...I don't think at this price , that AAD is going to add to many subs. Especially since anyone with DISH and a member of this web board , knows that they can "move" & for $5.00 locals pack and get the hd feeds of the 4 big nets and even the Cw in certain areas. In recessionary times like these, you would think that this company would know to offer their channels at a discounted price . I would think it would be only $12.99 for both east and west coast HD feeds . There shouldn't be a premium price to add hd now days. I am sure that there will be a price reduction in the future or there will be an announcement that AAD is going out of the distant network business. Sad this could of been a good thing for both DISH and AAD. Company GREED destroys another good idea.
Mike you make some very good points. I think they need to re-think the whole pricing scheme as well. Not because I think their business is a democracy but because there is overwhelming shock to their prices.
Obviously there are some transponder costs but hey... You can get about 8+ HBO HD channels for $15 (PLUS those are all on SD and also are even on multiple satellites), PLUS they pay some very good fees to HBO which they don't to ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox. So comon, this is not about transponder costs in reality.
Let's face it, part of these stupid AAD prices is to pay dish at such a rate that they are the true owner of the company. But they can't be the owner so the consumers are paying both owners (Charlie and AAD).
I know they don't want to drop the price of SD to below $13. Leave that as the minimum price so the can administer the accounts (collections, support). That's plenty for Dish and AAD to share for one city in HD or SD east/west. Add another $7 for and additional HD city because that is just gravy since the programming is really the exact same thing. The NFL benefit aspect of this thing with 4 cities is overrated. That brings the total to $20 for two cities in HD. Oh you want, SD as well, then add another $4.
Charlie is always going to have the best deal for one city in HD & SD for $5. They don't need this price protection they are building in to transponder fees. They need to lower the scale for AAD by way of the above ($13/$20/$24) instead of $13/$38/$63. If they keep that up AAD and Dish will be sharing half of nothing.
Mike, you hit the nail on the head about greed. Maybe they thought this deal up back when a two bedroom house in Bakersfield was going for $700,000.