Lifetime Ala Carte?

[Stargazer]

In 10 years we will see IPTV and wireless take hold. The way we watch tv will once again will have been changed since we would have instant access to any content that we want for a flat monthly or annually fee. Satellite could have few subscribers by this time or could be in forward momentum going downhill. Heck they could be partnered up with or started their own wireless service for all we know.

There is a limit to everything and that is including what you and me are willing to pay for subscription television. There are going to be other availabilities for the content that you and I see today and this will mean more competition. We may very well see IPTV take over with each station doing away with the middleman (cable and satellite) and start offering them on their own. All of the different companies offering their own suite of stations will have a different type of provider so to speak. One place/site that will offer all of their services and more/most computers by that time will be able to be connected to the television. Computers could be so small by this time that they could be built right into the television and storage on solid state circuitry. Portable computers could be on the cell phone and the video displayed on any flat surface with the travel keyboard and mouse.

 

[jerryez]

Lifetime wants their high rate for 12 million Dish subscribers, not the 1 million who might pay the rate. They will never accept the offer.

 

[samatha6]

There's a reason ESPN will get less ad revenue, but projects a $200 million profit from MNF despite "outbidding" ABC by $500 million dollars a year. Considering ABC showed a $150 million loss for MNF - that's a $850 million a year swing despite fewer viewers.
Don't worry, we'll get the bill shortly - not just in the cost for ESPN, but also in all the additional channels we'll be forced to buy with the increased leverage.

Thats interesting. And there is still alot of folks that watch football OTA that won't even see them now on ESPN.. Maybe your right.. they will just foot the bill to Charlie and DAVE. But if Disney/Hearst trys to jump ESPN rates too much its going to get messy. I am about at 50 dollars a month for Dish.. if it goes to 60 because ESPN pays 850 million for MNF.. then I go OTA.. just buy a digital receiver for my HD set and thats it.

Well I guess we are a bit off topic now. But in a way we are not.. carriage, bundling, locking to other channels...its all interrelated. Its not just about lifetime and their carriage with Dish.. its much more then that.. and it should not be. The bundling thing is broken and corrupted.

 

[jimboeau]

My guess is that Dish will lose about 3 or 4 percent of new signups to Direct TV and cable, from people who care about Lifetime. Not a huge number but still significant to the bottom line.
By the way, no one has mentioned that PBS YOU is going off the air this week. Any chance it will be replaced by Current TV, another Public Service Channel???

I think you've been bit by one too many alligators, Mitch

 

[boogerbear]

Not everyone is so lucky when it comes to locals

I would have to switch to something else if I want to see my locals. We live at the foot of the the Blue Ridge. They call it the foothills but should call it the block most communication hills.
I was so happy when Dish got our locals up and running.
Small other point, Hearst not only is tied to the ABC stations, but owns the local NBC station here.

 

[boogerbear]

We all knew this was coming.

January 24, 2006
Dear Louise,
Yesterday EchoStar offered to make Lifetime Network available on a stand alone basis to all DISH Network customers who desire to subscribe. This morning you turned down that offer, asserting that Lifetime should be available to all DISH subscribers at no cost.
EchoStar hereby agrees to make Lifetime available to all DISH Network customers who request the channel, at NO COST to those customers. Again, while we will make Lifetime available to our customers for free, we will pay the most recent rate proposed to us by Lifetime for the service. No further negotiation or arguing over rates.
We stand ready to act immediately. If you accept, we can have the service back on the air today.
Sincerely,
Eric Sahl
Senior Vice President of Programming
EchoStar’s DISH Network

 

[tbenning]

This is the headline from the ad Lifetime is running today:

DISH NETWORK LINE-UP:
46 Sports channels.
7 Pornography channels.
0 Lifetime channels.

I don't know how many women will cancel because of this ad, but I bet DISH picks up some male customers because of this...I can hear it now, "Wow, DISH has 46 sports channels and 7 pornography channels! I better get DISH."

