Nexstar Media Group forces blackout of nearly 5.4 million DISH customers

[pattykay]

No Nexstar stations I know of in Detroit, but thank goodness I get all of my locals OTA. This ongoing crap is utter nonsense.

That is correct, Detroit is on the list of markets that I posted with no local channel disputes on Dish at the moment:

Nexstar dispute looming...

I think Howard was asking (after the Nexstar stations get pulled) how many markets still have all of their locals on Dish? In other words, how many people do not have to use OTA to get them? crodules is right: What I want to know is if you are paying for the locals and not using an OTA. For...

www.satelliteguys.us

So you are safe for now. I thought that this list might be a good list of markets where those affected by the local channel disputes can "move" if they are within the spotbeam and want to get the networks back.

 

[NYDutch]

Let's do some math. $1,000,000,000/5,400,000 customers = $185+ per customer asked by Nexstar. If this is for 36 months, then Nexstar is asking Dish to charge an average of over $5 per month to each Dish customer who currently has channels blacked out.

I have both the local Fox and CBS stations blacked out, but am using the dual tuner adapter connected to my Hopper 3 to get them OTA. I am getting CBS guide data, but not Fox. I talked to them yesterday about the missing Fox guide data. I think we are at a breaking point. I don't want to pay over $5 per month to Nexstar for 2 local channels that are free OTA. That doesn't include the costs Dish has in providing these channels. Dish will either have to make large price increases for carrying locals or plan to permanently drop locals who demand such high fees. Both of these options will lead to more customers cutting the cord.

Dish needs to design a new Hopper that can get OTA guide data for all local channels and that offers a 4+ OTA tuner adapter or that is built in. If they don't have satellite capacity for all that guide data, then use the internet connection most of us have. They could also extract program info from the OTA signal. The majority of Dish customers can get local broadcast channels OTA.

Dish needs to end this game played by Nextar and other local TV providers where they hold customers hostage to their outrageous demands to double our rates every 3 years. If Dish designs all their equipment properly, they could force these providers to either provide their channels for a low fee or permanently drop their local channels. Alternatively, they could let each local channel set a fee to be paid only by customers who choose to subscribe to that channel.

The contracts are typically for the first year per subscriber fees plus incremental increases for each of the remaining years. Between cordcutters and Dish permitting dropping the locals, companies like Nexstar are trying to make up for the loss of revenue from the wallets of the remaining subscribers.

 

[PortlandChris]

I've been without my local Fox station for months. It won't surprise me if Charlie doesn't renew the contract. As Charlie has said, you find the programming else where. What Charlie has forgotten, is yep... we the customers keeping you in business can find the programming else where by going to a different service.
Locals are already singled out, let the customers decide whether they want to pay for them. You're not fighting for the customers Charlie, you're fighting for your own wealth.

If WGN is attached, then let US the customers know the price and let US decide if we want to pay for it.
My local cable company has disputes as well, but they've been less than a month as far back as I can remember. The only thing keeping me with Dish right now is the Hopper 3 and the tuners.

Several years ago we lost FOX for a long time. When NFL season I called DISH and said I am done; we cut a deal and they came out and installed an antenna free for me. All of my locals are now available there. That was more than 2 years ago.

In October I did tube DISH and went back to cable for the first time in 17 years. I still have the antenna and it works fine and it never cost me a dime.

 

[PortlandChris]

What you're talking about is Al La Carte, have the channel as a seperate addon or included with the local stations affected and charge accordingly. Thing is There's probably a set minimum of subscribers to be included in the contract and then he has to carry these channels that few people would likely be paying the $$ for. As he says why should he pay too dollar to these greedy corporations, when Locast rebroadcasts half of those stations for free.The hopper has a Locast app. And OTA is another option. When I first started with Dish, locals were free or no extra charge. Then it staggered in pricing.
So I dropped locals rarely watch any TV shows on Network TV, don't watch local news and if I do I can stream it. Lost interest in football, this year.

