If broadcasters like Tribune and others continue to be greedy and demand more money for their stations when they don't warrant it, why doesn't Dish put the local channels for markets back in a separate package? Then those areas with greedy station owners can charge whatever to their own viewers and Dish can just pass that along to the customer without being portrayed as the bad guy. Viewers in those areas can decide if they want to pay for their local channels OR not...
Locals Channel Package
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Those same people demanding to get it back are the same ones that would be demanding a credit for the increase in that package or cost of that channel.
Just guessing, since everyone now includes the locals in all packages probably a very high percentage want them and it may not be worth the trouble of selling them separately.
It would certainly backfire on the providers, due to sub outcry over now having to pay for something that was once free. They wouldn't care about the logic behind it.
The only way it would work is for them to reduce the price of the core packages. Let's say a package is $49.99 (can't be
$50 got to have that psychological pricing), any way, let's say that's the price with locals, without it's $44.99 the locals are $5.00 per month. That "might" work.
$50 got to have that psychological pricing), any way, let's say that's the price with locals, without it's $44.99 the locals are $5.00 per month. That "might" work.
Makes sense. But don't forget, the broadcasters would get off the Autohop and PTAT train and begin to bitch and moan about OTA modules next.
They can bitch all they want, they can't stop a manufacturer from including an ATSC tuner in a product, and can't stop you from getting their programming OTA, unless they want to relinquish their broadcast licenses back to the FCC.
Why is it station groups think these retransmission fees are going to fund whatever they want and that providers will pay whatever they ask? Our local cable charges a ridiculous price for the Broadcast Basic package and then a "Broadcast surcharge" on top of that. I'd rather use an antenna than pay those high costs.
Since the local channels are so popular that everyone wants them, how about selling just the local channels, without requiring us to purchase all of the other channels in Welcome Pack? That way, Dish could charge those who only want the locals even more for them, say $9.99 per month, while still allowing us to save money compared to the price of Welcome Pack.
Since the local channels are so popular that everyone wants them, how about selling just the local channels, without requiring us to purchase all of the other channels in Welcome Pack? That way, Dish could charge those who only want the locals even more for them, say $9.99 per month, while still allowing us to save money compared to the price of Welcome Pack.
I don't know if DISH or anyone wants to service an account of $10 a month and provide a free DVR on top of that. And I can promise if they charged that much more than otherwise the locals at contract time would use that against them saying DISH is making money hand over fist so they can afford to pay the locals more.
The last time Dish offered Locals Only, Dish included fine print on the back of the bill stating that the base package price included a $9 per month lease fee for the first receiver, which made it look like Dish was only charging 99 cents per month for the local channels.
Yes because at that time that is about what they were paying! I believe it actually is closer to $6-8 now cost to DISH so the $9.99 example may be too low.
True, but Welcome Pack also increased by $5 since then, so a $14.99 price for Locals Only might be reasonable, and would still be cheaper than $19.99 for Welcome Pack.
It costs hundreds of millions of dollars to put each satellite in orbit. Let's say you had a locals only package at $15. If everyone bought just that package you can't make enough money to stay in business....
That's why there are already multiple Basepacks.
Just because Dish would offer a Locals only pack at $15 doesn't mean everyone would subscribe to it.
You make it sound like a $15 base pack would bankrupt Dish.
IMO it would add more customers.
Once they are in the door, Chances are they would upgrade to premiums DVR, even up there basepacks.
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Not disputing you because I have no clue. However, how do you know what DISH pays for local channels? Wouldn't it vary from location to location? Doesn't each station owner negotiate separately? Thanks.
Most local contracts (if not all) require carriage on all tiers if you want the channel at all.
At one time you could buy just locals, I believe the price was $5 + a $9.99 non-base pack fee. I might be wrong about the name of the fee.
They did away that option so I don't believe they will bring it back.
They did away that option so I don't believe they will bring it back.
There was a proposal from both Dish and DirecTV to allow LIL's as a separate option to subscribers that allowed the local station to charge whatever it wanted for its channel. The DBS companies would bill for it, but would NOT keep any of that money; they would forward 100% of the fee to the local station/media company. DBS would pay for the cost of providing the stations on their systems at no cost to the broadcasters, but the broadcasters would make their decision to charge whatever or not charge, and they got all that money.
Of course, it went nowhere because NAB ab-whores that idea, and it makes too much sense for the consumer. Of course, local broadcaster and the big media giants who own some of them know that there would be far too many people who feel some of their local stations aren't worth it at any price. That is the same truth for Regional Sports nets, as well. This is why the broadcasters and RSN's want their channels to earn a fee for each and every subscriber of the MVPD, whether they view the channel or not. The OTA's would still make money, just not the very lucrative re-transmission fees, but the RSN's know they would go out of business if they had to depend on an a la carte rate for their channels. That would be the free market at work.
Of course, it went nowhere because NAB ab-whores that idea, and it makes too much sense for the consumer. Of course, local broadcaster and the big media giants who own some of them know that there would be far too many people who feel some of their local stations aren't worth it at any price. That is the same truth for Regional Sports nets, as well. This is why the broadcasters and RSN's want their channels to earn a fee for each and every subscriber of the MVPD, whether they view the channel or not. The OTA's would still make money, just not the very lucrative re-transmission fees, but the RSN's know they would go out of business if they had to depend on an a la carte rate for their channels. That would be the free market at work.
