It has been widely reported this week that Sky has backed out of exclusive sales negotiations for Tiscali’s UK broadband business. This follows Carphone Warehouse’s apparent exit from the auction process a few weeks back on the basis of price and the challenges associated with integrating Tiscali’s disparate customer operations. 

The report in the Guardian this week notes that Sky and Tiscali’s Italian parent were unable to agree on price, with Tiscali looking for a price of around £600m and Sky looking to pay closer to £450m. 

The deal would immediately have made Sky Britain’s third-largest broadband provider as Sky currently have over 1.8m customers, and Tiscali have 1.77m UK customers.

Crucially, despite very attractive pricing and heavy promotion, Tiscali are losing customers in the UK.  Their high customer churn has meant that their subscriber numbers actually declined in the last quarter by nearly 40,000 subscribers.   This coupled with the deteriorating economic climate and slumping company valuations, makes Sky’s decision to apparently back out of the negotiations understandable.

But despite these issues, if Sky believe that there is strategic logic in the deal, they may well be playing a longer game.  With a notable absence of competing buyers, Sky may well be walking away, to let Tiscali stew in its own juice for a few further weeks, before returning to negotiations next year. 

One thing that seems clear is that the longer a potential buyer waits, the better terms they are likely to dictate. So don’t count Sky out of the hunt for Tiscali just yet.

Written by chris

Sky TV says 3D television could be just around the corner for British viewers.

The satellite broadcaster has said that it has successfully tested the delivery to a normal household television via their high definition set-top box.

Over the past few months Sky has been filming events using 3D camera technology including a Six Nations rugby union international that was broadcast in 3D to an audience at a theatre in London.

Sky have gone a step further by showing that 3D could be delivered into homes, through its Sky+HD set-top box, without much difficulty at all.

Lawrence Bleach of Simplifydigital says.

“Whilst 3DTV remains, for some, the subject of science fiction films from the 70s, the news from Sky would suggest the reality isn’t far away.  The great news is that it would seem this latest evolution in TV won’t require a new set top box, instead Sky are saying an existing Sky+HD box will do the job.  With other broadcasters yet to make any announcements, it may be another reason to pick Sky as your preferred digital TV provider.  Add the fact that they also have a strong broadband (up to 16Mb) and home phone offering, and Sky continues to be one of the digital service providers pushing the innovations. 

Only 3 years ago Sky launched HD digital TV, and that is fast becoming mainstream with over 600,000 subscribers to the Sky service and other broadcasters and digital TV platforms now also offering high definition services.  You wouldn’t bet against Sky being the first to the UK market with 3D and setting the pace again”

Some things to note about 3DTV is that you will need a 3D ready television set, not yet available in UK stores, and you would need to wear 3D polarising glasses but, 3DTV could be on British shores sooner rather than later - Some channels in Japan are already been broadcast in 3D whilst major TV manufacturers are currently looking at building 3DTV prototypes without the need to wear 3D glasses whilst viewing.

Written by chris

Virgin Media customers will once again have access to Sky channels such as Sky1, Sky News and Sky Sports News after the company signed a new channel carriage deal with BSkyB.

Virgin Media subscribers lost access to the channels at the end of February 2007 after a disagreement between the two companies that escalated over the amount that Sky wanted to charge Virgin Media to have access to the channels. 

 Sky and Virgin have since resolved the issue after Virgin agreed to pay Sky £30m per year plus yearly incentives. As such Virgin subscribers can expect to see Sky channels back on their TV’s by the 15^th of November 2008. The channels include Sky1, Sky2, Sky3, Sky News, Sky Sports News, Sky Arts 1, Sky Arts 2, Sky Real Lives and Sky Real Lives 2.At the same time, Sky subscribers will continue to have access to Virgin Media TV’s basic channels, including Living, Bravo, Virgin 1 and Trouble.

