CBS Seeks to Unwind Retrans Agreement With Dish Network

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GaryPen said:
I wouldn't care if Dish lost this one, and auto-hop technology went away, if it was only limited to auto-hop. I have no problem using the 30-sec skip.

But, and this is a big but, it might set a precedent leading to the elimination of commercial skipping technology of any kind, which would include the simple 30-sec skip, and eventually even limit time-shifting, such as limits on how long the recording can be stored. And, that I can't abide.

But, with the deregulation and corporatization of America, it is entirely possible, unless we voice strong opposition, such as was done with SOPA. Believe it or not, our government is still scared of its citizens, if the people in charge of it think they're gonna lose their phony baloney jobs at the next election.
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I totally agree with this. Dish should just let this go. They are stirring a pot that needs to be left alone. We have the 30 second skip so who cares about auto-hop. They will screw this up and make it so that we all get stuck watching commercials.

Aren't you guys getting sick of Dish constantly being in the news for fighting with someone over something. Tivo, AMC, RSN's, Disney, ESPN, whichever local networks they are pissed off at. Even a simple thing like their recent price increase can cause a 100 page thread on a site like this. Instead of just making the increase a couple of bucks, like the rest of the providers, they have to guarantee no price increase for 2 years, and then have a larger increase when they do jack up the prices, which just brings negative attention to their company.

Dish is like that annoying little kid on the playground, that desperately seeks attention by acting like a complete moron, and you just want to go over and kick them.
 
rapidturtle said:
I totally agree with this. Dish should just let this go. They are stirring a pot that needs to be left alone. We have the 30 second skip so who cares about auto-hop.
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If it weren't for the varying commercial break lengths, I wouldn't care that much if AutoHop was taken away. Everyone in our house has gotten quite good as (4) quick button-presses to skip 2-minutes of commercials and adjusting as needed. I do know when I have to hit it (8) times, I think "bull****, that's too many damn commercials !!". :D
 
There are reasonable ways around this. Most people already skip past commercials. All the networks have to do is insert POP-UP ads into the programming much the same way they currently do with permoting other shows. Instead of the "Up Next: CSI" animation, you will see the Coke bears running across the bottom of your screen. People are unlikely to want to fast forward through this, auto-hop it, or 30sec skip it because in doing so they will be missing part of the show. The business model has to stay up with the changing times and technology. I have also watched some sporting events such as Nascar races where they go to a split screen during commercial breaks showing the race in the other half of the screen. That is another time, I seldom press the fast forward button or otherwise skip the commercials. Like others have said, if somebody likes a show enough, they will watch it live because they JUST CAN'T WAIT TO SEE IT, and in that case they would not be able to skip past the commercial breaks anyway. So in the case of the top rated shows like Idol, this whole thing is kind of moot to begin with. I do not see why it is such a big deal. Especially since the shows that people DVR are usually the shows they choose not to watch live that are airing on a secondary channel that they would not otherwise be watching if the technology had never been invented or stopped in court at some point in the past. This is just my 10 cents worth...
 
rapidturtle said:
I totally agree with this. Dish should just let this go. They are stirring a pot that needs to be left alone. We have the 30 second skip so who cares about auto-hop. They will screw this up and make it so that we all get stuck watching commercials.

Aren't you guys getting sick of Dish constantly being in the news for fighting with someone over something. Tivo, AMC, RSN's, Disney, ESPN, whichever local networks they are pissed off at. Even a simple thing like their recent price increase can cause a 100 page thread on a site like this. Instead of just making the increase a couple of bucks, like the rest of the providers, they have to guarantee no price increase for 2 years, and then have a larger increase when they do jack up the prices, which just brings negative attention to their company.

Dish is like that annoying little kid on the playground, that desperately seeks attention by acting like a complete moron, and you just want to go over and kick them.
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OR - At least someone is trying to go against just what the networks want. With that line of thought, there would be no locals on satellite (Dish was the leader to fight for that) there would be no fast forwarding, in-fact no recording. It wasn't Dish that fought for all that, but someone did, now it's Dish. If Dish is wrong in their actions(in my opinion) sometimes as they at least partially were with AMC (but not VOOM) I recognize that. But I have services no one else offers from Dish because they are willing to try things that may go against what is now accepted.

