Have you ever been so disgusted with pay tv?

[ChadT41]

I didn't see a TV program (WDAY in Fargo,ND) until I was 13 (1953) and I've gotten this far. But don't ever try take it away now!

Lol. And no one is taking it away. It's a luxury that we pay to enjoy, and until larger numbers decide that enjoyment isn't being fulfilled for the money, we will all continue to pay to enjoy.

 

[sam_gordon]

Heck open another poll its easy to do.

As to any that say ahh its only tv,don't get bent out of shape,no need to complain,I disagree,all the broadcasters,and providers need to hear some complaining,otherwise they will just keep going insane with increases.Sure by all means vote with your wallets as well,but don't sit idly by and let them ignore some of our displeasure.The less people complain,the more they figure its ok.

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So you think Dish is paying attention to complaints on line and that's why they "keep the costs low"? I have a bridge to sell you. Complaints on the internet are just that. They don't mean anything. Sort of like when a parent tells a child... "if you do that one more time, you're in trouble" then "I told you, if you do that one more time, you're in trouble", then "I told you to stop doing that or you're going to be in trouble". Threats mean nothing unless there are consequences actually carried out.

 

[Dah-Henny]

Well, I'd say that if Dish, or anyone else comes up with a good enough OTT offering, with access to locals, there'll be a mass exodus from satellite/cable delivered programming. I suppose that Dish knows better than to make their OTT too good, for that reason.

 

[MikeD-C05]

I wonder if DISH will put an application on the Hopper itself for NuTv ? Then you could keep DISH for say the Welcome pack and get your locals and ota channels and use NuTv for the cable channels. That way they keep it all the potential income in the family so to speak. I never thought I would see Netflix added as an app on the hopper so an app for NuTv isn't out of the question.

 

[lucky86]

I doubt it, simply because Netflix is a well known thing. I haven't ever heard of NuTV so I doubt it's nearly as well known as Netflix. I guess you never know, but my guess is that isn't going to happen.

 

[EarDemon]

Not fed up at all and worth every penny I pay. And it’s a lot of pennies. DirecTV with the Premier Package, HD Extra, NFL Sunday Ticket Max, NHL Center Ice, NBA League Pass, sometimes MLB Extra Innings, an HR44 and an HR24. Also keep a backup TWC digital cable connection to use when DirecTV goes out and use it to watch a low budget cable only RSN that is home to the local AHL team and the lacrosse team.

As long as good content is being produced, I am more than happy to pay. I find little to no value in OTA TV. Filled with news programming that repeats the same non news over, countless judge shows, celebrity gossip shows and primetime network TV programming is poor at best with their cookie cutter procedurals. A new NCIS debuted this season, a new CSI comes out in a few months, a second attempt at a Criminal Minds spinoff is coming, how many Law & Orders have there been over the years? Scorpion is one of the most pathetic things I've ever watched when watched as a drama, but is tolerable when watched as what it really is, a comedy. But I gave up on that a few weeks ago.


Had Netflix free trials on three separate occasions and I couldn’t find anything worth watching on their streaming service. I wouldn’t pay a penny for their service. All the shows that I’m interested in I’ve watched since the beginning and I have no desire to re-watch. I simply cannot binge watch shows. I get extremely bored of watching the same characters for more than an hour. I like being current with shows and will not fall a season or two or more behind. I also refuse to go to multiple sources for the same content I can get with one service.

 

[jayn_j]

I cut the cord 2 1/2 years ago and haven't felt much if any loss. Not a sports guy and year old Top Gear episodes are fresh if you haven't seen them. Have Netflix and Amazon Prime to fill in.

 

[king3pj]

So you think Dish is paying attention to complaints on line and that's why they "keep the costs low"? I have a bridge to sell you. Complaints on the internet are just that. They don't mean anything. Sort of like when a parent tells a child... "if you do that one more time, you're in trouble" then "I told you, if you do that one more time, you're in trouble", then "I told you to stop doing that or you're going to be in trouble". Threats mean nothing unless there are consequences actually carried out.

If you think only the people who take the time to post here are fed up I have a bridge to sell you. This website is just a small sample of the total Dish population. If there are this many people complaining on a satellite TV enthusiast website do you really think a decent percentage of the general public isn't complaining too? If Dish isn't paying attention to customer complaints they really should be.

I frequently see posts like this one acting like no one who says they are going to cancel over a dropped channel or price increase actually does. I dropped Dish for streaming and OTA last December when the price increases were announced. I'm definitely not the only member of Satellite Guys to do this. The percentage of members who no longer subscribe to traditional pay TV may be small but It's certainly not zero. As internet options have continued to improve over the last several years that percentage keeps going up.