Charlie Ponsonby, CEO of Simplifydigital, said: “This is a welcome end to the stand-off between Virgin Media and Sky with the customer the real winner”

Written by chris

IT’S SHAPING UP TO BE AN HD CHRISTMAS DESPITE THE CREDIT CRUNCH

Sky recently announced record growth of customers subscribing to their high definition TV service, reflecting the increasing attractions of the format

High definition TV broadcasting is still very young in the UK, but its attractions are starting to attract record numbers of paying customers despite the credit crunch.  Sky recently announced a record increase of 93,000 in HD subscribers in the last quarter ending 30^th September, bringing their total to just over 590,000.   They offer by far the most HD programming in the UK, but HD subscribers are also growing at Virgin Media and on the new Freesat service from the BBC.

The big players see HD as the “next big thing” for television in the UK and, despite the current economic environment, are investing heavily to greatly increase the variety of high definition (HD) content available to watch.  They are also offering some terrific deals to entice consumers to make the switch to HD viewing in time for Christmas.

So aren’t I already watching in high definition as I have an “HD Ready” TV set?

An “HD Ready” TV set alone will not allow you to watch TV in high definition.  Indeed there are many thousands of households up and down the land convinced that they are watching TV in high definition, when in fact they are not. 

The “HD Ready” TV set has many more pixels per square inch (4 times more than a standard set) allowing it to show pictures in far greater detail and with much more vibrant colours, but only if the content that it is showing is being broadcast and transmitted in high definition.  So you will need the right TV and a set top box able to receive and decode a high definition signal.  HD signals are also broadcast in surround sound making for a much richer sound as well as visual experience.

All the main manufacturers produce HD Ready sets and the chances are that if you have bought a TV recently (especially a flat screen) it will be HD Ready.  But it is very important to check this before subscribing to an HD service.

So is HD worth the additional spend?  If you walk past a TV showing content in HD you will notice a big difference – in fact so proud are new HD viewers that they often ask their friends round to gawp at the clarity of the picture.  Most viewers find that HD is particularly impressive for sporting events, documentaries and to a lesser extent movies and dramas.  Football in HD for example is a huge improvement on the standard TV experience – with players (and the crowd!) visible in extraordinary clarity.  

So in a nutshell, to enjoy HDTV you will need to make sure you have the following:

1. a TV capable of displaying high-definition pictures
2. a receiver that can decode the high definition signal, such Sky’s HD box or Virgin’s V+ box
3. a TV package that includes high definition programmes.

Who is broadcasting HD content and how do I access it?

Sky and the BBC have really pioneered the broadcast of HD content in the UK, but Virgin Media has joined the HD party also. 

Sky offer by far the widest range of HD channels, having recently increased their total to 28 channels offered.  The table below shows who currently shows what in HD….

So how do the various alternatives compare in terms of value for money?

It is shaping up to be an HD Christmas with the providers recognising that as households cut back on going out, staying into to watch a cinema quality movie in high definition and surround sound, is fast becoming a cheap and more attractive alternative.   

For anyone who is serious about watching HD, Sky offers by far the largest selection of HD channels and programming in the UK, covering the whole spectrum of content – from all the premium sporting action, to a large range of movies and documentaries.  The Sky+HD box also has all the features of a Sky+ box so that you can pause and record live TV.  What’s more Sky recently cut the price of their HD box in half to £75 when bought through selected retailers  < www.simplifydigital.co.uk/msnmoney>. 

As Chris Williams, Head of Products at the comparison service Simplifydigital comments “For families looking to watch a wide range of content in high definition  - from drama, to documentaries, sports and movies – then Sky is the only realistic choice.  Sky’s commitment to the HD revolution is really starting to show in terms of the breadth of content that they offer relative to the competition” 

Virgin Media only offer one HD channel, namely the BBC HD channel, but they do have quite a wide variety of on-demand content in high definition.

For the budget HD viewer who is happy to watch only BBC and ITV programming in HD, then Freesat is a possible choice, but the HD content will feel very limited.   Freesat does also have additional Freeview channels to watch in standard definition.

*Prices correct as at 7/11/08

For an impartial consultation and access to the best deals, to help you find the very best high definition package for you, click here or call 0800 138 8090.   

Written by chris

LONDON - BSkyB has passed the 9m subscriber mark after it added more than 400,000 taking Sky + and a record number signing up to Sky+ HD service.

Sky has finished the quarter ended September 30 with 9,067,000 customers.

