Undercutting Sky

[scene]

Sky has, in the past, cross-funded its Satellite business from other parts of its business and engaged in other *interesting* practices to help ensure that competition has been squeezed out of the market. Their recent record on major investment is dubious. When it comes to new programming, they have a habit of letting other channels take the risks with new programmes and then, once the clear viewer favourites have been established, securing exclusive rights to said programmes to help increase market share - see the history of Lost, 24, Prison Break, Stargate (need I continue?).

For whatever reason, Sky now has an effective monopoly on Satellite TV in the UK and, in certain areas of Sport, an effective monopoly on the TV rights across Europe. It therefore behooves the regulators in the UK (and in the case of Sport - Europe) to ensure that Sky does not abuse this position, much as Anti-Trust laws do in the US.
This was witnessed, in part, in the last round of bidding for Premier Football rights, where any one party (read Sky) was prevented from gaining rights to all games. (How effective this was can be discussed elsewhere.)
Again, Sky's attempts to prevent competition by preventing NTL / Virgin from buying ITV (and thus gaining programme production and a greater ability to compete for Sky's jewel the Premier Football rights) by buying a block of ITV shares have been subject to legal challenge and Sky has now lost its appeal and will be forced to reduce its share holding.

Now Ofcom is correctly performing its role, to protect the consumer and encourage competition by ensuring that Sky cannot abuse its dominant position in the market and to force it to drop its wholesale prices to competitors for content. Sky has taken advantage of just such a ruling to compete on broadband with BT and now must learn that the sword of regulation is two-edged.

We, as consumers, should welcome this move as, in the long run, it could ensure that we get better services for less. Imagine a world where there was not competition to Sky, or where there was not market regulation? This is the situation for pubs showing live football, where Sky is effectively the only supplier and there is no regulation as this is a B2B market. Sky decided a while back that pubs could afford to pay for the privilege of showing matches and could offset costs by increased beer sales so upped their prices by nearly 1,000%!

Now do you still want to complain about OfCom's actions?

 

[Andrew Everard]

Darren Heal:An interesting snippet from the Haymarket website...

Your point being?

 

[Clare Newsome]

Not to mention that the contract has since expired - Sky now produces its own sports mag....

 

[sonycentre]

yes sky do provide their own sports mag,all sky subscibers get a copy every month,along with sky mag and the movie mag as well.I dont see why people get so uptight with rupert murdoch.he is a Buiesness man.a few weeks ago people were having a pop at simon cowell.You cannot not be ruthless and not leave some dead tissuies around the place.sky have brought this country into modern times.first with sky digital,then with sky hd.I know that when sky started out,sky were losing 3 million a day.People have a choice you have sky tv or you dont.If you really dont like murdoch then dont watch any 20th centery fox film from 1985,dont read the sun.news of the world.the times,use myspace.........and so on.If we all had the chance to earn millions we would all tread on a few heads to get what we wanted.Think of it this way,are we all not ruthless when we shop? yes we are.If you can get something cheaper then you will.you dont care if someone goes out of buiesness,as long as you get what you want.

 

[Andrew Everard]

 

[robjcooper]

the_lhc,

Can you please explain to me how you equate sticking loads of illegible rubbish primary coloured graphics over a mid shot of a bland bloke and a blond in a 'studio' the size of a small toilet (as to me that seems to be Sky Sports' sole 'original' contribution to sport coverage), to investing more in technology than anybody in this country over the last 50 years?

The majority of the technical infrastructure to get all that sports coverage to their 'studios', was originally put in place by British Telecom (and its previous incarnation the GPO) and done to the requirements and specifications of the highly qualified engineering departments of the BBC and ITV. All of the uplinks, microwave feeds, fibre channel, 4-way comms links etc were in place already. As to obtaining the actual coverage, Sky own no OB units, simply hiring the trucks and crews from the BBC and other Independent suppliers - (and will probably be paying peanuts for them and demanding the earth).

Sky's largest investment in sport has been using their cash to poach the most popular sports from other broadcasters and thus depriving the majority of the british public of them, hoping that by doing so the public would be so desperate that they would sign up for the 956 other crappy channels (which Sky make no programmes for just buy in), in order to watch their favourite Premier League team. Not that Sky weren't aided and abetted by the greed of those people running the sports.

Considering that Sky only started broadcasting in Feb 1989 what on earth do you think was available for sports fans on TV for the other 29 of those 'last 50 years' ? So, no live Olympics or world cup coverage, no football, cricket, darts, snooker, motor racing, cricket, horse racing, tennis, wrestling (well, maybe not!) and many many more, all done to the highest standards by the finest broadcasters with some of the most highly respected crews in the world. 4 years before Sky started, I worked on OB trucks where we were trying out some of the technology we now take for granted - live microwave feeds from motorbike cameras, animated graphics, live sat links to studio, VTR's and cameras in 'interesting locations', steadicam coverage, robot cameras, etc etc.

