america's equivalent to sky?

Borris · 29 Jun 2006 at 15:17

Visage said:
...

Subsidising their satellite venture (which is not a money spinner) from other areas is monopolistic, however, and Sky (News International) have been taken to task over this, iirc.

Berserker said:
butt

Heh - You said "butt".

HEADRAT · 29 Jun 2006 at 15:24

Visage said:
But SKy have those rights simply because they can afford to pay more for them than any other company - thats not a monopoly, thats simply capitalism.

Nope thats a monopoly, they are making it impossible for other to compete by abusing their dominant market position.

Exactly the reason why they were made to give up some Premier Football.

HEADRAT

Borris · 29 Jun 2006 at 15:28

HEADRAT said:
Nope thats a monopoly, they are making it impossible for other to compete by abusing their dominant market position.

That would make it a monopsony - where a sole buyer is driving the market.

However, Sky is not abusing any position - It is simply paying more (except for Fox proggies where it pays nothing) than other content resellers are prepared to pay.

Monopoly abuse is price fixing at a level that maximises profit, rather than a level of cost / income equilibrium.

Visage · 29 Jun 2006 at 15:29

HEADRAT said:
Nope thats a monopoly, they are making it impossible for other to compete by abusing their dominant market position.

Exactly the reason why they were made to give up some Premier Football.

HEADRAT

Having more money than anyone else doesnt make it a monopoly.

The BBC, for example could outbid SKy - they just choose not to. A monopoly means that other companies are unable to compete, rather than being unwilling to.....

HEADRAT · 29 Jun 2006 at 15:31

So why were Sky made to give up some Premier Football then?k

The BBC has lost most of its decent sport F1, Cricket, Football etc. because it just can't afford the prices that Sky can.

HEADRAT

Visage · 29 Jun 2006 at 15:42

HEADRAT said:
So why were Sky made to give up some Premier Football then?k

Because the EU decided that no-one braodcaster should have a monopoly on showing football. That does not, however put SKy in an overall monopolistic position. As said, the EU could decide to enforce the rule that Big Brother must not be restricted to one channel, but such a decision would not suddenly turn Channel 4 into a monopoly.

The BBC has lost most of its decent sport F1, Cricket, Football etc. because it just can't afford the prices that Sky can.

That doesnt make Sky a monopoly though. If i get outbid on ebay, does that make the eventaul winner a monopoly?

HEADRAT · 29 Jun 2006 at 15:46

Visage said:
Because the EU decided that no-one braodcaster should have a monopoly on showing football. That does not, however put SKy in an overall monopolistic position. As said, the EU could decide to enforce the rule that Big Brother must not be restricted to one channel, but such a decision would not suddenly turn Channel 4 into a monopoly.

But channel 4 is free to air, to be able to watch the football you had to pay £££.

Visage said:
That doesnt make Sky a monopoly though.

If you are abusing a dominant market position is does, AKA this was exactly the kind of case brought again Microsoft, you price everbody else out of the market and when all the competition is gone you jack up your prices.

HEADRAT

Berserker · 29 Jun 2006 at 15:55

And some would say Sky have already reached that point. My bank manager being one of them.

Heliospherez · 29 Jun 2006 at 16:25

But why watch Football on Sky ?

There are a number of sats available to us in the UK

Lyngsat Shows the Europe ones....

Unfortunately, most people are so uneducated and lazy when it comes to researching Sat channels and TV options - they no nothing about them...and they still fork out their £15 £40 or even £50 a month for a few Astra channels and the ability to record using a dodgy quality PVR with bad compression rates known as Sky+.

If people would realise that dishes can actually move from 28 degrees east(which 95% of the UK are poitned at) and still pick up english spoken movies and shows, they might just drop the rip off that Sky is.

Visage · 29 Jun 2006 at 16:29

divosuk said:
But why watch Football on Sky ?

There are a number of sats available to us in the UK

Lyngsat Shows the Europe ones....

