Sky and Discovery channels, what's going on?

Sky and Discovery channels, what's going on?

Author
Discussion

Jazoli

Original Poster:

9,129 posts

252 months

Wednesday 25th January 2017
quotequote all
According to this report http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/01/25/dis... Discovery Channel are planning to pull all their programs from Sky, just turned over to 520 and got a banner on the screen warning of this, and this is the link from the on screen prompt http://keepdiscovery.co.uk/ anybody know any more?

Edited by Jazoli on Wednesday 25th January 20:39

ukaskew

10,642 posts

223 months

Wednesday 25th January 2017
quotequote all
Money, basically.

Google Sky Discovery Channel, quite a few articles with quotes from both sides.

poing

8,743 posts

202 months

Wednesday 25th January 2017
quotequote all
If they all stopped spending so much on sport coverage then it wouldn't be an issue. I can't believe the price they pay for sport is good value so they have nobody to blame but themselves.

As ever it's the viewers that suffer again, either with higher costs (regardless of them watching sport) or in the case channels and shows being dropped.

ukaskew

10,642 posts

223 months

Wednesday 25th January 2017
quotequote all

CAPP0

19,661 posts

205 months

Wednesday 25th January 2017
quotequote all
My Discovery channels are all working fine, and no banners. it's one of the only reasons I keep Sky; I'd go to Virgin or other if I could get Discovery channels elsewhere.

Haven't read the links; do they say where the Disc channels are going?

BUG4LIFE

2,034 posts

220 months

Wednesday 25th January 2017
quotequote all
That sucks.

towser44

3,512 posts

117 months

Wednesday 25th January 2017
quotequote all
Not good as it includes both Eurosport 1 and 2

Leithen

11,116 posts

269 months

Wednesday 25th January 2017
quotequote all
bks, that's Eurosport gone.

Halb

53,012 posts

185 months

Wednesday 25th January 2017
quotequote all
I was worried that History might be included, but History is staying! Whooooo.

A rather sudden notice date too....I guess they really tried to slug it out.

Jazoli

Original Poster:

9,129 posts

252 months

Wednesday 25th January 2017
quotequote all
Well I'm going to be calling them tomorrow and stripping my package right down to the basics, I only watch the discovery channels, I like the new Sky Q box and mini box but there's f all else to watch.

jurbie

2,351 posts

203 months

Wednesday 25th January 2017
quotequote all
Eurosport have an offer until the end of the month on the player app, a years subscription for £20 rather than £60.

http://uk.eurosportplayer.com/subscription/pass.sh...

I used the day pass for last years Le Mans and it worked really well using Chromecast to beam it to the telly.

The Big G

991 posts

170 months

Wednesday 25th January 2017
quotequote all
I'm another one that only really watches sky f1 and discovery channels. Will not be happy and will be looking to cancel my contract if this is the case. Really pissed off at the moment as I'm sure others are. I thought long and hard before renewing and will definitely be looking towards virgin next. Especially if channels are cut off. Will we get a refund for while the channels are blank, Fat chance of that!!! frown

Trigbert

124 posts

132 months

Wednesday 25th January 2017
quotequote all
Well that's about 80% of my viewing gone. So its ok for my subscription to hike up to pay for kissball but when it comes to something I actually watch they find some principles and ditch it, that's just nob! Thankfully my 12month deal ends next month, back to plusnetTV for me.

lemonoo7

109 posts

153 months

Wednesday 25th January 2017
quotequote all
We pretty much only have sky for discovery, are virgin or bt good alternatives?

rscott

14,835 posts

193 months

Wednesday 25th January 2017
quotequote all
I wouldn't do anything until the channel actually goes - wouldn't be surprised to see a very last minute deal between the two.

The channels are an important part of Sky's packages, plus the Sky customers make up the majority of those channels viewers. Could Discovery afford to lose over half the UK viewers - imagine the impact on advertising revenue.

Sky reporting a 17% drop in viewing figures for those channels over the past few years. Presumably that's because they've mainly become reality TV channels?
Seems like Discovery want Sky to pay more because they'll have the Olympics (bid a billion for the rights), but Sky are saying they don't particularly add that much value.

MissChief

7,154 posts

170 months

Thursday 26th January 2017
quotequote all
rscott said:
I wouldn't do anything until the channel actually goes - wouldn't be surprised to see a very last minute deal between the two.

The channels are an important part of Sky's packages, plus the Sky customers make up the majority of those channels viewers. Could Discovery afford to lose over half the UK viewers - imagine the impact on advertising revenue.

Sky reporting a 17% drop in viewing figures for those channels over the past few years. Presumably that's because they've mainly become reality TV channels?
Seems like Discovery want Sky to pay more because they'll have the Olympics (bid a billion for the rights), but Sky are saying they don't particularly add that much value.
Considering that the Olympics are a 'grade 1' event according to OFCOM so must be shown on FTA TV and the BBC signed up the rights from Discovery Networks either last year or in 2015 it's a non-starter.

Was nearly a year ago actually. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/35473371

generationx

6,930 posts

107 months

Thursday 26th January 2017
quotequote all
This is madness. My Sky package specifically includes the Discovery, NatGeo and History channels (I believe when I took the subscription it was called the Documentary Package) so does this mean I´ll be paying for something I can no longer receive? WTF?

RemaL

24,980 posts

236 months

Thursday 26th January 2017
quotequote all
Yup another who uses why for Discovery channels so seems I will be jumping ship soon as well

towser44

3,512 posts

117 months

Thursday 26th January 2017
quotequote all
As someone posted above, I wouldn't panic yet. As Discovery have paid so much for the Olympics rights, at some point they are really going to need the income from Sky so a deal must be likely. Reading the Telegraph report, German TV have the same issue, so someone is going to have to give in and it's Discovery who've made the outlay on the Olympics that they are going to need to cover.

Halb

53,012 posts

185 months

Thursday 26th January 2017
quotequote all
Just watched a show I've really enjoyed, the Idris Elba fight programme, and saw the banner.
Luckily, the last ep is broadcast before the 1st! biggrin