Our contract is up in January and I'm probably going to bolt for a bit. Comcast is decent here and I have the HOA portion already included in our bills making my current package (everything except the pay stations) cost only $17.95 per month (Digital Preferred w/ HD). Just can't beat that and now that they did their system upgrade the difference between the two isn't what it used to be.
New 2014 DIRECTV Prices
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Same here.
I don't do movies often, Sports is the main draw, I could probably drop WAY down if not for that.
It's pretty much what any DirecTV customer of more than a year or two would expect. Most packages go up around $3/year. This coming year that shows most going up $3, with Choice only $2 and the Ultimate/Premium a bit more at $4 & $5. If they leave the equipment access fees alone this year I look at it as a win.
Personally, I think they should make subs happy by doing away with some fees ...
Paying for HD signal ? Come on, really.
Extra fees for mirroring programming ?
Extra fee for using a DVR .... If you get a DVR, there should be no fee, they already charge more for it.
Just a way for them to make more money, seeing it's become the norm for them, it won't be going away ... how would they recoup that money ?
Fees are just ridiculous, if you removed some of these, prices would be reasonable.
If you getting the Top package, those fees should be already included ... it use to be that way and they got greedy and added to even the TOP tier.
At least the DVR fee covers the whole account, not added by recvr.
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Yep that's way better than dish's increase. On top of that the value is much more than dish given the fact that you get full time RSN's, all of Disney channels in HD. I know people complain about prices going up, but compared to the competition, DirecTV's price increase is actually one of the lowest you will find in the industry.
I still love the low cost leader defense, after I read the increases. AND Dish subs still dont have a deal with ESPN and Disney. Ridiculous.
That still didn't make a difference. Some are so loyal that dish can do no wrong they may as well have dish pom poms in their sigs.
And there are some D* fanbois that are exactly the same.
Currently I'm with Dish and saving some money, and those things that concern many in this thread (ie; ESPN, Disney) aren't important to me at all. Essentially D* and E* are 2 sides of the same coin for my viewing choices. It's why I can switch so easily.
If those prices are correct, that is my breaking point. I will be reducing from Ultimate to Xtra. I ALMOST did it last year, but I talked them into a year of price reduction and sports pack, as this was my "year 2". Soon, I will have no new customer promotions and simply will not pay over $80/month base for TV with the crap that is on most channels. The only thing I will miss in that range is NHL Network and TMC. Encore doesn't have enough HD to make it valuable enough to keep.
With the Sportspack, it's absolutely stupid that the NHL Network is not included. What is the likelihood of the Sportspack's price going up? Or the Spanish add-on package? I would pay up to $5/month MORE for the Sportspack IF the following changes could be made:
-PAC12 NETWORK!! You are not the Sports Leader without this channel. Period.
-Universal Sports (ch 625) in HD. These events look great in HD!
-Spanish sports channels (ESPNDHD 432, TYC 427, FOXD 425/624, BEINNHD 426) were included, also if FOX Deportes was in HD.
-Stop the blackouts of non-major sports/programming (specialty shows, college sports, minor league/non-pro sports, classics from 30 years ago). I realize this is not likely, but it has always been a perk of the Sports Pack.
With the Sportspack, it's absolutely stupid that the NHL Network is not included. What is the likelihood of the Sportspack's price going up? Or the Spanish add-on package? I would pay up to $5/month MORE for the Sportspack IF the following changes could be made:
-PAC12 NETWORK!! You are not the Sports Leader without this channel. Period.
-Universal Sports (ch 625) in HD. These events look great in HD!
-Spanish sports channels (ESPNDHD 432, TYC 427, FOXD 425/624, BEINNHD 426) were included, also if FOX Deportes was in HD.
-Stop the blackouts of non-major sports/programming (specialty shows, college sports, minor league/non-pro sports, classics from 30 years ago). I realize this is not likely, but it has always been a perk of the Sports Pack.
so true on the BOLD....got blacked out the other day on a 45 year retrospect of Shea Stadium.....REALLY??
The NHL Network is part of the Xtra package iirc.
Edit:
Sorry, after looking at the website, it is Not listed as being part of the Xtra package ... I get the NHL Network on my package, but I have a grandfathered package I guess. I'm on Choice Extra Classic, I was thinking they were similar ... guess there are differences.
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So what is your "breaking point"?
I'm pretty damn close... I remember when I first signed up with D* Select was $19.99 and Total Choice was $29.99... HBO & Cinemax together were $18, and the others were around $10. PPV movies were $2.99, and extra receivers were $4. Tivo was $5. The bill was around $70 after additions.
Although TV is important to me, there becomes a point when I feel like I'm being taken advantage of, mainly because this is driven by sports programming I rarely watch and wouldn't miss if it was gone -- and I'm getting close to it; it's damn near $150 per month right now. Realistically with inflation, I think it should be around $100.
This reminds me of some radio broadcasting research that says that over 90% of people don't realize a commercial break is on and don't change the station if the break is under 4:30 minutes long--it's about the length of an average song. Bump that up to 5 minutes and that number goes down to 70%, make it over 5 minutes and half your audience goes away. There's a "certain point" when the MAJORITY of people will just say "my TV bill is just too damn high!" and the programmer's lust for money will bite them in the ass. They will either reduce their fees, or jack them up even higher and hasten linear TV's demise as it becomes a very expensive premium product (more than it already is).
Once this happens, it will take just a clever marketing campaign and product to promote the benefit of the free antenna with all the digital sub-channels and someone will make millions (funny how E* has created the ChannelMaster DVR for antenna users, and has a new one on the way based on Dish's newest DVRs... it's like they are just waiting for that day). Maybe it'd even be ripe for someone to return like UStv (I think that was their name) that offered 8 of the basic cable channels, plus Starz East for a low fee and broadcast them over a leased encrypted OTA station and combined those channels + whatever else you got in one guide to make having an antenna pretty much all you'd need--that idea was ahead of it's time, but I think it might actually work these days.
