BT and Sky wholesale arrangements for 2019

[Deleted User]

http://home.bt.com/news/bt-life/bt-and-sky-agree-supply-of-market-leading-tv-channels-on-each-others-platforms-11364237076521
Over a year to wait but at least it's in the pipeline. BT to get the FULL Now TV package but unfortunately that will still mean no recording of Sky's entertainment channels. It will however open up all of the Sky Sports channels to BT customers.
BT wholesaling BT Sports channels to Sky. 

Joe

Wow that took a long time, and still a year to wait. Still positive news for YouView in the long run. I hope this is similar to Netflix in that it’s made available to retail customers too. I imagined there will be much confusion and discontent if after all this time it’s kept to BT customers only. 

If memory serves this was the way Netflix was announced. Much of the BT press made it sound like it was exclusive though BT customers only. 

scott

I hope that will be at least 720p for
Movies and entertainment.

Joe

scott said:

I hope that will be at least 720p for
Movies and entertainment.

can’t imagine BT accepting a deal for SD only 

Joe

Also coming at an interesting time for Sky as Murdoch has sold it Disney 

Joe

Just goes to show what the real reason for YouView not carrying full Nowtv. Not so much a technical, it’s commercial bargaining between BT and Sky. 

Half makes me wonder whether we’ll see the reinstatement of Skystore now that both parties are happy? It’s sudden removal had the distinct whiff of commercial bickering 

Joe

Can we no longer edit posts? 

[Deleted User]

Certainly seems reading this http://www.a516digital.com/2017/12/bt-and-sky-resolve-long-running-channel.html that this will be exlusive to BT TV customers as this is a Sky/BT deal and not a Sky/Youview deal. 
I see from that article Sky customers will also have access to BT Sport as an app on a Now TV box.

Just goes to show what the real reason for YouView not carrying full Nowtv. Not so much a technical, it’s commercial bargaining between BT and Sky.
That has always been known to be the reason. The bickering between the two parties led Sky to refuse to make all its Now TV content available until they could get the right to wholesale BT's sports channels (and vice versa).

@Joe I've just been able to edit this post.

Joe

@Robert still can’t figure out the editing process. Perhaps it’s only desktop?

Very interesting from a retail perspective. It goes to show just how much sway BT has on the YouView platform with regards to new content deals. I suppose it’s inevitable. Still I’m glad it’s heading in the right direction.

I distinctly remember Netflix being announced like this too. Retail customers were concerned at the time that it would be BT only. We were proved wrong.

Joe

Just in time for the final season of Game of thrones...wait a minute did they really say 2019?

redchiz

Surely the timing cannot be coincidental, the day after the Disney takeover was announced? And the long lead-in period would support that, leaving time for regulatory approval and/or arrangements for the part of Sky that Fox do not already own.

speedyrite

@redchiz Yes I thought so too although I see that "Disney will not push for Sky if UK regulator rejects Murdoch bid"

Daniel

BT are giving away a lot here. Basically there getting the short end of the deal because it's impossible to record any programs from a now TV app. Also if sky undercut bt in price you can see lots of bt sport customers cancelling from bt and getting the channels back from sky. Hopefully retail customers get the opportunity to use now TV but obviously pay with there card. 

Ash

speedyrite said:

@redchiz Yes I thought so too although I see that "Disney will not push for Sky if UK regulator rejects Murdoch bid"

is it possible that the competition and markets authority is more likely to say no to the sky takeover bid? because circumstances have changed significantly from when the bid was originally submitted. The competition and markets authority could quite reasonably turn round and say that a new bid for the takeover of sky must now be submitted at a later date. If that is what Disney wishes

redchiz

@Ash The speculation at the moment is quite the contrary, the major objection to the pre-existing buyout by Fox for Sky was on the grounds of media plurality, specifically news and the fact that Sky News would be conjoined with Murdoch's existing print and web titles. That obstacle has effectively been removed if Murdoch has now agreed to sell Sky on to Disney.

[Deleted User]

Daniel said:

BT are giving away a lot here. Basically there getting the short end of the deal because it's impossible to record any programs from a now TV app. Also if sky undercut bt in price you can see lots of bt sport customers cancelling from bt and getting the channels back from sky. Hopefully retail customers get the opportunity to use now TV but obviously pay with there card. 

Very disappointing that the Sky channels cannot be recorded. I too feel Sky will be the winners here as you can bet your house on them undercutting BTs pricing to prise customers over to their platform.

speedyrite

redchiz said:

@Ash The speculation at the moment is quite the contrary, the major objection to the pre-existing buyout by Fox for Sky was on the grounds of media plurality, specifically news and the fact that Sky News would be conjoined with Murdoch's existing print and web titles. That obstacle has effectively been removed if Murdoch has now agreed to sell Sky on to Disney.

