DTV and Dish Network Discuss Merger Talks Again

[dishfan82]

$120? The premier plan is over $230 now. Without credits, their pricing makes no sense compared to other tv providers.


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I don’t even have their highest plan but it’s ridiculous what it cost to watch tv now . Other than for sports , I don’t watch TV.

 

[John2021]

$120? The premier plan is over $230 now. Without credits, their pricing makes no sense compared to other tv providers.


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were paying 132.00 for the premier package with mgm+ for two rooms. once the deal is over we call in playing the rate. that's after i say there freaking mental if they think i am making car payments to watch the weirdo window

 

[John2021]

Combining the back office functions alone will save millions...as equipment wears out..they just switch them to dish..no need to spend billions for a 1 time cutover..Just wait it out

makes me wonder if dish will still be launching the new sat!!! dish best have all the channels direct has if they want to transfer people over. so many people complain about dish missing the regonial sports channels

 

[Bruce]

so many people complain about dish missing the regonial sports channels

Incredibly doubtful since the RSNs average 1-3% of the Household audience.

Considering that YTTV does not have them, yet is already the #4 Provider in his short lifespan of 7 years, or the fact that DirecTV does have them and has lost over 14 Million subs in that same 7 years, shows that the vast majority do not care about them.

Here is the link with the RSN ratings-

Baseball’s Most Valuable Teams 2023: Price Tags Are Up 12% Despite Regional TV Woes

Last season’s record revenue for Major League Baseball translated into all-time-high valuations for its teams.

www.forbes.com

 

[CSM]

makes me wonder if dish will still be launching the new sat!!! dish best have all the channels direct has if they want to transfer people over. so many people complain about dish missing the regonial sports channels

Actually, they are. Not sure how they could afford to do it with their debt?

Maxar secures Dish Network order in its first satellite contract of 2023

Dish Network said April 18 it has ordered a satellite from Maxar Technologies to expand high-definition broadcast services over North America.

spacenews.com

 

[navychop]

Probably cost about as much, or maybe more, to cancel that satellite and launch than to go thru with it. Not sure of the specs, but it might be sellable in orbit.

 

[slice1900]

Dish ordered a new satellite.

Maxar secures Dish Network order in its first satellite contract of 2023

Dish Network said April 18 it has ordered a satellite from Maxar Technologies to expand high-definition broadcast services over North America.

spacenews.com

Yes but according to the article won't be ready for launch for a few years. They could probably cancel the order and while they'd owe some money, they'd owe a lot less than the full cost of the satellite (and avoid the cost of launching it)

 

[slice1900]

Alot of that stuff is cloud based now a days...computer systems or so 1900s now a days

Just because it is cloud based doesn't make it any easier to migrate that data. The software they use will be different, the databases of information they maintain will be different, etc. That's where the cost comes in, the cost of the hardware (even in pre cloud days) is a drop in the bucket. I know this, because as an IT consultant I was a part of projects with huge budgets paying a lot of people triple digits per hour to make that sort of thing happen.

 

[slice1900]

I just want to see them get rid of receiver fees . It’s not the tv subscription thats the problem. It’s receiver fees that cause it to get expensive. If they got rid of those it would make the monthly cost better. It shouldn’t cost $120 a month to watch TV.

Yes those fees suck but they are using them to subsidize the overall cost. Back when a satellite receivers were very expensive they made customers buy them because the satellite companies couldn't afford to front that kind of money.

Around the time the second generation of HD receivers started driving those costs down (H20 for Directv in the 2005/2006 timeframe, not what the Dish equivalent would be) Directv switched to a rental model because it was reasonable for them to front the cost and it helped them gain a lot more subscribers than when they made the customers buy the equipment.

The problem was as the cost continued to go down instead of lowering those monthly costs it turned into another profit center. These days with an Genie/Hopper type DVR costing them less than $300 (and they probably have more in warehouses from returns than they will ever need so I doubt they are making them any more) and Gemini/Joeys costing $50 or so they're making a killing on those fees. They've become addicted to them.

Unlike the cable companies that make their real profit selling internet (cable TV is at best break even for companies like Comcast etc.) Directv/Dish can't give up those fees and treat TV like a breakeven because they don't have anything else making money to fall back on.

 

[Juan]

Just because it is cloud based doesn't make it any easier to migrate that data. The software they use will be different, the databases of information they maintain will be different, etc. That's where the cost comes in, the cost of the hardware (even in pre cloud days) is a drop in the bucket. I know this, because as an IT consultant I was a part of projects with huge budgets paying a lot of people triple digits per hour to make that sort of thing happen.

Its not going to happen overnight..it just won't cost as much...for example just have CSRs log into 2 different systems...it's cloud based..basically it's training and adding a web address...granted satellite uplinks will be expensive but most of the call center stuff should be quick and easy

 

[Jimbo]

Yes those fees suck but they are using them to subsidize the overall cost. Back when a satellite receivers were very expensive they made customers buy them because the satellite companies couldn't afford to front that kind of money.

Around the time the second generation of HD receivers started driving those costs down (H20 for Directv in the 2005/2006 timeframe, not what the Dish equivalent would be) Directv switched to a rental model because it was reasonable for them to front the cost and it helped them gain a lot more subscribers than when they made the customers buy the equipment.

The problem was as the cost continued to go down instead of lowering those monthly costs it turned into another profit center. These days with an Genie/Hopper type DVR costing them less than $300 (and they probably have more in warehouses from returns than they will ever need so I doubt they are making them any more) and Gemini/Joeys costing $50 or so they're making a killing on those fees. They've become addicted to them.

Unlike the cable companies that make their real profit selling internet (cable TV is at best break even for companies like Comcast etc.) Directv/Dish can't give up those fees and treat TV like a breakeven because they don't have anything else making money to fall back on.

Yes, those Box and other fees are ridiculous ...
I think I pay about $25 p/m just for the DVR/HD Whole Home thing, plus another $15 for an RSN set of channels I don't watch but a few times a year when I'm forced to, because they Make you watch Your local network, if your team is out of the RSN area.

So, thats $40, that would at least put me under $100 p/m.

 

[meStevo]

If they got rid of them it would be part of restructuring the whole service to just include that lost revenue somewhere else.

These are not the healthiest of businesses right now, they aren't going to just make a bunch of consumer-friendly-looking moves that are going to shed any revenue while the bottom has yet to be found in their subscriber numbers.

Once things level off from this transition away from traditional pay TV and there is a more manageable ebb and flow to churn, maybe they then right-size with whatever programming is left for the customers they remain appealing to, but we're a ways off still from that it seems.