Sky+ HD subscribers grew by 93,000 to 591,000. The company credited growing awareness of HD and availability of content such as the Olympics for the growth, in addition to its price cut on the service by £99 to £150.

Sky’s broadband and telephony services attracted more sign-ups, with broadband now in 20% of Sky homes thanks to 164,000 new customers and telephony in 15% of Sky homes with 120,000 new customers.

Jeremy Darroch, chief executive of Sky, said: “This is a good set of results in a challenging environment. Over nine million customers now enjoy the best in entertainment through Sky and, in tougher times, we’re helping more people to save money on broadband and telephony as well.”

To find out how you can join the growing Sky family give one of our digital experts a call on 0800 1388 388 or click here to compare sky to other suppliers.

Written by chris

There could be more good news on the way for TV viewers who want to watch their favourite shows in High Definition (HD).

Last week Ofcom announced that they are reserving two Freeview slots for new HD services. One of those slots is for ITV while the other has gone to Channel 4/S4C.

The BBC will also be broadcasting its HD service on Freeview and viewers in the Granada region should be able to watch these three services from late 2009.

The Freeview HD services will then be available on a region by region basis as the country gradually moves from analogue to digital TV over the next 4 years.

But viewers in some UK cities, including London, could be watching these HD channels sooner than was first thought.

Ofcom are looking at whether spectrum could be made temporarily available so that the new HD services on Freeview can be rolled out earlier.

Simplifydigital’s guide to HDTV

 High definition TV is still very young in the UK, but is well and truly coming of age – Beijing was the first Olympics in history to be broadcast in high definition and the BBC showed over 300 hours of HD content during the games. And Sky, the UK’s leading HD broadcaster, now has over half a million subscribers having only launched their service in mid 2006.

 Moreover, all the big players see HD as the “next big thing” for television in the UK and are investing heavily to greatly increase the variety of high definition (HD) content available to watch. But HD viewing doesn’t come cheap and the breadth and depth of content on offer varies significantly across the various platforms offering high definition content.

So what is “high definition” and does it live up to the hype?

 To view content in high definition you first need a “HD Ready” TV.  This is a TV set which has many more pixels per square inch (4 times more than a standard set) allowing it to show pictures in far greater detail and with much more vibrant colours, but only if the content that it is showing is being transmitted in high definition. So you will need the right TV and a set top box able to receive and decode a high definition signal. HD signals are also broadcast in surround sound making for a much richer sound as well as visual experience.

 So in a nutshell, to enjoy HDTV you will need to make sure you have the following:

1.      A TV capable of displaying high-definition pictures
2.      A receiver that can decode the high definition signal, such Sky’s HD box or Virgin’s V+ box
3.      A TV package that includes high definition programmes.

 What is currently shown in HD?

If you walk past a TV showing content in HD you will notice a big difference – in fact so proud are new HD viewers that they often ask their friends round to gawp at the clarity of the picture. Most viewers find that HD is particularly impressive for sporting events, documentaries and to a lesser extent movies and dramas. Football in HD for example is a huge improvement on the standard TV experience – with players (and the crowd!) visible in extraordinary clarity

What does it cost?

For the budget HD viewer who is happy to watch only BBC and ITV programming in HD, then Freesat is a good choice. A Freesat HD box will cost around £150, with an additional £80 for the satellite dish and installation. However there is no monthly cost and no contract. The HD content will feel limited, but Freesat does have the added attraction of many additional channels to watch in standard definition.

 For those looking for a bit more, then Virgin Media represents great value. In addition to the BBC and Channel 4 HD channels they also offer a vast library of high definition content available on-demand through their V+ box. Prices start at £15/month for the basic TV service with a phone line, plus £5 for the V+ subscription. The V+ box also lets you pause and record live TV.

 For anyone who is serious about watching HD, then Sky offers the largest selection of HD channels and programming in the UK, covering the whole spectrum of content – from all the premium sporting action, to a large range of movies and documentaries. The Sky+ HD box also has all the features of a Sky+ box so that you can pause and record live TV. Prices start at £17/month for the basic Sky TV package, plus £10/month for the

HD subscription.

Is HD right for me?

To find out more about the HD services that are available in your area, simply give one of our experts a call or use our online digital services comparison tool.

Written by lee