There is, however, a belief amongst some of the Sky shareholders (like myself) that the value per share that Fox offer under valued Sky, and so Disney might have to pay significantly more value per share than Fox offered in order to secure the remaining 61% of Sky, but that is something that perhaps Disney might not be willing to do. Well maybe not right now anyway.

redchiz

Indeed, there are quite a few imponderables along the way, despite Murdoch brushing them aside when interviewed on Sky News yesterday, a remarkably sprightly performance which bore no resemblance to the shambolic, forgetful old man who attended the House of Commons Select Committee and Leveson Inquiry on phone hacking a few years back, strange that.

Visionman

Its a dangerous time for everyone. YouViews numbers seem to have plateaued around the 3m mark.
I don't know if people know this but the birth of YouView inadvertently caused the death of TopUpTV, which also had around 3m users. But then it went blip.

This wholesale deal basically means any user can join any platform and get any channel they want via any platform. Thats a significant change that will effect the subscription market forever.

Roy

Joe said:

Can we no longer edit posts? 

I edit fine on my iPad. What is your difficulty, exactly?

Look - edited!

Ash

Yesterday I was trying to post about the kind of video quality people will probably get from now TV on youview when everything goes live. But the some reason the forum wouldn't let me and after about third attempt of trying. I noticed a tiny pop-up in the bottom left corner of the screen saying that my post would appear. Once it had been approved, which is a bit strange.

Darren

This is good news. Just a shame you will not be able to record the Sky channels. Depending on price I may take the Now TV entertainment package with BT TV. Even if its just for the Sky Box sets. Although I like movies and sport I don't watch enough movies and sport in a month to be paying extra for Sky Cinema and Sky Sports. 
I have Netflix and share the monthly cost with my sister and find Netflix good value for two screens plus HD. 
About 75% of my TV viewing in the last year or two now tends to be HD.
Also 60% of my TV viewing in the last year or so has been via on demand services like Netflix and catch up TV. I still at times tend to record broadcast TV as not all shows are on catch up.

Darren

redchiz

@Darren So you are more likely to take up NOW TV if it becomes available on your BT YouView box than you are curently on the many other alternatives already out there?

Visionman

Thats a top question. And valid. Have a like.

[Deleted User]

Agreed @redchiz. It's not like you can't already get it in a myriad of other devices or TV apps.

Daniel

If I was that desperate for now tv I wouldn't goto BT or any other company who may become a reseller in future I would get a now TV box or use a Chromecast in the event that retail users get blocked out of the goodies that get added for now TV. I personally find there is more than enough on Netflix in terms of TV and movies and it's fantastic value and there is no way I could watch everything so no need for me to use now TV at present. I recently purchased Amazon prime as well so even more to watch on there along with getting my items next day delivery.

Roy

Ash said:

Yesterday I was trying to post about the kind of video quality people will probably get from now TV on youview when everything goes live. But the some reason the forum wouldn't let me and after about third attempt of trying. I noticed a tiny pop-up in the bottom left corner of the screen saying that my post would appear. Once it had been approved, which is a bit strange.

I just got the same thing, trying to reply to Daniel, below  

But this posted perfectly well.

Maybe because I used a link? Or used the Sky word? No.....

@Sarah?

Darren

redchiz said:

@Darren So you are more likely to take up NOW TV if it becomes available on your BT YouView box than you are curently on the many other alternatives already out there?

Its just more handy not to have another box under the TV. I don't want to have a Now TV Box was well as the Youview + box that I already have.
It will depend on price and packages if I take Now TV entertainment pass or not.

Darren

Keith

Roy said:

Ash said:

Yesterday I was trying to post about the kind of video quality people will probably get from now TV on youview when everything goes live. But the some reason the forum wouldn't let me and after about third attempt of trying. I noticed a tiny pop-up in the bottom left corner of the screen saying that my post would appear. Once it had been approved, which is a bit strange.

I just got the same thing, trying to reply to Daniel, below  

But this posted perfectly well.

Maybe because I used a link? Or used the Sky word? No.....

@Sarah?

@Roy, @Ash, @Sarah - I would speculate what is going on here is an unintended/unexpected consequence of (Akismet and/or StopForumSpam?) spam filtering which I think Sarah recently tweaked.

I've not looked in any detail as to how the spam filtering in Vanilla works but hopefully @Sarah can look at the trapped posts, confirm the reason they are held for moderation, e.g. user unverified and post contains an external link (purely speculative guess as to the sort of rule it may apply). If it is something like that and accounts are verified/unverified it would be worth checking that regular user accounts are properly flagged as verified and hence have the expected level of trust.

Joe

Roy said:

Joe said:

Can we no longer edit posts? 

I edit fine on my iPad. What is your difficulty, exactly?

Look - edited!

@Roy the facility to edit a post doesn’t appear to be available when using the iPhone. I’ve had a look at the desktop version and there does appear to be an arrow pointing down in the top right corner of the post to edit, this seems to be absent on the iPhone. Perhaps I’m missing something?

Daniel

I have always used my mobile phone when posting. Since day 1 of the new forum I have never been able to access the edit facility unless I click view desktop site on Google chrome then press a little arrow on my post. It's definitely a inconvenience.