UKTV/Virgin dispute: No resolution
August 6, 2018
By Colin Mann
The carriage dispute between multichannel programmer UKTV and multiplay operator Virgin Media remains unresolved, despite it appearing that a deal had been reached between the pair. The failure to reach agreement on a renewal saw 10 channels (including the five free-to-air channels such as Dave) replaced on Virgin TV at 00:01 on July 22nd.
A statement from UKTV said that after holding talks to create a resolution for its viewers, Virgin Media backed out of a new deal verbally agreed between the pair on August 2nd. “Sadly, we can’t, at the current time, see an end date for an agreement to be reached that pays UKTV a fair price for our ongoing services to their business,” it advised.
“We are sincerely sorry to all of our viewers who have been affected by this. We’ve really learned over the past two weeks just how much our channels mean to people, and we are overwhelmed by your support.”
“We have tried to be as helpful as possible to our channels’ fans during this time of disruption. However, in line with guidance from OFCOM, we would advise that customers who have concerns with their television service contact their provider in the first instance.”
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