Dish HD vs Disney (DISH sort of won...)

[tvropro]

tvropro you've got the shoe on the wrong foot on part of this. I used to work w/the Superstar & the Netlink people when I was a big C-band man. The companies looked for who could buy them out. They were seeing the handwriting on the wall. I'm about to put up a FTA system before long so I still see some use in C/Ku but it isn't for the "cable type" programming. Let's face it most people don't have a place for even a 7 1/2ft dish so what is left is the pizza pan companies. D* had no interest in purchasing the list of customers so it was Charlie that had the doh, ray, me to do the deal. I don't know any of the details of the NPS deal but wouldn't surprise me if it wasn't close to the same thing.
The whole problem is Disney is trying to charge one price for SD then charge an addition price for the same show in HD. This is the same thing that was tried with TV stations about 2 yrs ago. It didn't work there & I hope that it can be stamped out here as well.

Just a few points. If your going FTA with a bud get the biggest dish you can especially if you want to do HD and S2. It requires more signal, some 10's don't even cut it. C band still can offer the best picture quality and we are blessed with cable Master channels going ITC now and then. Also there is no rain fade on C band.

As far as NPS I don't know the exact details except they are using high pressure tactics and lies to convert their subscribers to Dish. They are not telling the truth and letting people make there own decisions. That only hurts the numbers since people are not being informed properly. With all that is going on with Dish lately I for one wouldn't want it if I would not get what I'm paying for and locked into a 2 year contract so I can't bailout. I have been following Dish and channel disputes for years and they seem to have the most problems so something ain't right there.

 

[MikeD-C05]

I notice Disney HD is in the free HD pack for TWC in Nederland TX.

Luckily I don't watch Disney so it doesn't matter to me. In fact I don't watch Espn either, and feel that the sports channels ought to be in a separate sports pack that you can pay for if you want it. The only channel that I occasionally watched was the ABC family, but I haven't really missed it since the hd feed went away. The last time I watched this channel was when KYLE XY was on sometime last year. As far as I am concerned DISH can drop these channels entirely if they insist on double payment for both HD and SD feeds. Our bills are already too high and I do not wish to keep paying more and more each year . If Disney wins on this issue, other companies will follow their lead and our bills would double .

 

[cditty]

Luckily I don't watch Disney so it doesn't matter to me. In fact I don't watch Espn either, and feel that the sports channels ought to be in a separate sports pack that you can pay for if you want it. The only channel that I occasionally watched was the ABC family, but I haven't really missed it since the hd feed went away. The last time I watched this channel was when KYLE XY was on sometime last year. As far as I am concerned DISH can drop these channels entirely if they insist on double payment for both HD and SD feeds. Our bills are already too high and I do not wish to keep paying more and more each year . If Disney wins on this issue, other companies will follow their lead and our bills would double .

I feel the same.

 

[whatchel1]

As large as I can go

Just a few points. If your going FTA with a bud get the biggest dish you can especially if you want to do HD and S2. It requires more signal, some 10's don't even cut it. C band still can offer the best picture quality and we are blessed with cable Master channels going ITC now and then. Also there is no rain fade on C band.

As far as NPS I don't know the exact details except they are using high pressure tactics and lies to convert their subscribers to Dish. They are not telling the truth and letting people make there own decisions. That only hurts the numbers since people are not being informed properly. With all that is going on with Dish lately I for one wouldn't want it if I would not get what I'm paying for and locked into a 2 year contract so I can't bailout. I have been following Dish and channel disputes for years and they seem to have the most problems so something ain't right there.

7 1/2 ft is really as large as I can go in my small backyard. I will be using a a 13K C & .2db Ku LNBF.
Charlie is just will to fight for the pricing as D* rarely does and they know they will reap the benefits as well.

 

[multnomah]

Luckily I don't watch Disney so it doesn't matter to me. In fact I don't watch Espn either, and feel that the sports channels ought to be in a separate sports pack that you can pay for if you want it. The only channel that I occasionally watched was the ABC family, but I haven't really missed it since the hd feed went away. The last time I watched this channel was when KYLE XY was on sometime last year. As far as I am concerned DISH can drop these channels entirely if they insist on double payment for both HD and SD feeds. Our bills are already too high and I do not wish to keep paying more and more each year . If Disney wins on this issue, other companies will follow their lead and our bills would double .

Me too.

Usually I'm not bothered by this sort of thing, because I understand that DISH has to offer something for everyone, or else it will eventually have nothing to offer for anyone. I can't watch 250 channels anyway, so why should I care if I don't like some of them?

Disney, however, is trying to spoil things by asking $6 a month from everyone for channels that most people never watch. That is unfair to the rest of us.

DISH, bring back the HD feeds for those who want to watch them. It's unfair to your customers to stand between a willing buyer and a willing seller. But don't ask the rest of us to pay any more for them than we do for any of the other 250 channels.

 

[Bonneville44]

i disagree that most people never watch these channels. do you have rating data to prove me wrong?

 

[multnomah]

i disagree that most people never watch these channels. do you have rating data to prove me wrong?

A couple of months ago, I found a news article on Google that covered cable and satellite as well as OTA. It was for 2008. As I recall, prime time 'big four' channels averaged 5 - 10 million viewers each; Disney and ESPN averaged about 2 - 3 million each. That is around 5 - 10 per cent of cable and satellite viewers.

That of course doesn't prove how many people have NEVER watched it. You are correct in stating that is an unproveable statement. A lot of people have probably tuned in on occasion to one of those channels. What I probably should have said is that I don't believe most people watch those channels regularly.

I could drop that statement altogether and my point would still be valid. $6 per month is premium channel territory, and it's too much for channels that are in the Top 250 for which we are all required to pay.

