Graham McWilliam, Sky’s collection director of corporate affairs, claims 40% of homes choose Sky for a bigger choice of entertainment (Letters, 3 May) however how many would choose it if it didn’t have such a monopoly on British sporting events. The specious logic of stating its customers are making a “autonomous of charge choice” is ridiculous. Sky buys its customers by buying their choices, by buying rights and companies so it controls how human beings can see the programmes previously autonomous of charge-to-air.As to claiming Sky is the “fastest-growing source of investment in original British programmes”, this week’s programmes provide very small evidence of that. There is a mass of programmes from the US channels it has bought, and films from their studios. However quality British programmes? Please exhibit me a list of those. Much the much vaunted Sky Atlantic is swamped with repeats of Seinfeld, Star Trek, ER, The Wire and others, with the occasional episode of Mad Men. It waits for someone else to check the waters, to capture the risks. The BBC runs Mad Men, or 24. Channel 4 has Lost. Then Sky simply steps in and uses its financial might to outbid the terrestrial channels and capture the programmes. No investing for customers however investing for shareholders, more like.Michael JohnsonLondon• Our viewing choices would be freer (in both senses of the term) if the administration massively expanded the list of events that have to be made available for live coverage by a autonomous of charge-to-air broadcaster. It should also stop making the BBC pay Sky £10m per year to carry its programmes. If there is to be any payment at all, it should be in the other direction. If Sky didn’t like that, it could exercise its autonomous of charge choice not to offer BBC channels, however I don’t reckon its customers would be very pleased about that.Richard MountfordHildenborough, Kent• Graham McWilliam is “misinformed and sadly predictable” if he really believes those who pay for Sky TV are somehow expressing support for the corporation, News International or Rupert Murdoch. I pay for Sky Sports (via Virgin Media) in order to watch live football, cricket (which has nearly disappeared from autonomous of charge-to-air TV, much in highlights formats) and rugby which his corporation has bought, driving the BBC outside of the market. I feel no loyalty to his rapacious corporation and, like many who remember the Wapping dispute, still refuse to acquire any News International paper – a stand extended pre-dating the telephone-hacking scandal. I do, however, feel a absolute loyalty to publicly funded broadcasting, however imperfect, and pay the TV licence fee without a murmur. Mr McWilliam should not confuse paying for Sky with showing enthusiasm for it.Peter DawsonSwansea, West Glamorgan• Graham McWilliam says “… we don’t dispute that our revenue immediately exceeds that of the BBC … any success that Sky achieves comes from the autonomous of charge choice exercised by customers…”. So there’s no connection with the circumstance that, while James Murdoch on behalf of Sky’s 39% shareholder, News International, attacked the BBC’s amount as a threat to Sky (Report, 29 August, 2009), David Cameron earlier hastened to reassure the Murdochs that the BBC would be brought to heel. And, once the Tories had been helped into administration by the support of the Murdoch papers, Jeremy Hunt then froze the licence fee for six years, a divide of 20% in absolute terms?Christopher ClaytonWaverton, Cheshire• Graham McWilliam’s hypocritical letter in praise of BSkyB fails to reveal that, unless they are already provided, it is also mean to pay for subtitles for the dense of hearing, its much trumpeted Playhouse Presents being a excellent example.Denis JewittAmbleside, Cumbria• I cannot be the only person to refuse to subscribe to Sky since of Murdoch’s involvement. When will BSkyB realise it would constitute commercial sense to get rid of News Corporation’s shareholding?Brian KeeganPeterborough, CambridgeshireBSkyBTelevision industryBSkyBBBCRupert MurdochVirgin MediaNews Internationalguardian.co.uk © 2012 Twitter News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Employ of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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