Bellow is a news release I found on Waveguide, that may be of interest to us in North America. Especialy that we are starting to see some tensions in Canada, between the Cable, Satellite and local TV Stations.
Sky and Virgin Talking.
Sky and Virgin Media have held talks to resolve the dispute that led the satellite broadcaster to withdraw its basic channels from the cable TV platform last year, according to Neil Berkett, Virgin Media’s chief executive.
Speaking after Virgin Media announced a gain of 4,900 new cable customers in the first three months of the year, having lost nearly 47,000 in the same quarter in 2007, Neil Berkett said the change in management in both firms had allowed talks to begin.
Mr. Berkett took the top job eight weeks ago, while Jeremy Darroch has taken the reins at Sky after James Murdoch’s promotion within his father’s News Corp empire.
Mr. Berkett said: “There is no emotional legacy around the position and I have a lot of respect for Jeremy as a leader, so who knows?
“We have ongoing dialogue.”
Last year’s dispute between the two companies was ignited by Sky’s decision to reduce the amount it paid Virgin Media for its channels, such as Living and Bravo, on the satellite platform. Virgin Media then tried to lower the cost of Sky’s channels, such as Sky One, on its platform and the satellite company decided to pull them completely.
Virgin Media is still suing Sky. “Headlines that we have kissed and made up are a slight exaggeration,” said Berkett. “We are still in court and fiercely fighting our position.”
