Sky/ITV have lost the Champs Lg.

[Dameerto]

BT should now merge with or buy Virginmedia to ensure they have a reliable platform for distribution of their channels and not be reliant on sattelite for most of their subscribers. They have the infrastructure already in place to take cable national through their broadband platform. The competitons panel wont like it as it will reduce choice in taking out a major phone/broadband competitor but it will seriously shake up the TV market giving us the viewer a real alternative to Sky.

Don't rule it out, Branson has history with Sky from years gone by, I think they have a 'marriage of convenience' for now but if a younger fitter tart strolls by, who knows what might happen?

[zuricity]

Don't rule it out, Branson has history with Sky from years gone by, I think they have a 'marriage of convenience' for now but if a younger fitter tart strolls by, who knows what might happen?

Sky shares dipped today 10%

[Bianchi on Ice]

Collydogger giving it the man of the people spiel about all this on talkshit. How naive and foolish is it to have a viewpoint so ideological when as a player himself he benefitted from the money sloshing around the game?...its quite simple folks either you agree to pay it or you dont. The more people say yes the more perceptive BTs "business plan"(wish all businesses had the front to gamble 900mil) will appear. This is capitalism...this is what it gives us...collymore obviously has spunked all his money otherwise he wouldnt be so vociferous. I now choose not to sign the dotted line...but no hand wringing from me..because if the TV deal was still at the sort of peanuts level it was in 1990 would someone like the sheik invest?..no..it would be michael knighton, ray ranson and gay pianists.

[Alex Sapphire]

Has anyone mentioned this yet?

The Last Big unexpected TV deal

History lesson:


ITV Digital put into administration

The future for digital television and football clubs across the UK was thrown into doubt tonight as the loss-making ITV Digital was put into administration.

The channel's main board approached the High Court after failing to renegotiate a broadcasting deal with the Football League.

Co-owners Carlton and Granada vowed to invest more cash to ensure subscribers continue to receive TV programmes through their set-top boxes.

But doubts are growing over whether the channel will have sufficient money to fulfil the contract agreed with football chiefs in June 2000.

ITV Digital wanted the Football League to accept a cash cut of almost £130 million over the next two years in a bid to slash operating costs.

It owes £178 million under the deal to cover Nationwide League and Worthington Cup matches and its request was rejected.

Analysts in the City said today's proposed move into administration would up ITV Digital's bargaining power substantially.

But Gordon Taylor, head of the football players' union, said failure to reach an agreement could lead to a doomsday scenario.

[zuricity]

Has anyone mentioned this yet?

[url="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/1898021.stm"]The Last Big unexpected TV deal[/url]

History lesson:


ITV Digital put into administration

The future for digital television and football clubs across the UK was thrown into doubt tonight as the loss-making ITV Digital was put into administration.

The channel's main board approached the High Court after failing to renegotiate a broadcasting deal with the Football League.

Co-owners Carlton and Granada vowed to invest more cash to ensure subscribers continue to receive TV programmes through their set-top boxes.

But doubts are growing over whether the channel will have sufficient money to fulfil the contract agreed with football chiefs in June 2000.

ITV Digital wanted the Football League to accept a cash cut of almost £130 million over the next two years in a bid to slash operating costs.

It owes £178 million under the deal to cover Nationwide League and Worthington Cup matches and its request was rejected.

Analysts in the City said today's proposed move into administration would up ITV Digital's bargaining power substantially.

But Gordon Taylor, head of the football players' union, said failure to reach an agreement could lead to a doomsday scenario.

Like IBM and Microsoft thinking Google was nothing to worry about

[budfox]

All part of BT wanting total control of the Internet in the UK. They'll gradually buy all of the other ISP's and then in cahoots with the government will effectively 'own' everyone's online activity. This is nothing to do with sport.

[Nigels Tackle]

All part of BT wanting total control of the Internet in the UK. They'll gradually buy all of the other ISP's and then in cahoots with the government will effectively 'own' everyone's online activity. This is nothing to do with sport.

i've heard they are also planning on playing subliminal messages in order to turn us all into rags
scary stuff

[Wonderwall]

Has anyone mentioned this yet?

The Last Big unexpected TV deal

History lesson:


ITV Digital put into administration

The future for digital television and football clubs across the UK was thrown into doubt tonight as the loss-making ITV Digital was put into administration.

The channel's main board approached the High Court after failing to renegotiate a broadcasting deal with the Football League.

Co-owners Carlton and Granada vowed to invest more cash to ensure subscribers continue to receive TV programmes through their set-top boxes.

But doubts are growing over whether the channel will have sufficient money to fulfil the contract agreed with football chiefs in June 2000.

ITV Digital wanted the Football League to accept a cash cut of almost £130 million over the next two years in a bid to slash operating costs.

