sky Anytime - is not accessible through TVs until next month.
Virgin Central works through a "shop window" free TV channel that will show available content. Viewers use their remote controls to order shows. At present, Sky's rival service works only through a computer.
The power to decide when TV shows can be watched is increasingly moving from the hands of the programme schedulers to viewers. This month the US cable channel HBO announced plans for a UK launch of its service with a video-on-demand component. Channel 4 already makes shows available over the internet and the BBC is developing its on-demand player.
Relations between Virgin Media and Sky have become increasingly frosty since the satellite group swooped on ITV, snapping up a 17.9% stake scuppering Sir Richard Branson's hopes of a merger between his company and the commercial broadcaster. The two companies are locked in negotiations over the continued appearance of Sky One on the Virgin Media platform. The current contract expires at the end of this month. Sky One accounts for many of the most watched programmes on the cable service.
This month it emerged that Sky had renegotiated its agreement to carry channels owned by Flextech - part of the Virgin Media empire - on its own satellite platform. Virgin Media was getting 40p a month per subscriber per channel; the new deal reduces that to 10p.
Richard Wray
Monday February 19, 2007
Guardian Unlimited© Guardian News and Media Limited 2007
