More UK pain

Free broadband, nearly free broadband, we've seen it all. Now comes free TV for new NTL/Telewest telephony customers. This is a nice defensive kick in the groin for Sky's DSL offering, because NTL telephony customers won't be susceptible to anyone's free DSL offer, except maybe from NTL itself at some point in the future. The natural inclination will be to sign up for/remain with NTL broadband, particularly if you're getting digital TV for free. I'm a bit flummoxed here because legacy NTL customers already pay for a phone line as part of their cable service anyway, whether they actually use it or not. I am tempted to call them up and burn up some call center minutes arguing that the offer is unfair to existing NTL customers. Nevertheless, this proves that the marketing guys are just one step behind the M&A gurus in delivering stunning headlines - let's hope the rest of the company is up to the challenge! This market is getting very ugly.