It owes £178 million under the deal to cover Nationwide League and Worthington Cup matches and its request was rejected.

Analysts in the City said today's proposed move into administration would up ITV Digital's bargaining power substantially.

But Gordon Taylor, head of the football players' union, said failure to reach an agreement could lead to a doomsday scenario.

this is what I was referring to in my last line

Massive blow for them but they are still the no1 sports broadcaster. They are no1 for rugy league, rugby union, cricket spanish football, formula 1 etc...

They need to lose a couple of the others to go into a tailspin. Plus BT need to make a big success of it to become big competitors. If they make a mess of it, sky might have to step in and rescue them....we have seen that before.

this is big money, they cannot afford to lose....therefore Michael Owen must go now, he bores the shit out of me and I refuse to listen to the prick

[Dameerto]

This is a company that made over £6-billion in profit at the last announcement so let's get it in perspective.

[Ted Hughes]

This is a company that made over £6-billion in profit at the last announcement so let's get it in perspective.

It looks like an opening play for the whole package to me, possibly with ppv events in the champs lg.

This is probably another reason why the chairmen of the clubs were so keen to go for ffp. They get somehow get 'lucky' about shit like this; just like when Sky 'won' the bidding for football in the first place & purely coincidentally, the Spurs chairman owned the company which built the satellite dishes.

They will all be coining it in if the money from the next round of tv rights goes up again & they can keep wage/transfer costs down.

[zabbadabbado]

This is a company that made over £6-billion in profit at the last announcement so let's get it in perspective.

Apparently the shares in Bskyb have lost £1.5 billion in value,still the company is worth a few bob.

[Dameerto]

This is a company that made over £6-billion in profit at the last announcement so let's get it in perspective.

Apparently the shares in Bskyb have lost £1.5 billion in value,still the company is worth a few bob.

I was talking about BT - they aren't writing rubber cheques or gambling on future subscribers - they could take a loss of everything they've invested to date and they would barely even stumble in the grand scheme of things. The company is a giant.

[patrickblue]

Massive blow for them but they are still the no1 sports broadcaster. They are no1 for rugy league, rugby union, cricket spanish football, formula 1 etc...

They need to lose a couple of the others to go into a tailspin. Plus BT need to make a big success of it to become big competitors. If they make a mess of it, sky might have to step in and rescue them....we have seen that before.

Not entirely sure if that's right. My mate is a Rugby fanatic (not sure which code, mainly because I don't (a: understand it b: give a shit), but he's not stopped raving about Rugby coverage on BT.

[Wonderwall]

Massive blow for them but they are still the no1 sports broadcaster. They are no1 for rugy league, rugby union, cricket spanish football, formula 1 etc...

They need to lose a couple of the others to go into a tailspin. Plus BT need to make a big success of it to become big competitors. If they make a mess of it, sky might have to step in and rescue them....we have seen that before.

Not entirely sure if that's right. My mate is a Rugby fanatic (not sure which code, mainly because I don't (a: understand it b: give a shit), but he's not stopped raving about Rugby coverage on BT.

they have union league now so its another good one for them and also looks like the tennis is coming BT's way too.

Sky still have the heineken cup, which is the european champs league version of rugby

[Hazy2]

Maybe Murdock has a crystal ball, better to lose to gain somtimes, Super League will be closer if he uses the billions to entice the teams he wants in his Packer Style Coup.

[Breks]

BT also has the Ufc. I can see BT becoming dominant.

[Alex Sapphire]

This is a company that made over £6-billion in profit at the last announcement so let's get it in perspective.

Apparently the shares in Bskyb have lost £1.5 billion in value,still the company is worth a few bob.

I was talking about BT - they aren't writing rubber cheques or gambling on future subscribers - they could take a loss of everything they've invested to date and they would barely even stumble in the grand scheme of things. The company is a giant.

there are British companies whose profit has gone negative by much more than 6 billion

[Dameerto]

This is a company that made over £6-billion in profit at the last announcement so let's get it in perspective.

Apparently the shares in Bskyb have lost £1.5 billion in value,still the company is worth a few bob.

I was talking about BT - they aren't writing rubber cheques or gambling on future subscribers - they could take a loss of everything they've invested to date and they would barely even stumble in the grand scheme of things. The company is a giant.

there are British companies whose profit has gone negative by much more than 6 billion

The point seemed to have been raised that BT might fuck up with this venture in the same way other ventures have fucked up previously - MY point was that this venture is bankrolled by a business with a variety of other ventures which are turning an obscene profit. It isn't an 'eggs in one basket' risky business. They would have to appoint a Telletubby as CEO to show net losses (even allowing for their warning of lower profits next year due to acquisition rights and pension liabilities)