Virgin v Sky v BT

[¡Cereal Killer!]

I have sky and have no end of problems, we want to move to Virgin but can't get it in our flat :-( looking at maybe moving to BT after the school holidays.

 

[northstandsteve]

As a Virgin customer, i am very disappointed about losing ESPN, seems negotiations are ongoing, but will miis the American sports, Baseball, College etc.

ESPN channel closures and changes
From midnight on 31 July 2013, viewers will no longer be able to watch ESPN America and ESPN Classic with any of the UK’s TV providers, including Virgin Media.

What’s more, BT now owns the ESPN and ESPN HD channels, so you’ll only be able to watch this content on Virgin Media until 31 July 2013. We’re currently talking to BT about showing these channels after this date. We’ll keep you up to date as soon as we have any developments. Keep an eye on this page virginmedia.com/btsports

None of this means the final whistle for sport on Virgin Media, though – we’ve still got plenty of ways for you to get your fix.

Throughout July, British Eurosport promises to keep you captivated with extensive coverage of the Tour de France. And in August, you can look forward to World Championship Athletics from Moscow, and Vuelta a España. If that is not enough you also have the ability to watch Sky Sports, £15.50 for a single Sky Sports channel or £21 for Sky Sports 1 & 2. Plus, you can always get the latest scores and highlights with Sky Sports News (channel 515).

And don’t forget, you can catch all of this action online, wherever you are, with Virgin TV Anywhere*. To find out more, head over to virginmedia.com/discovertvanywhere

TV XL customer?
If you’re a TV XL customer and have ESPN as part of your package there won't be a change to pricing when we stop showing these channels.

Standalone ESPN customer?
If you subscribe to ESPN on its own, you’ll have seen a letter telling you about the channel closure. Your subscription finishes on the 31 July and after that you won’t pay a penny more. If you’ve already paid for your service beyond this date, we’ll refund it on your following month’s bill (you’ll find it under ‘Credits for services removed’).

Sky Sports customer?
If you have Sky Sports subscription, you’ll still have loads of action at your fingertips:

116 Barclays Premier League matches next season
Cricket from home and abroad, including all England’s Test matches
All of this autumn’s rugby internationals, and much more
And don’t forget, you can catch all of this online with Virgin TV Anywhere.

I’m a TV XL customer and get ESPN for free. Will you be replacing ESPN content with anything else?
Until we confirm what’s happening with BT Sport on Virgin Media, we can’t say what will replace ESPN. But you can rest assured that whatever happens, we’ll be making sure all our TV XL customers carry on enjoying great value for money.

What content can I expect with the BT Sport package?
BT Sport offers three sports-focused channels featuring 38 English Premier League matches, coverage of Aviva Premiership Rugby, Women's Tennis Association, Moto GP, UFC, and a selection of FA Cup and Scottish Premier League matches.

Will there be any Red Button interactive services available with BT Sport?
BT hasn’t announced any plans to provide Red Button interactivity with BT Sport.

Will I be able watch BT Sport through Virgin TV Anywhere?
We don’t have any information about BT Sport on Virgin TV Anywhere at the moment.

If I don't get BT Sport, what are my options for watching sports programmes with Virgin Media?
Virgin Media is the only provider other than Sky to offer all six Sky Sports channels, as well as Sky Sports 1 and 2 in HD. Sky Sports will feature 116 live English Premier League matches this season – more than three times as many as BT Sport offers. More often than not, it’ll be Sky Sports and not BT Sport that features clashes between the top teams in the Premier League. Sky also offers coverage of F1, Champions League Football, Football League, Scottish Premier League, Cricket and PGA Tour Golf. Virgin Media also offers both Eurosport channels in TV M+.

What happens to recordings I've made from the ESPN channels?
Anything you’ve recorded from the ESPN HD/America/Classic channels will be there to enjoy until 1 November 2013. After that, they’ll disappear.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

Do Virgin come and collect your equiptment when you cancel withthem as you are effectively 'renting it' right? I have a V+ box in the bedroom and wonder if I can use this as a freeview box if I cancel and go to sky rather then having sky multiroom?

Best option I am thinking is SKy TV with sports package and Virgin broadband, total would be £63.75 per month, a lot less then £80 or so I would be paying if I had Sky Sports on virgin.

I'm switching next month and virgin are coming round to collect the V+ boxes, controllers and broadband hub. So, yes.

On the overall subject I'm going from £109 pcm to £60 pcm for the same package (for 1 year). The only downside is the slower broadband, but even with the 40mbs Virgin download speed it was often external factors that slowed it down. The Sky 16mbs speed should be fine (unless someone on here knows better).

I hadn't considered keeping Virgin Phone & BB though.

 

[Colossal Squid]

I'd be surprised if you can't get 40 or 50 meg through your phone line.

Well I can't.

Max speed on my street is 20mbps and I get about 16-18

 

[Pat McCrotch]

Changed from Sky HD to Virgin XL TiVo a few months back. Worst move I ever made. Virgin's SD picture quality is woeful. There is a real limited choice of HD channels. And the TiVo menu system is so slow, unresponsive and user unfriendly. I could work my way round the sky interface with my eyes shut. Five months down the line with TiVo and I am still struggling to get to grips with it!

Will be switching back to Sky the day my contract is up.

....Can't fault virgin fibre broadband though.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

Changed from Sky HD to Virgin XL TiVo a few months back. Worst move I ever made. Virgin's SD picture quality is woeful. There is a real limited choice of HD channels. And the TiVo menu system is so slow, unresponsive and user unfriendly. I could work my way round the sky interface with my eyes shut. Five months down the line with TiVo and I am still struggling to get to grips with it!

