Sky and Virgin end their battle

So the spat between Virgin and BskyB is at an end.

Hostilities broke out over 18 months ago and it all got very silly when Virgin stopped carrying some of Sky channels.

The row began when Sky decided to charge Virgin twice as much as previously to carry its channels.It what came to be seen as a standoff between Richard Branson and Rupert Murdoch,Virgin retaliated by simply taking the Sky channels off its service.

Details of the settlement have remained confidential although as Paid content points out

But it's likely Sky will have had to accept less than it wanted first time around. The loss of Virgin's 3.5 million TV customers was never in the interest of Sky's advertisers - now the ad recession is biting, Sky needs to offer them as much reach as possible.

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The FT reports that

Channels that Virgin developed to fill the gap will continue on its own platform, and will also be carried on the satellite broadcaster until June 2011, under the terms of the resolution.
Jeremy Darroch, chief executive of BSkyB, added: “This is great news for Sky and Virgin Media customers alike. We want our channels to be enjoyed by as many people as possible so we’re delighted to secure their return to the Virgin Media platform.”