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I'm pretty damn close... I remember when I first signed up with D* Select was $19.99 and Total Choice was $29.99... HBO & Cinemax together were $18, and the others were around $10. PPV movies were $2.99, and extra receivers were $4. Tivo was $5. The bill was around $70 after additions.
Although TV is important to me, there becomes a point when I feel like I'm being taken advantage of, mainly because this is driven by sports programming I rarely watch and wouldn't miss if it was gone -- and I'm getting close to it; it's damn near $150 per month right now. Realistically with inflation, I think it should be around $100.
This reminds me of some radio broadcasting research that says that over 90% of people don't realize a commercial break is on and don't change the station if the break is under 4:30 minutes long--it's about the length of an average song. Bump that up to 5 minutes and that number goes down to 70%, make it over 5 minutes and half your audience goes away. There's a "certain point" when the MAJORITY of people will just say "my TV bill is just too damn high!" and the programmer's lust for money will bite them in the ass. They will either reduce their fees, or jack them up even higher and hasten linear TV's demise as it becomes a very expensive premium product (more than it already is).
Once this happens, it will take just a clever marketing campaign and product to promote the benefit of the free antenna with all the digital sub-channels and someone will make millions (funny how E* has created the ChannelMaster DVR for antenna users, and has a new one on the way based on Dish's newest DVRs... it's like they are just waiting for that day). Maybe it'd even be ripe for someone to return like UStv (I think that was their name) that offered 8 of the basic cable channels, plus Starz East for a low fee and broadcast them over a leased encrypted OTA station and combined those channels + whatever else you got in one guide to make having an antenna pretty much all you'd need--that idea was ahead of it's time, but I think it might actually work these days.
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The problem is, outside of "New Customer deals" your gonna pay about the same regardless of the provider if your getting the same channels.
That's exactly my point -- it's not just D*, it's everyone -- E* is still a few bucks cheaper than D*, just like they always were. D* is a few bucks cheaper than Comcast -- while D*'s "Ultimate" package is going up to $129, Comcast is going up to $135. The only thing the cable guys have on satellite is on the extreme low end -- the "basic" lifeline package is $18 which has about 30 useable channels (rest being shopping and public interest--but all the local subcahnnels are there)... Although I have Comcast for internet, I get it via Earthlink so I don't have to pay the "no TV fee" -- D* pretty much has me locked in with the east coast feeds of the cable channels (which I really prefer--I like my shows waiting for me on the DVR when I get home) and HD feeds of all the movie channels (Comcast got rid of all HD multiplex's except for the main west coast feeds last year).
I remember when E* had a "pick 10" package for $14.99 -- I really wish they still did this because I bet I could probably pick 10 cable channels (and absolutely 15), my locals and all the movie channels and be COMPLETELY happy.
...and it's not just programming, it's add ons. I remember when D* first got Tivos (I evangelized the DVR to plenty of people... I thought the first D* Tivo was pure magic) it was a $5 add on for the account, or $199 lifetime--completely reasonable. Now there's the $20 "advanced receiver" fee, additional boxes are more expensive etc etc.
So yeah, I realize it's not just D* -- it's the industry in general... but there has to be a breaking point -- and my thought is that it will be a very narrow line -- and once the programming gets pushed there, a LOT more people will be moving to antennas, basic cable (which also carries all the subchannels in that basic package)
Sometimes I wonder what would happen if the providers just balked at the "you have to stick ESPN/Disney/RSNs in the base package" thing and went back to offering them for $10 per month like they did in the big dish days. They could probably lower their prices considerably on their base packages -- those that want the programming could take it, and their bill would still be high -- but they'd pay for what they actually want.
I think folks on the D* side need to be less proud of D* contract disputes very rarely going to the point of channels being removed.. IMO they need to go that far (and maybe more) to slow the price increases... but instead everyone here is so happy that the contract is magically resolved.. until the price increases come out the following year. And not that I think D*, E*, cable companies, etc, exactly have our best interests in mind (they have their own profit in mind), we customers need to make sure they know we are ok with them taking a harder line in negotiations.
The problem of course, is that while we'll all complain about those price increases, not enough people will drop sub levels or cancel to send the message that we think the price is getting out of hand.
So none of the providers feel the urge to take a hard line often enough.
So none of the providers feel the urge to take a hard line often enough.
If you think about it, as a society, we aren't the sharpest tacks in the drawer. Even when we get a chance to change things, like in an election for public office, we still just keep voting in the same old people. Republican or democrat, nothing really changes. Promises are broken, money is wasted, and we keep hoping for a change for the better, that never really happens. It's quite a vicious cycle.
Amen to that!! In business I'm only a loyal customer in the sense that I pay the bills on time and if I'm making changes the one I'm with gets first crack at the continued business. But in the end, it is all about the Benjamins!! 
In politics I often wonder if I could just flip a coin when voting and get no better or worse results. I'm hearing more good common sense around the table at the golf course than I've heard out of DC in years!!
In politics I often wonder if I could just flip a coin when voting and get no better or worse results. I'm hearing more good common sense around the table at the golf course than I've heard out of DC in years!!
I just saw this... does anyone have any additional information about it? I do not recall seeing this on here or DBStalk, and it seems like it would have been on both: http://www.bigsoccer.com/community/threads/new-directv-deportes-package.1996636/
If this is real, bye bye En Español package (except during Olympics...)
If this is real, bye bye En Español package (except during Olympics...)
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