HBO/Cinemax Takedown

[rad]

A minimum threshold wouldn't be a guarantee?

No. Guarantee says you will meet a number of subs, period. A threshold says you cross it then your pricing changes to something else. You tell someone you will buy 1,000,000 of something they will give you a better price then someone saying they’ll buy 500,000, that’s thresholds. A guarantee is he said he’d buy 1,000,000 of something and is told it’s this price. But after buying 500,000 at the 1,000,000 price he says he doesn’t need anymore, too bad you owe me for 1,000,000 since that was the agreement.

 

[ncted]

No. Guarantee says you will meet a number of subs, period. A threshold says you cross it then your pricing changes to something else. You tell someone you will buy 1,000,000 of something they will give you a better price then someone saying they’ll buy 500,000, that’s thresholds. A guarantee is he said he’d buy 1,000,000 of something and is told it’s this price. But after buying 500,000 at the 1,000,000 price he says he doesn’t need anymore, too bad you owe me for 1,000,000 since that was the agreement.

I think you are splitting hairs there. If a minimum threshold of 3 million subscribers is what AT&T is asking for, and Dish would be required by contract to meet the minimum threshold, then that would result in Dish effectively guaranteeing 3 million subs. It is the same thing in the end.

 

[rad]

I think you are splitting hairs there. If a minimum threshold of 3 million subscribers is what AT&T is asking for, and Dish would be required by contract to meet the minimum threshold, then that would result in Dish effectively guaranteeing 3 million subs. It is the same thing in the end.

You say threshold, Charlie says thresholds which to me says AT&T is looking at volume/tiered pricing. If Charlie hadn’t made it plural then I agree but he did make it plural, which IMHO is a big difference.

 

[ncted]

You say threshold, Charlie says thresholds which to me says AT&T is looking at volume/tiered pricing. If Charlie hadn’t made it plural then I agree but he did make it plural, which IMHO is a big difference.

AT&T might be looking for tiered pricing at the same time they want a minimum number of subs. Those are not mutually exclusive. Given that Charlie said "minimum" means that they are asking for a base subscriber level IMHO.

 

[rvvaquero]

I think Charlie believes that he is screwed anyway, since he can't compete with Direct TV giving away HBO while he has to charge for it. So, he probably sees that his only real option is to try and queer the acquisition any way he can since it's under appeal.

 

[dare2be]

Given that Charlie said "minimum" means that they are asking for a base subscriber level IMHO.

"increased minimum" also implies that there was a minimum subscriber limit already in place, and AT&T is wanting to raise it.

Plural "thresholds" could just mean two different thresholds, one for HBO, and one for MAX.

 

[bobvick]

I think Charlie believes that he is screwed anyway, since he can't compete with Direct TV giving away HBO while he has to charge for it. So, he probably sees that his only real option is to try and queer the acquisition any way he can since it's under appeal.

DirecTV is not giving HBO away to ALL subs, just if you have DirecTV and certain AT&T Wireless plans. Just thought that distinction should be made. For what it’s worth, they were doing this before the Warner acquisition, of course it was underway at the time it began.

 

[long_time_DNC]

I don't care who did the pulling of the networks first. I'm not leaving Dish for DiWreckTV. I'm not giving AT&T my money, plain and simple. I cancelled their long distance service 5 months ago. They keep sending me a statement that I have a 2-cent credit coming to me! I wonder how much it's cost them to print the statement and mail it to me for the past 4+ months telling me they owe me 2 cents that I'll never, ever see? Not that I care about the 2-cents, but really, mailing the same statement month after month is just absurd.

Back to my point: if HBO/Cinemax never come back to Dish, I can live with that.

 

[ncted]

I don't care who did the pulling of the networks first. I'm not leaving Dish for DiWreckTV. I'm not giving AT&T my money, plain and simple. I cancelled their long distance service 5 months ago. They keep sending me a statement that I have a 2-cent credit coming to me! I wonder how much it's cost them to print the statement and mail it to me for the past 4+ months telling me they owe me 2 cents that I'll never, ever see? Not that I care about the 2-cents, but really, mailing the same statement month after month is just absurd.