No, I don't get as much TV content as you do but in my opinion most of it is crap anyways. Netflix, Amazon, MLB.tv and the occasional iTunes season pass are more than enough to keep me entertained. That, along with OTA, and I'm perfectly happy. I pay for exactly what I want to watch instead of supporting re-runs and reality TV on dozens of channels I never watched.

 

[sam_gordon]

If you think only the people who take the time to post here are fed up I have a bridge to sell you. This website is just a small sample of the total Dish population. If there are this many people complaining on a satellite TV enthusiast website do you really think a decent percentage of the general public isn't complaining too? If Dish isn't paying attention to customer complaints they really should be.

I frequently see posts like this one acting like no one who says they are going to cancel over a dropped channel or price increase actually does. I dropped Dish for streaming and OTA last December when the price increases were announced. I'm definitely not the only member of Satellite Guys to do this. The percentage of members who no longer subscribe to traditional pay TV may be small but It's certainly not zero. As internet options have continued to improve over the last several years that percentage keeps going up.

No, I don't get as much TV content as you do but in my opinion most of it is crap anyways. Netflix, Amazon, MLB.tv and the occasional iTunes season pass are more than enough to keep me entertained. That, along with OTA, and I'm perfectly happy. I pay for exactly what I want to watch instead of supporting re-runs and reality TV on dozens of channels I never watched.

OK, so ALL these people are upset over the price and complaining... on the internet, in coffee houses, at work, everywhere. And what has that done to what Dish charges? Let me give you a hint... http://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/threads/2015-dish-price-increase.344452/.

I'm not begrudging anyone who has cut the cord. More power to them. My point is you've got a bunch of people who are saying "satellite TV is too expensive!" while writing a check (or paying online) to Dish & Direct. If it's too expensive, DON'T GET IT! No one is forcing you. Therefore it is YOUR choice to pay the money. What's the definition of doing the same thing repeatedly while hoping for a different result?

 

[king3pj]

OK, so ALL these people are upset over the price and complaining... on the internet, in coffee houses, at work, everywhere. And what has that done to what Dish charges? Let me give you a hint... http://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/threads/2015-dish-price-increase.344452/.

I'm not begrudging anyone who has cut the cord. More power to them. My point is you've got a bunch of people who are saying "satellite TV is too expensive!" while writing a check (or paying online) to Dish & Direct. If it's too expensive, DON'T GET IT! No one is forcing you. Therefore it is YOUR choice to pay the money. What's the definition of doing the same thing repeatedly while hoping for a different result?

I'm not sure where I ever claimed that people complaining stopped price increases from happening. The example you used of parents making empty threats to their kids insulated all these people who threaten to cancel don't go through with it. My point was simply that plenty of people here have gone through with it. My point about all the people complaining who don't subscribe to a satellite enthusiast web was that plenty of them are cutting the cord too.

Dish is in a no win situation. Cable channels aren't as important as they used to be to a lot of people. Many people get most of their media from the Internet now and I'm not just talking about the same TV shows they used to watch on cable. There are plenty of other things occupying people's free time from Netflix, to YouTube, to video games, to God knows what. People care less about having TNT(random cable channel) these days yet TNT still wants more money with every new contract. Then Dish has to raise prices on people who are already finding their product less important. They can't just drop everything to stop increases either because then they alienate the people who are still hardcore into their cable channels.

I really feel that the whole industry is in trouble. It won't be a sudden collapse but it probably will be a slow and steady decline. That's why Dish is trying to get into the Internet TV business. They know the traditional model can't last forever.

 

[osu1991]

OK, so ALL these people are upset over the price and complaining... on the internet, in coffee houses, at work, everywhere. And what has that done to what Dish charges? Let me give you a hint... http://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/threads/2015-dish-price-increase.344452/.

I'm not begrudging anyone who has cut the cord. More power to them. My point is you've got a bunch of people who are saying "satellite TV is too expensive!" while writing a check (or paying online) to Dish & Direct. If it's too expensive, DON'T GET IT! No one is forcing you. Therefore it is YOUR choice to pay the money. What's the definition of doing the same thing repeatedly while hoping for a different result?

What the hell do you expect them to do? Just bend over and take it. Just because it is expensive, doesn't mean we don't have a right to argue it's perceived value. Just like you feel like you have a right to defend every OTA broadcast network that thinks they should be paid. The model in general is the problem, in that we are forced to pay for bundles of channels with no choice or idea what the true cost per channel is within that bundle.