You may argue, they've given you HD and soon you'll be getting 3D. So what's the big deal - it's still the same set up but shot in a different format. The directors, cameramen, sound crew and production staff (usually freelance) have probably been doing it for years and are the best in the business. An SD, HD or 3D camera situated on the half way line or behind the goal is the same shot to them whatever format it is. And I'd like to bet that 99% of the camera locations in the majority of grounds haven't changed since the 70's.

Murdoch himself described sport as a "battering ram" for pay-television - which, along with his son's credo of profit before creativity, tells you a lot.

So, standby VT, run the text crawl, mix to the chroma key background and cue the blond......that's entertainment !

 

[Anonymous]

sonycentre:yes sky do provide their own sports mag,all sky subscibers get a copy every month,along with sky mag and the movie mag as well.I dont see why people get so uptight with rupert murdoch.he is a Buiesness man.a few weeks ago people were having a pop at simon cowell.You cannot not be ruthless and not leave some dead tissuies around the place.sky have brought this country into modern times.first with sky digital,then with sky hd.I know that when sky started out,sky were losing 3 million a day.People have a choice you have sky tv or you dont.If you really dont like murdoch then dont watch any 20th centery fox film from 1985,dont read the sun.news of the world.the times,use myspace.........and so on.If we all had the chance to earn millions we would all tread on a few heads to get what we wanted.Think of it this way,are we all not ruthless when we shop? yes we are.If you can get something cheaper then you will.you dont care if someone goes out of buiesness,as long as you get what you want.hmmm , so the next time your selling a tv plus bluray player plus sat install plus 3 free blurays , and the customer tries to beat you down on price , you will respect and understand him , as you say youve got to stand on a few heads , you wont go on a forum like this , and moan about it ?? right ??

 

[Alantiggger]

Hammill it's not nor ever a good idea to take things out of context especially when quoting someone ..
The fellow you ridicule is a decent sort of human being and you might not agree with all or a lot of things he says... or even none of what he says but be fair what he said was more like ...

Robertson, the host of the "700
Club," blamed the tragedy on something that "happened a long time ago
in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it."

The Haitians "were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III
and whatever," Robertson said on his broadcast Wednesday. "And they got
together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, 'We will serve you
if you will get us free from the French.' True story. And so, the devil
said, 'OK, it's a deal.' "

Native Haitians defeated French colonists in 1804 and declared independence.

"You know, the Haitians revolted and got themselves free. But ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other."

jings, Before 2005, rapes in Haiti were treated as nothing more than "crimes
of passion," Charles explained. That changed because of the collective
efforts of these women activists -- and others they inspired. (the three women died in that earthquake)

With the three leaders gone, there is concern about the future of
Haiti's women and girls. Even with all that's been achieved, the
struggle for equality and against violence remains enormous.

Before the disaster struck last week, a survey of Haitian women and
girls showed an estimated 72 percent had been raped, according to study
done by Kay Fanm. And at least 40 percent of the women surveyed were
victims of domestic violence, Bien-Aim‚ said... some country

So what he says about this might not endere itself to non-believing folk of his persuasion or even to others but WHO KNOWS what's going on just now in the world... it's getting a wee bit out of hand all over the shop ... weird even.

Anyway Sky charge too much for loads of channels which show repeat after repeat and their footy coverage could be a LOT better

I mean Andy Gray ... good grief ! he lost his brains headering others' feet and goal-posts lol.

 

[sonycentre]

hmmm , so the next time your selling a tv plus bluray player plus sat install plus 3 free blurays , and the customer tries to beat you down on price , you will respect and understand him , as you say youve got to stand on a few heads , you wont go on a forum like this , and moan about it ?? right ??

Maxflinn..........you forgot to mention the free 5 year warrenty we give our customers as well.lol.Anyway,I can come on hear and comment on things,I have to smile and be nice 6 days a week,so yeah im gonna vent my spleen when some people try and beat me down on price when deals we do are that good,I shop but i would not go into a shop and pull the piece of paper out and come out with the comments some people try to come out with.But thats just me,i wont pay over the odds but i value customer service,and relize how volatile this market can be.

 

[Anonymous]

sonycentre:
hmmm , so the next time your selling a tv plus bluray player plus sat install plus 3 free blurays , and the customer tries to beat you down on price , you will respect and understand him , as you say youve got to stand on a few heads , you wont go on a forum like this , and moan about it ?? right ??


