ESPN & FOX Sports Net getting too expensive for COX cabl

[Stargazer]

http://asia.news.yahoo.com/030930/5/156yl.htmlI seen on CNN (Dish Network channel 200) this morning that these two channels are making it hard for Cox to stay in business because they are raising rates by 20% and 35%. They say that some may go to satellite to get these channels if cable drops the channels. It was on CNN but I cannot find any links on their website.

Here is a link to the story:

http://asia.news.yahoo.com/030930/5/156yl.html

 

[A_Noland]

It was on CNBC also.

 

[Cyclone]

I could see ESPN because its national. Fox Sports, isn't that a Regional Sports Network? I thought they were not a national network like ESPN.

Still, I'd like to see ESPN get knocked down a notch. I rarely watch them and their price sounds like its too high. I guess their ratings would be the judge.

 

[Mark Sorensen]

I think that I can say that I never watch ESPN. Yet, they have a huge impact upon the monthly cost of a basic residential subscription.

But as I understand it, they, and most of the other channels that you find in "basic" packages DEMAND that they be carried in "basic" tiers, or make it financially difficult or impractical to sell them A-La-Carte.

I sincerely believe that if they had to justify their effective retail monthly subscription cost to actual end users (subscribers), and actually "Sell" that value to subscribers, and subscribers actually had a practical choice in the matter, that they would have a huge problem on their hands.
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[James]

This was frontpage news on the Arizona Republic...

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/business/articles/1007Cox07.html

I for one don't watch anything other than sports on my system. If I have to pay extra, I want to drop some channels I don't watch. This street should go both ways. I'm willing to buy the sports tier (actually I already do), but if I don't need the basic channels to watch sports, then I don't want to have to buy them.

 

[mikew]

I think it's time for a little collusion between the cable co's and satellite providers. If it weren't for them, there would be no ESPN or Fox Sports Net. Give them the same rate as CNN or let 'em go.

Sports are the only thing I watch live, with commercial interruption. If they can't sell that, then something is wrong.