Back to my point: if HBO/Cinemax never come back to Dish, I can live with that.

Yeah, losing HBO is not going to make me switch. What will suck is I will still pay $15/month to wherever I do end up getting it, and Dish won't get any of that. I expect Dish will want to make up that lost revenue from other sources, so I will pay more for something I do still get from Dish.

 

[long_time_DNC]

Yeah, losing HBO is not going to make me switch. What will suck is I will still pay $15/month to wherever I do end up getting it, and Dish won't get any of that. I expect Dish will want to make up that lost revenue from other sources, so I will pay more for something I do still get from Dish.

Yeah, if they don't ever bring it back and the movie packages I presently have (Starz/Encore [would like more of the Encore channels in HD], Epix, HDNet Movies, SMC, MGMHD, TCM), I guess I could 1) add Showtime, though I don't often see much I want to watch on there, or 2) add Prime Channels to my Prime account. But right now, I'm content with what I have and willing to wait 3-4 months to see what happens...

 

[Andrew Sullivan]

I have Directv and they may have HBO but if They continue with no PAC12 Network I'll be going back to Dish.

 

[comfortably_numb]

I have Directv and they may have HBO but if They continue with no PAC12 Network I'll be going back to Dish.

Come back to the dark side

 

[EarDemon]

The only time I recall a premium package being pulled off of any MSO was in the Summer of 2013 when CBS pulled Showtime and TMC off of Time Warner Cable (no longer owned by Time Warner Inc who as we all know is now owned by AT&T at that time) because of a dispute involving CBS O&O network affiliates. Since CBS owns no other cable channels besides CBS Sports Network and the often forgotten about Smithsonian Channel, they pulled the Showtime package. I believe that blackout lasted exactly a month. The bigger issue was the lack of CBS in NYC and LA for the beginning of football season.

While I can’t stand that my subscription dollars find their way to the filthy individuals that have their own shows, I do like a lot of the original HBO content. And that doesn’t include the two big ones, Game of Thrones and Westworld. Game of Thrones is not my thing at all, can’t stand that fantasy fiction stuff, and I found Westworld boring. While not a big hit, tomorrow night is the season 2 premier of my favorite HBO show, the quirky Room 104. Cinemax also has some great original content. Banshee was a phenomenal series, Quarry was excellent and I was sad to see it not get a second season, and Mike Judge’s Tales from the Tour Bus is pretty cool, although I liked last seasons focus on Country music a lot more then the crap on this season, still cool though.

I am no fan of Dish, but part of me wants to cancel my DirecTV subscription as a way to tell AT&T to go to hell for doing this. When Time Warner Inc owned Time Warner Cable they didn’t put the screws to competing MSOs the way AT&T is doing. The biggest advantage given to TWC subscribers under TWX ownership was free swag like a Soprano’s hat or Six Feet Under coffee mug or a TNT Presents NBA Playoffs Year in Review DVD.

 

[Purp1eOne]

HBO programming completely sucks now anyway. Besides GoT I hardly watch anything from them, they actually did me a favor by saving me money. I would rather pay for HBO Now for the months GoT is on and then drop it. Thanks AT&T. No worries here hold out as long as you want Dish I am not leaving.

 

[odbrv]

Last night. House of Cards final season.

I also finished House of Cards. I think they need a movie to finish it off. I was confused at the ending they came up with.

 

[comfortably_numb]

Westworld was the only thing I watched on HBO. When the next season drops, I'll sub to the free trial of HBO NOW and binge watch. Other than that, I have no need for the service. HBO/ATT can kiss my fat hairy tookus.

 

[TheKrell]

HBO/ATT can kiss my fat hairy tookus.

Ugh! I wish I could get that image out of my mind.

 

[LeroyLudlow]

Add me to the thanks for auto cancel list. If and when HBO returns I'll kiss em' good bye.

 

[ekilgus]

Getting back on topic, I wonder if both sides are even talking to each other at this time.

 

[long_time_DNC]

I would like to think so...