Sky creating monopoly in the U.K?

[the EDGE]

I received an email from tv provider TalkTalk today telling me that from next year Sky Sports will no longer be available as an add-on tv boost, and instead I would have to subscribe to Now TV (a subsidiary of Sky) to watch Sky Sports through the TalkTalk set top box

As a result this means I will no longer be able to record anything on Sky sports to watch at a later date (such as when I get home), and Sky sports do not have a catch-up service on Now tv either, so I will be left with a choice of either watching F1 live, or at a scheduled repeat time (on Monday, or of course not at all

Do others here currently watch Sky Sports on TalkTalk?

Obviously I think this is disgraceful and after contacting the CEO's office of TalkTalk ( Tristia.harrison@talktalkplc.com ) I have just been informed that the reason for this is because Sky will not renew their contract with TalkTalk when it comes to an end next year

I have also just logged a complaint with the U.K competitions office ( general.enquiries@cma.gov.uk ) as I feel this goes against fair competition in the U.K and that Sky are trying to create a monopoly by refusing to let other tv providers off Sky Sports (Again!!!)

Is it me? or do others agree?

[ScottB]

I don't think there's any legal requirement for Sky to make their services available through other platforms besides their own. Even the free highlights on C4 aren't guaranteed to continue.

[adrianjordan]

If C4 loses the highlights show and Sky don't come up with an on-demand offering on NowTV then unfortunately that will mean I am no longer able to watch F1 as I don't have an option to have a dish installed.

[the EDGE]

If C4 loses the highlights show and Sky don't come up with an on-demand offering on NowTV then unfortunately that will mean I am no longer able to watch F1 as I don't have an option to have a dish installed.

The big problem with highlights for me is you can’t keep up with who’s pitted, so your never sure of the real running order. That takes all of the excitement out of it

[the EDGE]

I don't think there's any legal requirement for Sky to make their services available through other platforms besides their own. Even the free highlights on C4 aren't guaranteed to continue.

There was a legal requirement until a few years ago when the regulator dropped it because they claimed BT Sports had created alternative access to sport (football) & that sky would voluntarily allow access to sky sports on various platforms anyway (which they are now not) so there was no need to force sky to offer sports via other platforms any more

When I say a monopoly I don’t mean for sport, I mean for tv as a whole. If you want to watch F1 as I do, you will have no choice other than to have get the full sky package to do so. I think this is wrong

At the end of the day I pay the same for sky sports on talk talk as I would on sky, so they don’t loose out on income, they just don’t have me as a TV customer which they are now literally forcing me (and probably many others) to do

[Big Tea]

If C4 loses the highlights show and Sky don't come up with an on-demand offering on NowTV then unfortunately that will mean I am no longer able to watch F1 as I don't have an option to have a dish installed.

Do you know anyone with SKY f1? I use Sky go on my son's. A bottle of Jack Danials every now and again to make it worth his while

[Just_a_fan]

Sky have killed the F1 audience in the UK, effectively. They already killed cricket, rugby, football (not bothered about that but it still happened) in the UK. A whole generation are growing up without the chance to regularly see these sports played at the highest level.

I won't pay Sky several hundred pounds a year to watch F1. They don't really have anything else to offer me (I don't have time to sit and watch hours of other stuff just to make it "worth the money").

So I just go online and find streams here and there and watch races that way. Sometimes, if I've been doing other stuff at race time, I'll watch the highlights show on Channel 4 if the time it's on is ok.

May Sky and those who run sports that sell out to them rot in hell.

[Gettingonabit]

May Sky and those who run sports that sell out to them rot in hell.

Amen to that

[adrianjordan]

If C4 loses the highlights show and Sky don't come up with an on-demand offering on NowTV then unfortunately that will mean I am no longer able to watch F1 as I don't have an option to have a dish installed.

Do you know anyone with SKY f1? I use Sky go on my son's. A bottle of Jack Danials every now and again to make it worth his while

No, everyone I know either watches on C4 or Now TV (or is already using someone else's Sky Go account lol). That would also mean watching on my phone or laptop when I'd rather watch on my TV.

I don't think it will be long before F1 moves to their own streaming platform anyway tbh

[Jolle]

Well... isn’t that the “cutting the red tape”? De-regulate etc etc. Just wait what they come up with as internet neutrality is pulled.

[nzjrs]

I don't think it will be long before F1 moves to their own streaming platform anyway tbh

Is F1TV not available in the UK? I think it's OK, the worst part about it is the sky commentary tbh!

[Unc1eM0nty]

Sky have killed the F1 audience in the UK, effectively. They already killed cricket, rugby, football (not bothered about that but it still happened) in the UK. A whole generation are growing up without the chance to regularly see these sports played at the highest level.

I won't pay Sky several hundred pounds a year to watch F1. They don't really have anything else to offer me (I don't have time to sit and watch hours of other stuff just to make it "worth the money").

So I just go online and find streams here and there and watch races that way. Sometimes, if I've been doing other stuff at race time, I'll watch the highlights show on Channel 4 if the time it's on is ok.

May Sky and those who run sports that sell out to them rot in hell.

Same here, I wouldn't xx$$ on Sky if they were on fire, they won't get a penny from me.

I have a couple of streaming sites I use, my only issue is I have to watch live and that's not always possible.

[Just_a_fan]

I don't think it will be long before F1 moves to their own streaming platform anyway tbh

Is F1TV not available in the UK? I think it's OK, the worst part about it is the sky commentary tbh!

NO. Sky's contract prevents F1TV being available to us. And if Sky renew their contract, we'll no doubt continue to be prevented from accessing it.

[nevill3]

The sky monopoly is the bane of my life now. The channel 4 highlights are terrible, its like watching the ticker tape headlines at the bottom of the bbc news. Key points but no depth or content. I was watching today and was amazed that when Lewis failed to set a representative time in his first run inQ2 due to traffic nothing was said for ages...........and this was highlights that could have been edited. I could see from the times on the screen that Lewis had had a problem but nothing was shown.

[El Scorchio]

I’m torn with Sky. They have revolutionised and improved the way a lot of sport is televised but it is a huge shame so much sport is behind a paywall in the UK. On the other hand the money they pay to F1 helps run the sport.

I don’t see F1 eschewing them and other broadcasters at any point and moving to its own direct to consumer product in the UK at least. They simply wouldn’t make £25 mill per year out of it like they do from Sky. There are already a lot of subscription television services and there are only so many of them people will pay for. I could see them going to Netflix or Amazon if either of those outbid Sky or BT next time round. No chance it’ll ever return to free to air television either with the cost involved.