We all realize you, Scherrmann, Chad and some others want a couple of Hoppers and a gazillion channels and don't mind paying for that privilege, but most consumers only want a dozen or fewer channels at most, yet they have no choice but to buy a package with a hundred or more channels, most of which average less than a hundred thousand viewers.

So the choice is do without or pay for a hundred or more channels that 90% wont ever be tuned to. Not much choice there.

 

[sam_gordon]

What the hell do you expect them to do? Just bend over and take it. Just because it is expensive, doesn't mean we don't have a right to argue it's perceived value. Just like you feel like you have a right to defend every OTA broadcast network that thinks they should be paid. The model in general is the problem, in that we are forced to pay for bundles of channels with no choice or idea what the true cost per channel is within that bundle.

We all realize you, Scherrmann, Chad and some others want a couple of Hoppers and a gazillion channels and don't mind paying for that privilege, but most consumers only want a dozen or fewer channels at most, yet they have no choice but to buy a package with a hundred or more channels, most of which average less than a hundred thousand viewers.

So the choice is do without or pay for a hundred or more channels that 90% wont ever be tuned to. Not much choice there.

I really don't expect anyone to do anything. I simply replied to the poster who said all the complaining tells Dish to keep the pricing down. How exactly has that worked out? Do I think the current model is the best? Absolutely not. I've got my own ideas of how to make it better, but neither Charlie nor the broadcasters will listen to me, no matter how many times I put it on the internet or send emails. All the folks complaining about MVPDs costing too much remind me of the old joke...

Patient: "Doctor, it hurts when I do this."
Doctor: "So don't do it."

Companies aren't in business out of the goodness of their hearts. They're trying to make money. If they charge too much for their product, they lose customers. If they lose customers, they'll either reduce costs, increase the value of the product, or go out of business. Until they lose customers ($$), why change? Simply because people complain? If that was the case, gas would never go over $2/gallon.

As far as choices, you have some. You can reduce your package, reduce the number of screens you're feeding, or drop the service all together. Just because you don't like the choices doesn't mean you're FORCED into anything. If Dish raises rates enough, I'll do one of the options. It won't be ideal, but my family will survive.

You want to "send a statement" to Dish and networks... stop sending them your money.

 

[MikeD-C05]

I doubt it, simply because Netflix is a well known thing. I haven't ever heard of NuTV so I doubt it's nearly as well known as Netflix. I guess you never know, but my guess is that isn't going to happen.

NuTv is DISH's ott service that they were supposed to launch by the end of this year. It will most likely be in application form and it would make sense to have it available on the hopper, since then the sub with DISH could stay with them for just locals and the Welcome pack and use the NuTv service to provide the national cable channels at their cheaper $30.00 price point. But who knows?

 

[richyrich]

This applies to all providers,only posting here as a current Dish customer.Personally I am fed up with the price of pay tv,so I wanted to see what everyone else thinks.

Well, if you always wanted to pay for free tv channels, want it done by technowonderdog (an imaginary character with lots of muscle); and therefore everything it does is "the easy" big buttonsized company with so much to do "four you". Then the bill comes in the "autopay" loading mode; bigger and bigger it go; the only time they will call is if you do not pay for their toll is the energizer bunny (and they shut it "ALL" down immediately when you no longer pay).

Every channel I do not watch very often (there are many free tv channels I do watch every day for they have the best pics and programs) is really a free to air channel (using a satellite dish). Every channel I have I watch all the time costs me 120+ dollars more per month (only 3-10 channels). Interesting thing about the fcc, who wrote that pay per use shall be fair; the internet tv is going to cost more than I already pay because of it.

 

[ncted]

Disgusted every month when my bill shows up! lol.

I think I only have another year left on Dish, and then I'm going Tivo OTA. Best Buy sells it outright for $50, + $14.95 month sub. I'd do it already, but I have a wife that's EXTREMELY technologically challenged. If it isn't real easy, she simply can't do it. The Tivo is the next step for us after spending this year researching various OTA dvr's.

I recently dropped Dish and got the Tivo Roamio OTA. The Roamio is the best OTA DVR you can get. We miss some of the features on the Hopper, but not the Dish bill that goes with them. I could afford Pay TV if I wanted to, but I've felt for some time that I was paying way more than I should for what I was getting. Even on the Welcome Pack, we felt we were paying too much. Going OTA+Streaming has been liberating in many ways. We can watch what we want, when we want. The only caveat is it doesn't work well for people who like sports. If you like sports, then I hope you like paying for them, especially now as providers are starting to add sports fees to recoup the cost of the sports channels.