Will be switching back to Sky the day my contract is up.

....Can't fault virgin fibre broadband though.

That's reassuring. The only thing that leaves a bitter taste for me is that I'm lining Murdoch's pocket and to a small extent supporting the rampant salary inflation in football. I'm sure I will still be able to sleep at night.

 

[Superphil]

I'm a Sky subscriber, Entertainment package + Sports, was on £52 a month, I got a letter saying it was going up by £2 a month in September, I called them and they knocked £10 off a month plus cancelled the £2 increase, just because I called, and am a loyal subscriber having been with them since they started in 1989. So now I am on £42 a month for HD Entertainments package plus all HD sports.

I then rang BT to ask about BT Vision, they promptly put me on an unlimited tarrif, and improved my call plan, whilst reducing how much I pay by £11 a month. Then they gave me Sky Sports 1 & 2 + ESPN via my Sky box for free, and a one year free subscription to HD Sky Sports 1 & 2 and ESPN.

I reckon I must have been on a bad deal before somehow.

 

[dougdeep]

Well I can't.

Max speed on my street is 20mbps and I get about 16-18

Have you rung them lately? I can get 36 in Seaford.

 

[banjo]

A little off track but last season for the Palace away leg I couldn't go or take My boy as I was working. He was gutted he couldn't watch it on tv as I had cancelled My sports and movie packages to keep the price down. So I rang Virgin to get the one sports channel put on for the game thinking I don't mind paying a fiver to keep him happy. Well blow Me down when I asked how much to be told it will cost you 52p sir. I couldn't believe it.

 

[Colossal Squid]

Have you rung them lately? I can get 36 in Seaford.

People in even more obscure locations than Seaford can get superfast broadband these days.

That's why it's so frustrating. I live in the heart of a supposedly tech savvy city and yet there's no choice beyond old skool copper wire telephone line broadband. The likes of Virgin and BT just apologise when I ask why fibre optic cable/Infinity is unavailable to me. I can even see the local telephone exchange from my flat, it's apparently just a shit one

 

[beorhthelm]

That's why it's so frustrating. I live in the heart of a supposedly tech savvy city and yet there's no choice beyond old skool copper wire telephone line broadband.

the problem is that its difficult to dig up the roads/pavements or gain access in the city centers. also often they were the first to have telephones installed, so have old crap cable which cant sustain a high quality signal. places wired up just after the war using metal from melted down aircraft are the worst apparently.

 

[Colossal Squid]

the problem is that its difficult to dig up the roads/pavements or gain access in the city centers. also often they were the first to have telephones installed, so have old crap cable which cant sustain a high quality signal. places wired up just after the war using metal from melted down aircraft are the worst apparently.

True dat.

When I visited Sarajevo a few years ago I was impressed with the ready availability of high speed internet everywhere in the city.

Turns out that so much infrastructure was destroyed in the siege of the early 90s that they had to rebuild much of the communications network from scratch, meaning they were in a far better position to enjoy high speed internet once technology allowed because the cables and such like were far more modern and capable than the shitty Victorian era crap I have to put up with in Brighton!

 

[BobbySmith]

Please do
Not get me started on BT Vision, I will simply say that the whole equipment and service is basically the worst product I have ever signed up for, took me aged to get out of it as well. Try calling BT when you have an issue, approx 1 hour to get through to India to speak to someone who reads from a script and tells me that my aerial is not pointing the right way (which is was by the way). That was the first problem, then the box re-boots itself for no reason, losing all my recordings, then it just gets stuck about 5 times a day, I could go on. Got sky now, no problems, choice BT vision at your peril !!!!

 

[northernseagull]

Random one but does anyone have ridiculously slow internet in the seven dials area - I'm lucky to get 5mb. I would love to know when BT or VM will install fibre optic to the area but as always Brighton is at the back of the que!

 

[elninobonito]

Well I have just called Virgin to asdk about cancelling, the not so nice guy told me im tied in to a contract until September?? I didnt know this? I have had my original package for over two years now? apparantly, when Virgin called me in September and told me they would give me a discount, the terms of this was that I signed up for a minimum of 12 months, well they didnt tell me this on the phone??

So I would have to pay to cancel.

Looking at options all through sky (TV, BB etc) the price goes up to over £100, there is just no easy option I do not think. May as well just add Sky sports back on to my existing and pay £90+ to Virgin.

 

[dougdeep]

At least you don't like in Milton Keynes, some of their cabling is aluminium.

 

[Napper]

Virgin can go to 45 a month for a TiVo an additional v + with sky sports package .

Just need to haggle

Internet 30 mg

 

[elninobonito]

Virgin can go to 45 a month for a TiVo an additional v + with sky sports package .

Just need to haggle

Internet 30 mg

Have tried this just now, guy didnt really say a lot, said I can either pay to cancel or keep my existing package. As I said I pay £51.50 currently with no sports and movies with 30MB BB and M phone.

 

[northernseagull]

At least you don't like in Milton Keynes, some of their cabling is aluminium.

Makes a nice change from concrete eh

 

[seagulls4ever]

Well I have just called Virgin to asdk about cancelling, the not so nice guy told me im tied in to a contract until September?? I didnt know this? I have had my original package for over two years now? apparantly, when Virgin called me in September and told me they would give me a discount, the terms of this was that I signed up for a minimum of 12 months, well they didnt tell me this on the phone??

So I would have to pay to cancel.

Looking at options all through sky (TV, BB etc) the price goes up to over £100, there is just no easy option I do not think. May as well just add Sky sports back on to my existing and pay £90+ to Virgin.

If you kick up a fuss they will let you cancel for nothing. I was 6 months into a 18 month contract when I cancelled due to a terrible experience with Virgin.