Maxflinn..........you forgot to mention the free 5 year warrenty we give our customers as well.lol.Anyway,I can come on hear and comment on things,I have to smile and be nice 6 days a week,so yeah im gonna vent my spleen when some people try and beat me down on price when deals we do are that good,I shop but i would not go into a shop and pull the piece of paper out and come out with the comments some people try to come out with.But thats just me,i wont pay over the odds but i value customer service,and relize how volatile this market can be.

damm , i forgot about the warranty , i knew there was something else

, the thing is , if it were simon cowell , or murdoch , that were being offered your great deal , im sure they would both try and knock your price , and their worth billions , thats a quality (or not , depending how you see it) that i dont appreciate....

put it this way , if i seen murdoch walking down the street , i could quite easily wrestle him to the ground , and take his wallet ...i would have that power over him , in a physical sense...

now , i wouldnt do that , even though i could , because im a nice person ,and respect other people , and of course its against the law ..

so , how does he use the power that he has ?? well he uses it to get more power , more money , he doesnt care about the many thousands of pensioners that cant afford sky , and so cant watch their team play live on the tv now and again , if he could monopolise the coverage of all british sport , he would , in a heartbeat ...

its all about him , and i dont think hes a very nice person , in fact i doubt that anyone thinks hes a nice person , if you worked for him , and he thought that you thought that he was a nice person , he,d probably fire you , if the likes of him had a little bit more humility , the world would be a better place ...

theres nothing wrong with trying to achieve , but i can think of many better people than the likes of cowell and murdoch to look up to ....(rant over now)

 

[hammill]

Alantiggger:
Hammill it's not nor ever a good idea to take things out of context especially when quoting someone ..

The fellow you ridicule is a decent sort of human being and you might not agree with all or a lot of things he says... or even none of what he says but be fair what he said was more like ...

Robertson, the host of the "700 Club," blamed the tragedy on something that "happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it."

The Haitians "were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III and whatever," Robertson said on his broadcast Wednesday. "And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, 'We will serve you if you will get us free from the French.' True story. And so, the devil said, 'OK, it's a deal.' "

Native Haitians defeated French colonists in 1804 and declared independence.

"You know, the Haitians revolted and got themselves free. But ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other."

jings, Before 2005, rapes in Haiti were treated as nothing more than "crimes of passion," Charles explained. That changed because of the collective efforts of these women activists -- and others they inspired. (the three women died in that earthquake)

With the three leaders gone, there is concern about the future of Haiti's women and girls. Even with all that's been achieved, the struggle for equality and against violence remains enormous.

Before the disaster struck last week, a survey of Haitian women and girls showed an estimated 72 percent had been raped, according to study done by Kay Fanm. And at least 40 percent of the women surveyed were victims of domestic violence, Bien-Aim‚ said... some country

So what he says about this might not endere itself to non-believing folk of his persuasion or even to others but WHO KNOWS what's going on just now in the world... it's getting a wee bit out of hand all over the shop ... weird even.

Anyway Sky charge too much for loads of channels which show repeat after repeat and their footy coverage could be a LOT better

I mean Andy Gray ... good grief ! he lost his brains headering others' feet and goal-posts lol.

Thank you for the whole quote. More proof that the man is a bumbling cretin. A decent man? don't make me laugh. The primary reason that Haiti is in a mess is their rich neighbours did not like free slaves and made life in the island very difficult. The reason they had an earthquake is due to plate tectonics not some ridiculous curse. Some more evidence of a "decent man"

"I'd like to say to the good citizens of Dover: If there is a disaster in your area, don't turn to God, you just rejected him from your city. And don't wonder why he hasn't helped you when problems begin, if they begin. I'm not saying they will, but if they do, just remember, you just voted God out of your city. And if that's the case, don't ask for his help because he might not be there." --Pat Robertson, after the city of Dover, Pennsylvania voted to boot the current school board, which instituted an intelligent design policy that led to a federal trial"

I know this is painful for the ladies to hear, but if you get married, you have accepted the headship of a man, your husband. Christ is the head of the household and the husband is the head of the wife, and that's the way it is, period." -Pat Robertson

"I would warn Orlando that you're right in the way of some serious hurricanes, and I don't think I'd be waving those flags in God's face if I were you, This is not a message of hate -- this is a message of redemption. But a condition like this will bring about the destruction of your nation. It'll bring about terrorist bombs; it'll bring earthquakes, tornadoes, and possibly a meteor." -Pat Robertson, on "gay days" at Disneyworld

 

[sonycentre]

With you all the way on that maxflinn.I have met james murdoch,and i found him a scream,really into his music and has a passion for japanise animie.he told me that when you are a buiesness like theres,you cant afford to be nice,as someone will always try to take you down,and you cant leave your guard down.I do have respect for what they do.but the same can be said for simon cowell,he failed on o many levels...but as his mum said he came back fighting.and hes won.most corparations,will do thing to get themselves out there.its all part of a buiessness model.I suppose when you have mass power you get numb.If the likes of murdoch or cowell dont do it someone else will............