 

[Bonneville44]

I agree that $6 per month is premium channel territory and my netflix subscription looks more and more reasonable all the time. The problem for our family is that with Dish America, we did watch those channels quite a bit (in fact they are the only reason we have pay TV, man was I dumb). Now we can't even get the SD feeds. I'm more ticked about not getting the SD feeds than missing the HD feeds. Especially when dish says that they are still available, then tells me I need to UPGRADE to get them. That is a crock and they know it. I am not paying another $120 a year to Dish when they can't get their house in order. If it comes back in HD and they are only available in the TOP packages, then we can have that conversation, Dish can move those around, but they screwed up this time and don't seem to be doing a darn thing about it, except sitting on this court case waiting for an appeal.

 

[Ghpr13]

Luckily I don't watch Disney so it doesn't matter to me. In fact I don't watch Espn either, and feel that the sports channels ought to be in a separate sports pack that you can pay for if you want it. The only channel that I occasionally watched was the ABC family, but I haven't really missed it since the hd feed went away. The last time I watched this channel was when KYLE XY was on sometime last year. As far as I am concerned DISH can drop these channels entirely if they insist on double payment for both HD and SD feeds. Our bills are already too high and I do not wish to keep paying more and more each year . If Disney wins on this issue, other companies will follow their lead and our bills would double .

I agree with you on the Disney channels. Except for a once in the blue moon watching of ABC Family, I never really watch the other channels involved in the dispute. Not even ESPN. I do feel bad for subs with kids because I know kids still love to watch Disney...but IMO, Disney's programming is no where near the quality that the "Wonderful World of Color" had when Walt was alive.
I, too, wish E* would make the Disney channels into a premium pack or a reduce price "Family add on" pack, and put ESPN into a sport pack.

Ghpr13

 

[ronfelder]

I agree with you on the Disney channels. Except for a once in the blue moon watching of ABC Family, I never really watch the other channels involved in the dispute. Not even ESPN. I do feel bad for subs with kids because I know kids still love to watch Disney...but IMO, Disney's programming is no where near the quality that the "Wonderful World of Color" had when Walt was alive.
I, too, wish E* would make the Disney channels into a premium pack or a reduce price "Family add on" pack, and put ESPN into a sport pack.

Ghpr13

If you remember back in the 80's and perhaps the 90's too The Disney Channel was a premium channel. Back when we first got cable in Philly the late 80's we subbed to Disney as a premium channel. AMC was a premium channel back then also. I think they both went south when they both became a regular cable channel. I definitely feel that way about AMC.

Ron

 

[Ghpr13]

If you remember back in the 80's and perhaps the 90's too The Disney Channel was a premium channel. Back when we first got cable in Philly the late 80's we subbed to Disney as a premium channel. AMC was a premium channel back then also. I think they both went south when they both became a regular cable channel. I definitely feel that way about AMC.

Ron

Yes, I do remember that Disney was a premium channel now that you mentioned it. I had forgotten about that.

Ghpr13

 

[mike123abc]

Disney channel is still pretty unique that they really do not have commercials (except of course cross promotions for Disney). It makes it more of a premium channel. They will make occasional things like sponsored by Walmart or something. So, all their revenue for this is cable fees.

 

[TNGTony]

A commercial is a commercial, whether its to promote the Hanna Montana tour, promote another TV show, sell a movie ticket or sell a box of cookies. Disney is nowhere near a premium channel now.

 

[empiretc]

..........delete

 

[tvropro]

Kinda remember Disney promoting their stuff when they were a premium channel.

 

[jrbdmb]

A partnership requires BOTH sides to be flexible and cooperate. Not sure that Disney/ABC has been cooperating much lately. Seems like their attitude has been to stick it to E*.

In the past year it appears that Charlie is more interested in sticking it to his customers. Enormous new charges for receivers, followed by a programming price increase.

Meanwhile so many on here say that "Charlie is sticking up for his customers." That may have used to be somewhat true, but now similar packages on Dish and DTV cost almost the same. Charlie's shenanigans with program providers are to keep more money in *his* pocket, not to protect subs.

 

[tvropro]

In the past year it appears that Charlie is more interested in sticking it to his customers. Enormous new charges for receivers, followed by a programming price increase.

Meanwhile so many on here say that "Charlie is sticking up for his customers." That may have used to be somewhat true, but now similar packages on Dish and DTV cost almost the same. Charlie's shenanigans with program providers are to keep more money in *his* pocket, not to protect subs.

Charlie has taken some large loses when it comes to subscribernumbers and he is doing the only thing he knows how to do to make up the cashflow. Stick it to the existing subs. That mentality will only cost him more in the long run. It's corporate greed in America.

 

[whatchel1]

Bob?

In the past year it appears that Charlie is more interested in sticking it to his customers. Enormous new charges for receivers, followed by a programming price increase.

Meanwhile so many on here say that "Charlie is sticking up for his customers." That may have used to be somewhat true, but now similar packages on Dish and DTV cost almost the same. Charlie's shenanigans with program providers are to keep more money in *his* pocket, not to protect subs.

And your name isn't Bob.

 

[ronfelder]

A commercial is a commercial, whether its to promote the Hanna Montana tour, promote another TV show, sell a movie ticket or sell a box of cookies. Disney is nowhere near a premium channel now.

Well then you have to count TCM as a commercial channerl for they're always pushing dvd's and their books.

Ron

 

[robk299]

A commercial is a commercial, whether its to promote the Hanna Montana tour, promote another TV show, sell a movie ticket or sell a box of cookies. Disney is nowhere near a premium channel now.

Disney, Cinemax, etc. have commercials, but are not ad supported.