I will remind you what was once mostly Dish having disputes is now industry wide, it's just that Dish saw what was happening first. Especially note how the locals disputes is no longer a "Dish" thing. Not paying for high priced RSN's? While taking a different tactic, Direct now finds what Dish knew, you can't keep paying those prices for RSN's. So Direct TV has expanded their once one small area, by a little, now charging you extra in other markets or for now at least one other market, and you have no choice but to pay even if you don't watch. (And this IS different than having a few channels in a package you rarely watch - pennies compared to many dollars)
 
Craigbiz said:
All the networks have to do is insert POP-UP ads into the programming much the same way they currently do with permoting other shows.
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And I will stop watching entirely. Instead, I'll buy the shows or seasons or stream them, which I'm already leaning toward.
 
Foxbat said:
Does Viacom still own CBS, or is it the other way around? I ask because one of the articles I was reading about the lawsuits against the Hopper said that CBS, NBC, and Fox were not accepting advertising from Dish. I expect the Hopper ads I see on Comedy Central are inserts by Dish, not national.
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CBS and Viacom became two separate companies in 2006. They are still somewhat related through Sumner Redstone and National Amusements, but they are seperate. The MTV Networks and Epix are Viacom. CBS, CW, CBS Sports, and Showtime Networks are CBS Inc.
 
stejamand said:
CBS and Viacom became two separate companies in 2006. They are still somewhat related through Sumner Redstone and National Amusements, but they are seperate. The MTV Networks and Epix are Viacom. CBS, CW, CBS Sports, and Showtime Networks are CBS Inc.
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Therein lies the problem with intellectual property and copyright laws and the granting of individual rights to corporations. I wish I could cut off my arm, give it a new name, and transfer all my property to it so my wife couldn't touch it. :rolleyes:
 
stejamand said:
CBS and Viacom became two separate companies in 2006. They are still somewhat related through Sumner Redstone and National Amusements, but they are seperate. The MTV Networks and Epix are Viacom. CBS, CW, CBS Sports, and Showtime Networks are CBS Inc.
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Ugg maybe that is why Dish does not have Showtime Anytime yet....
 
dare2be said:
And I will stop watching entirely. Instead, I'll buy the shows or seasons or stream them, which I'm already leaning toward.
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Business models need to change and keep up with the technology. Even if CBS wins the lawsuit we are not that far off from the age when people are going to be writing scripts and basically building their own DVRs with simple computer design apps. Technology changes rapidly. They should seriously consider just running pop-up ads during prime-time programming just the same way they already do it for permoting shows on their network. We see the little animations now already, anyway. Whats the difference if we see a graphic with the Coke Bears Vs one that is advertizing the next episode of CSI? Also lets keep in mind that all the top rated TV shows usually get watched live as they are being broadcast on the air by people who just can't wait to see them. Those viewers of all the shows which top the ratings charts, see the commercials. They can't hop over them. But business models have to change. When it comes to blacking out viewers, we both lose. Both us and CBS. For us, we can't watch our favorite shows if we can't get our locals over the air without breakup. I would not switch to cable over just one channel. Then CBS loses out because there would then be millions of Dish Network customers that would no longer receive their signal. That means a dip in the Neilson ratings for them, and less money from advertisers. We both lose. They need to find a way to adapt to the changes. Look at how the long distance phone companies changed their business model with the Androids and Iphones? Then look at what happened to Kodak when digital cameras took over. Instead of adapting to the changes, they ended up going out of business. I want over the air free TV to last forever. The big four don't need a breakthrough revolution. All they need to do is revise their contracts with their prime-time purchases and run advertisement graphics. A very simple solution for a complicated problem. In the end, I go walking away happy because I can still see my shows, and they go walking away happy because they are still making gazillions of dollars.
 
Craigbiz said:
Also lets keep in mind that all the top rated TV shows usually get watched live as they are being broadcast on the air by people who just can't wait to see them. Those viewers of all the shows which top the ratings charts, see the commercials. They can't hop over them.
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BINGO. There's the rub. AutoHop doesn't change that. There is no AutoHop available until the next day.
 
If the rules were changed to where the "providers" were only allowed to collect a fee per ACTUAL VIEWER then a lot of this nonsense would disappear. WHY should someone be required to pay for something they never watch? Bundling is one thing, but a blanket charge for every subscriber is something else. Not quite A La Carte, but certainly desirable from our point of view.

Yes, the technology can support this. And my bill, since I never watch sports, would decline. Frankly, we mostly watch "niche" channels. Yep, metered viewing would mean a different bill each month. But I'll bet a lot of sports fans, forced to pay full freight, would choose not to pay. And costs would go down. So the owners and players would become multi-millionaires to a smaller degree.
 

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