 

[samatha6]

Yep.. thats on dishes web site now.. What a poker game this has become.. Dish is banking on most people won't call to add the channel.. But I think over time.. most will. You may not watch it.. but you might have somebody over that will. Eventually, you are probably going to make that call to add it.. since its free.. But if everyone called I guess we could expect another hike next year.
I think if Lifetime takes this offer then it shows that they are pretty desperate... This is definitely in the grey area of things.. God.. can you imagine how hard it would be to get a hold of a CSR to add? Right about the time everyone calls in to get a VIP mpeg4 receiver as well.

 

[boogerbear]

New letter from Dish

So Samatha6 will you go post the new letter on Lifetime's board or should I????
:devil:

 

[Stargazer]

Lifetime has to think that they are losing money by not being on the air. Even if Dish Network agrees to their terms they will have lost so much before the deal would be done (if it ever did get done) to where they didn't gain anything at all losing most of the extra money that they would have requested. Lifetime asks for those type of rate increases thinking that it will just be handed to them as a given but they found out the hard way how it shall really go. They played hardball in the wrong arena.

 

[yanks2402]

Lets try and remember not to blame Disney in this game. Yes, while they are part owners of the channel with Hearst, they are not the ones in the middle of this debacle. Lifetime, like A&E and E! handle their own negotiations separate from Disney's negotiations.

The negotiations Disney directly handles are ESPN (all of them), Disney Channel, Toon Disney, ABC Family, and O&O ABC affiliates (such as NY and LA).

 

[samatha6]

So Samatha6 will you go post the new letter on Lifetime's board or should I????
:devil:

Done

 

[CPanther95]

You'd be surprised how many people:

1) Have no idea it is gone
2) Haven't heard anyting about the protest
3) Will never know about calling to add it

You'll also likely be surprised how much money Lifetime will spend for an ad blitz on Oxygen to let people know to call.

 

[Stargazer]

I'm not blaming Disney for Lifetime. I am just seeing what is possible if we did not have Disney and ESPN channels either.

 

[lou_do]

You'd be surprised how many people:

1) Have no idea it is gone
2) Haven't heard anyting about the protest
3) Will never know about calling to add it

In this area it has been on the local TV news, in the newspapers and Lifetime is running ads on the local channels, telling people to drop DISH and switch to DirecTV or the Brighthouse Cable. I am sure almost everyone knows about it by now. I know the women of families in my neighborhood know it is not on. One of my neighbors told me that if by Friday, Lifetime is not back on DISH his wife will be making a call to DirecTV.

 

[twinrocks]

OH the Games!!
Ok, I read the latest offer DIsh made to Lifetime AGAIN today, and I do think Lifetime should take it up, or lose it all! Now, I am mad (to say the least) at BOTH of them, but I am sure Lifetime is thinking "only the subscribers who want Lifetime will get it". Less money for Lifetime, they would rather have all the subscribers because I am sure their advertisers aren't happy at all! So I see their side of it at this point, BUT if I were Lifetime I would rather have some viewers back than none at all.
Lifetime needs to WAKE UP!!! They need to take the offer if they really care about us!! Of course I would rather have LMN, but I guess we won't have that back on Dish for a long time.

This is starting to look like a horrible soap opera!! LOL!

 

[mitchflorida]

Easiest way to make $5.00 is to call up Dish and request a rebate for losing Lifetime Channels.


Easy money . . .

 

[Stargazer]

Charlie is basically saying "take it or leave it".

 

[sweetwilliam]

Heard something about an ad that Lifetime took out today putting down DISHNetwork. Know the details?

 

[kresston]

I would have to switch to something else if I want to see my locals. We live at the foot of the the Blue Ridge. They call it the foothills but should call it the block most communication hills.
I was so happy when Dish got our locals up and running.
Small other point, Hearst not only is tied to the ABC stations, but owns the local NBC station here.

LOL know the feeling boogerbear, I live in the middle of the Blue Ridge, probably not far from you :devil: since the only local station I can get OTA is the WXII (NBC) out of Winston and its so fuzzy its bearly watchable.