Unfortunately, most people are so uneducated and lazy when it comes to researching Sat channels and TV options - they no nothing about them...and they still fork out their £15 £40 or even £50 a month for a few Astra channels and the ability to record using a dodgy quality PVR with bad compression rates known as Sky+.

If people would realise that dishes can actually move from 28 degrees east(which 95% of the UK are poitned at) and still pick up english spoken movies and shows, they might just drop the rip off that Sky is.

Im surprised you can even bear to get out of bed in a morning with all that contempt in your soul......

HEADRAT · 29 Jun 2006 at 16:29

Agreed, but as I think others have said what seems "easy" for you is not so easy for the uneducated and lazy joe public

HEADRAT

Heliospherez · 29 Jun 2006 at 16:34

I just dont understand why people are willing to pay £50 a month for Sky......It's a massive amount of money - and I sure as hell wouldn't pay that amount for my ISP without researching the alternatives and checking what other options were available to me first.

Just that the vast maj. of people never bother with their SAT TV....Why is that ?

I would guess 90% of the UK dont even know about the other Sats freely available to them in this country.

Berserker · 29 Jun 2006 at 17:13

I wish all channels were PPV, then Murdoch would hardly get any of my money. I watch Sky one, maybe two times a month right now. I'm so tempted to cancel, but apathy and fear of not having the option to go 'switch on' set in and I know I won't.

SexyGreyFox · 29 Jun 2006 at 19:33

divosuk said:
If people would realise that dishes can actually move from 28 degrees east(which 95% of the UK are poitned at) and still pick up english spoken movies and shows, they might just drop the rip off that Sky is.

And don't forget at least 35 channels of 24/7 XXXX channels out there too

Borris · 29 Jun 2006 at 19:43

dmpoole said:
35 channels of 24/7 XXXX

What? There's pr0n with 1/3 extra? Where do I sign up?

Stiff_Cookie · 29 Jun 2006 at 19:57

Castor said:
Here in Tx we have many cable and dish options, we use SuddenLink(formerly Cox communications) if you buy the full package you're looking at about 600 channels and a crap load of pay per view.

You get about 70 channels free on cable if you live in the dark ages and dont have a box

Do you have any problems with Cox Internet? Seems like it has been down a fair bit recently.

SexyGreyFox · 29 Jun 2006 at 20:04

Borris said:
What? There's pr0n with 1/3 extra? Where do I sign up?

Oh yes, this is the stuff just coming off 19 degE and 13 degE (Astra & Hotbird).
I can access it through my PC too.
Theres plenty more on 16E, 5E, 1W and 30W.

Satellite Channels

Of course I've only had the system for football and the odd film.

Jez · 29 Jun 2006 at 20:08

dmpoole said:
Oh boy, how little you know.

Thats my baby attached to a receiver called a Dreambox

The issue is that there is no-where near enough content on all other clusters put together that even comes close to rivalling what you'd get from 28.2 with a simple full sub sky card.

ElRazur · 29 Jun 2006 at 20:10

divosuk said:
I just dont understand why people are willing to pay £50 a month for Sky......It's a massive amount of money - and I sure as hell wouldn't pay that amount for my ISP without researching the alternatives and checking what other options were available to me first.

Just that the vast maj. of people never bother with their SAT TV....Why is that ?

I would guess 90% of the UK dont even know about the other Sats freely available to them in this country.

I agree, the price is a rip off.
My brother just recently installed a chipped box with satellite and i am amased at how many channel the thing can receive. You get to watch premiership matches too and oh plenty of xxxxx deep throat porn movies. All in all it cost him 300pounds to get a fully motorised dish and chipped box!

Me on the other hand will love to do it but i am facing the wrong place and live on the first floor of a 12 storey building block of flats.

Jez · 29 Jun 2006 at 20:12

divosuk said:
I just dont understand why people are willing to pay £50 a month for Sky......It's a massive amount of money
.

At the end of the day though, its not really is it. Sky is £42pm for the full sky+ whack, for that you get loads of channels and the main bonus is the really really good PVR system, arguably the best all rounder on the market.

What else could i buy for £42pm, sod all.

america's equivalent to sky?

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