 

[richyrich]

Well, the old FTA sports machine really does still work; it is that there are so many channels you miss that are over on your internet tv on PPV later on. If you want live Free TV; it is on FTA satellite TV; believe me. Feeds, sports; just not much espn 1/2/3 (studio). All using a set-top box STB with internet tv too; all free to air satellite (called JELLYBEAN) and local antenna channels are passed through my equipment list. All HD with local advertising, the highest quality controlled ratings and guide info as well as PROGRAMMING 1080p outputing hdmi channels IM missing? well, NFL channel on thurs. game ($50+ mo. teir) ESPN, FOX 1-44 SN (100 tier w/dvr); NONE! Every time I look for; sports channel programs show up all over new channels; new ways to make broadcast channels is still the same "time and event" buttonary vision!

 

[dishcomm]

I dont drink bottom shelf or middle shelf stuff. Shot of patron is anywhere from $7-10 and shot of tullamore dew is around the same price point, then factor in beers tips and money for the juke box, it adds up quickly. I tip nicely because when the bar or club gets busy that bartender will remember you and will serve you before the non or cheap tippers.

Don't have the budget to drink liquor. Besides., I cannot deal with the next day's effects of a liquor induced hangover. So i am a beer guy. I don't go to clubs. I go to sports bars. And even if I were single, you would not catch me dead in a singles night club/meat market. Those are precisely the type of women to avoid.
I am a generous tipper...Why? Because I've been on the other side of the bar.
5 years. The best customers got A-1 service. The cheapskates were merely tolerated.

 

[satjay]

I wonder if DISH will put an application on the Hopper itself for NuTv ? Then you could keep DISH for say the Welcome pack and get your locals and ota channels and use NuTv for the cable channels. That way they keep it all the potential income in the family so to speak. I never thought I would see Netflix added as an app on the hopper so an app for NuTv isn't out of the question.

Not a bad idea, costumer may have a lower bill, but dish still gets revenue from equipment fees. Though adding it all up may be the cost of for example 120 package so I can also see other side of it

 

[MikeD-C05]

Not a bad idea, costumer may have a lower bill, but dish still gets revenue from equipment fees. Though adding it all up may be the cost of for example 120 package so I can also see other side of it

I'm sure that it will probably cost as much after fees etc, but I can see DISH pushing it as an application on the hopper. Applications seem to be all DISH is working on with the hopper these days . After they added the Netflix app , I can see them possibly pushing others. Maybe Hulu plus, Amazon? The idea is to make the Hopper the one box for all your entertainment needs and you don't have to change inputs. People would be less inclined to drop DISH if they could still use Primetime anytime feature for the networks and the other entertainment applications for the cord cutters too.

 

[Scherrman]

What the hell do you expect them to do? Just bend over and take it. Just because it is expensive, doesn't mean we don't have a right to argue it's perceived value. Just like you feel like you have a right to defend every OTA broadcast network that thinks they should be paid. The model in general is the problem, in that we are forced to pay for bundles of channels with no choice or idea what the true cost per channel is within that bundle.

We all realize you, Scherrmann, Chad and some others want a couple of Hoppers and a gazillion channels and don't mind paying for that privilege, but most consumers only want a dozen or fewer channels at most, yet they have no choice but to buy a package with a hundred or more channels, most of which average less than a hundred thousand viewers.

So the choice is do without or pay for a hundred or more channels that 90% wont ever be tuned to. Not much choice there.

I know I'm willing to pay for what I want but I have been one of the people saying that there needs to be a restructuring of the packages so people can have a decent bundle of channels for an affordable price. It wouldn't affect what I subscribe to but I think it needs to be done in order to make a larger portion of customers happy and also make Dish a more attractive provider to new subscribers.

Me telling people to stop complaining is just more complaining actually so I will try to stop. I'm just trying to show people that the complaining doesn't do as much as you would like it to do. You can voice your opinions to Dish directly but that only goes so far as well. The biggest ways to get their attention are to lower packages or to drop service altogether. So far I think the majority of customers have just been crying wolf to Dish and continue to pay the fees. As long as the majority of customers kepp paying the higher fees then Dish stays profitable for now.

One last thing I would like to say is that Dish knows what is going on with the TV industry. Charlie is not a stupid man and he's seen this coming for a very long time. He has been talking about people wanting to watch TV online and on mobile devices before it ever became popular. I really think Dish understands where things are going and they know they need to make changes. The hard part is trying to make those changes and still remain profitable. Dish is in the process of doing this now. I choose to believe this instead of thinking Dish is just trying to stick with their current model and bleed every penny from customers until they sell out and retire.