Sky tumbles as subscribers switch to cheaper packages

carrolls

Got this on the Digital Spy board (cough cough):D
http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/story.jsp?story=375866
I think Sky are going to have to revamp the Movie channels and show more recent movies on them.
Until they can compete at some level with Cinema and DVD, £400(€605.42) per year on average seems a bit optimistic.

Samson

I'm paying €636 per annum (€53 per month) to Sky at the moment, and to be honest, I'm also beginning to wonder about the level of value I'm receiving.
My package is: Sky Movies Premier channels, FilmFour and all the other usual non sub. channels (family pack?).
I am thinking of dropping the Sky Premier part of my package as any of the movies on it that I would be interested in, I have most likely seen in the cinema, most of what they show is shite or repeats.
I like FilmFour though, and would hang on to that.

I have never used Sky Box Office, as compared to the video shop (which has the film six months earlier), it is expensive.

LFCFan

I'm seriously considering getting rid of the movie channels too. I think we've maybe watched 3 or 4 since we got in Sky on November. We've got the full package at €60 a month at the mo and €720 a year is very steep.

mijmu

I have just downgraded this morning. I think I have looked at Sky movies about 3 times since Christams. Most of films are rubbish or I have seen them before. I also had Sky Sports but found myself using it less and less. So I am now on the Entertainment pack and have also got an FTV card.

yankinlk

downgraded last week, but kept the film four as well.

Tony

From customer feedback I would say that the movies package is regarded as the least value. I think they should go with less channels and more quality

Tony

mijmu

what is the subscription for filmfour and how can I subscribe.

DMC

http://www.filmfour.com/subscribe/subscribe_01.jsp

mijmu

How much does filmfour cost

Washout

Am also downgrading and removing sky movies package...they show tehe same movie once ever three days for what seems to be like 6-8 months.

no value at all at all

J

Saruman

Might do the same myself... there is ususally little on.. but i almsot never watch terrestrial TV any more... I do watch sky 1 a lot though so might stick with that.

daithi01

can you tell me if you have to have your original package that you subscribed to for a particular length of time or can you change at any time you want ? thanks for any info.

Jimmyireland

As far as I know once you have sub for mths you can change packages as often as you like after that

Jimmyireland

that should be 12 months

Mountjoy Mugger

It's not that bad. You should be able to change to a lower package after 1 month. I presume you're enquiring if there's a catch with the 1/2 installation? - that was the way anyway, unless it's changed.

DMC

Merged with existing thread.

Samson

Originally posted by mijmu
what is the subscription for filmfour and how can I subscribe.

Originally posted by mijmu
How much does filmfour cost

All you have to do is 'phone the Sky call-centre and tell them to add FilmFour to your package.
I think cost is €7.62 a month.

Jimmyireland

I cancelled my sub for sky movies last night. I was cut off in minutes.

I also completed an application form on Film Four web site and submitted it.

Any one got any idea how long it takes to connect Film Four, I did not have it three hours later last night

Tom

If you ring Sky direct they will connect you straight away apperently.

JDxtra

Is there a minimum subscription period for Film Four?

watty

Family Pack is the only thing resembling good value and that is cos if you are outside Cable Area, to get a decent lineup on MMDS is 39 Euro compared with Family pack of abount 27 Euro

Basic Analog Cable is a good basic value, but (a) most people can't get it. (b) Any time in Limerick or Dublin I did have it the quality was terrible (coat hanger in Aerial Socket gives better RTE!).

Buying a good DVD classic and/or VHS each month for your own library is better value than Movie Channel. If its any good I buy it rather than rent at Xtra Vision etc, which mostly only has new releases so no good as Video Library.

Sport I don't watch (except maybe odd car rally or figure skating on Eurosport ), so I'm not tempted to that insanity of Sky Expense.

Beacuse of FTV, the UK Sky subs have less reason than us for keeping sub after first year, though even with no FTV, and just FTA a free Sky system is worth keeping switched on.

Ozzie

i got rid of the movies last month. will do the same with sports in may, prob until christmas might never get them if galaxie sport lives up to its potential. I am still considering a FTA card & box.

Mossy Monk

is Galaxie encrypted today or is it just a dodgy signal

carrolls

Its always encrypted at the weekend.

Mossy Monk

it wasn't last weekend

Saruman

What do i need to call Sky and cancel sky movies?? Will my name/address do or should i have some sky customer number or my Digicard number or something?

DMC

If you had all that, that would be enough.

Saruman

Well what i wanted to know specifically was can i call them now while in work... all i could give them is my name/address... Would they need anything else? Or should i just wait and write down all the other info and do it tomorrow? Also does anyone know when they close? Is it just business hours or could i call them tonight when i get home?

DMC

With problems of pronunciation and so on, it might be handier for them to search for the viewing card number, because it can cause problems on the end of line if you say you are from Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch or Carraiganochnahoona.

