YouView - What do we know?

Question

I'm confused. I read here that BT are going to be a major player in YouView and I can see how they will be by taking a payment from content providers as their products pass across BTs network. So their involvement in You've is entirely understandable, as is Talk Talk's.
However I also read that people expect that BT Vision will just move to You've. Do we KNOW this? It seems unlikely to me. Why would Warner Brothers (for example) want to sell it's shows (and give a cut to BT) to a few, when it can sell them directly to the masses on YouView?
Today we hear that YouTube are moving to compete with LoveFilm (Amazon) in the UK to take control of online film watching here. http://bit.ly/hMSz7x 
So where will Vision's future revenue to come from? Content providers will sell directly, PPV movies will be available from multiple providers.
It seems to me (and I accept I'm often wrong) that YouView spells the end of BT Vision, full stop, not on the day that YouView launches but as Vision contracts end.
BT don't really have their heart in this, we only got the black box because Philips did it for the South American market.
So my considered opinion (and it's only my opinion) is that we have what we have, but we'll get little more (except maybe a few more price cuts as content continues to leave). And when You've comes, Vision will die and we'll have to buy a You've box and negotiate the content we want, just like anyone else.
So if I'm right, and I may not be, there'll be no free YouView box. When You've starts the game will change for BT, they'll no longer be able to charge for content, they'll have to charge for content.
Is there any evidence of BT intending to place Vision content on YouView (or even having the rights to do so)? I've not heard of any, have you?

Answer 1

spacemn5 Said:
All the reports I have read bt are a big partner in youview, you may be right once youview comes along I don't think you will be able to get vision as a stand alone product anymore, but you will most certainly get it through youview, so when the new youview boxes do appear, when its time to recontract with vision there may be a bit of bargaining to be had to get a box at the very least at a hugely discounted price, bit of a shame youview has been delayed by a year really, as I saw this as a reason for bt releasing a box that had freeview hd built in, but cant see them releasing a box this year with it in, only to have to release another box once youview does indeed get released, which is probably why bt have reduced all the packs to £12.50, which is a odd decision in itself, why have 3 different packs all at same price, they may as well just have scrapped bronze and the silver packs
I agree that BT is one of the partners in YouView (as I understand it, they are all equal partners) but does that mean they have any intention of putting content on the platform? BT stand to make money by charging content providers for traffic across it's networks caused by YouView, so that explains them being keen to see it take off. BT may be happy just to be the payment gateway to Sky Sports and ESPN on YouView though you'd expect them to moveto do so themselves when current agreements end.
But I see absolutely no evidence that BT will place any content (or own any content) on YouView. With Vision, BT own the platform, so HBO (for example) have to go through them in order to reach us. On YouView nobody owns the platform so they can sell directly to us, cutting BT out.
The more I think about this, the more I speculate that this explains the recent price drop, pack changes and lack of a HD box. Is it that Vision is being run down, never to be replaced?