LFCFan

we just cancelled out movie subscription. Monthly cost is now €49 instead of €60.

It took me all of 3 minutes to ring them, get through and get them to sort it for me. They told me exactly how much I was saving, how much of a credit I would get on my next bill because I was in the middle of a month and were polite.

Compare that to when I was on NTL digital and I wanted to remove the movie channels. First of all it took me 45 mins to get through and then they had to patch me through to another dept which took another 20 mins. Then they couldn't find my account and when they did they told me I'd just have to wait for my next bill to find out how much credit I would get and how much the new monthly cost would be. Then after all that they never cancelled the movie channels but still reduced my bill(incompetant or what). Movies suddenly disappeared about 2 months later.

Mossy Monk

i cancelled Sky Movies about a week ago and opted for Film 4 instead. it's only a saving of €2/month but it is so much better it's not even funny but the guy on the phone wanted a valid reason for getting rid of Sky Movies so i told him the truth and boy was he pissed off

is there anywhere i can see how many subscribers Sky has to it's various packages because the amount of people dropping Sky Movies must be savage

byte

Yeah, I cancelled Sky Movies some time ago too and dont miss them. I had FilmFour for a month but it was rubbish, I thought. But maybe I had subscribed on a bad month? Is it good in general? What good films can I look forward to?

Originally posted by Mossy Monk
i cancelled Sky Movies about a week ago and opted for Film 4 instead. it's only a saving of €2/month but it is so much better it's not even funny but the guy on the phone wanted a valid reason for getting rid of Sky Movies so i told him the truth and boy was he pissed off

Good on ya!
Honestly...the cheek of sky, asking anyone who wants to lower their package to talk to their programme advisor first.
I notice, they don't do that when you want to increase your package.
It's thinly veiled bullying.

Regarding Film four, I had it as an add on and when I cancelled it, by some freak I still had it free for another year.
Even then I didn't watch it much, as most of the films were already shown on ch4 or elsewhere or so dated, I'd seen them on video years ago.
As a channel it would be better off being available FTV, with more advertising and film sponsorship, to my mind, it wasn't worth an extra sub.
There is actually a lot of good drama on both ITV and BBC these days and if time is limited,spending money to only occasionally watch a film is a waste.
mm

carrolls

What browned me off about Sky when (I used to subscribe),
was the people on the Family pack effectively subsidising failed projects like Interactive Formula 1, 6 Nations Rugby, Scottish Football, and that ongoing total failure- Movie PPV.
How much cheaper would the Family pack be if the other Pay TV options were not such lossmakers?.
Right now, I'm extatically happy with my FTV cards, Thank you very much.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

dmeehan

i ditched the movies after 1 month and ditched sports at the begining of the summer...

i never got the sports back as i never watched all that many matches on de telly and anything that is a must see i can go to the pub to watch it. (any excuse will do!)

speedfreak

Does anyone know what the price for Sky Movies (or Sports) World is? According to Greenan's website, Movies World is cheaper than Sports world and according to Sky.com, Sports world is cheaper than Movies world! We're ditching movies as well...Can't say we've watched one film on it in the last 2 months (well maybe one....!).

watty

If I can get my terrestrial aerial giving a decent picture I might cancel Sky again (FTA only then). Then renew at summer hols for Animal Planet etc for the smallest one.

Sky is much easier and quicker to cancel & renew than NTL / Chorus.

I was on Knowledge Pack, which saves a few Euro c.f. Family Pack. But it has no Irish TV. Bit mean of Sky, seeing as unlike BBC they don't pay RTE.

Still, to get Animal Planet & Discovery on Chorus costs almost 39Euro. A bit dearer than Sky!

db

Got my FTV card activated yeaterday (thanks to West-Sat). Will soon be cancelling Sky.

carrolls

I see Sky are fighting back by broadcasting all SBO Movies Widescreen from April 2. See link. Nothing about Sky Movies alas.
http://www.skyprogrammeinformation.co.uk/download.asp?file=HAPRBOX.doc

They will have to do better than that, but I suppose its a start.

Mossy Monk

that was one of the reasons why i got rid of them. no widescreen and they give 50 PPV channels the widescreen treatment could someone tell me why the likes of Sky 1 weren't

byte

Yea, they reckon the other channels are not widescreen because not enough people have widescreen tellies! What rubbish! Sky One and Sky Movies should all be widescreen (where available).

Maybe next year! :rolleyes:

lawhec

The excuse about not showing widescreen programs is a red herring. Unlike the analogue operators, Sky can broadcast programs in widescreen without affecting 4:3 viewers one bit. The excuse is that there is not enough widescreen tellys is both insulting to those who know the technology and to the terrestial channels who can happily accomodate widescreen on digital satellite without penalising 4:3 viewers.