Anyway I'm sure Charlie knows what he's doing it's his business after all. The only reason I'm still with Dish is because of the Hopper 3.

Locals were never free. DISH split it out so the consumer can see how much locals are costing.

 

[PortlandChris]

Let's do some math. $1,000,000,000/5,400,000 customers = $185+ per customer asked by Nexstar. If this is for 36 months, then Nexstar is asking Dish to charge an average of over $5 per month to each Dish customer who currently has channels blacked out.

I have both the local Fox and CBS stations blacked out, but am using the dual tuner adapter connected to my Hopper 3 to get them OTA. I am getting CBS guide data, but not Fox. I talked to them yesterday about the missing Fox guide data. I think we are at a breaking point. I don't want to pay over $5 per month to Nexstar for 2 local channels that are free OTA. That doesn't include the costs Dish has in providing these channels. Dish will either have to make large price increases for carrying locals or plan to permanently drop locals who demand such high fees. Both of these options will lead to more customers cutting the cord.

Dish needs to design a new Hopper that can get OTA guide data for all local channels and that offers a 4+ OTA tuner adapter or that is built in. If they don't have satellite capacity for all that guide data, then use the internet connection most of us have. They could also extract program info from the OTA signal. The majority of Dish customers can get local broadcast channels OTA.

Dish needs to end this game played by Nextar and other local TV providers where they hold customers hostage to their outrageous demands to double our rates every 3 years. If Dish designs all their equipment properly, they could force these providers to either provide their channels for a low fee or permanently drop their local channels. Alternatively, they could let each local channel set a fee to be paid only by customers who choose to subscribe to that channel.

Agreed. Several years ago I was threatening to quite over a lost FOX channel. As a result of some credits and DISH also came out and installed an OTA antenna - for free. Works fine, and I still have it, although I did leave DISH in October for cable (after 17 years).

Antenna still works....got me thinking - why would DISH just not install an antenna at the time of installation? It really didn't take the dude long to do.

If Nexstar wants $5 a month then they are nuts. For $5.99 you can get CBS All Access. Why bother?

And they are mandating WGN America be included? It's just re-runs these days.

 

[pattykay]

Locals were never free. DISH split it out so the consumer can see how much locals are costing.

For a long while, Dish did bundle the locals into the regular packages. (So, "no extra charge" as chiodo said.) When Dish made that change, they lowered the price of some packages by $5 (then the previous separate price of the locals) and heavily advertised that the locals were now "free." Of course, prices of the packages continued to climb after that, until the locals were finally split out again.

 

[Jim S.]

Face it...This is the free market, try can do and try anything they want to increase profits..

Except it's not a TRULY free market -- if it was, there would be nobody enforcing copyrights and artists would get paid whatever people felt like paying or not at all.

 

[Jim S.]

The majority of Dish customers can get local broadcast channels OTA.

I'd like to see some numbers on that, although I don't know how one would come up with them. It seems to me that if it were true, there wouldn't be such an outcry every time local channels get dropped.

 

[Ypsiguy]

I wish I could run a crapload of coax and get you all my Detroit locals.
Nexstar needs to choke on this move.

 

[pattykay]

I'd like to see some numbers on that, although I don't know how one would come up with them. It seems to me that if it were true, there wouldn't be such an outcry every time local channels get dropped.

Although "most people" (the major population centers) have access to OTA, not everyone actually uses an OTA antenna. For those who do use OTA, Dish's current limit of only two OTA tuners per Hopper is not nearly enough. People need those OTA tuners to record the multitude of OTA subchannels that Dish does not bother to provide as part as the local package. (I know that Dish carries national feeds of many of the diginets, for those who have a high enough basic package. However, there are still some that Dish does not carry at all, and not everyone wants to upgrade to America's Top Infinity just to get the ones they do carry.) Then, Dish drops more than two of the major local channels in many markets, and expects two OTA tuners to be enough to record all of the OTA programs we want???

 

[Yespage]

This is again an issue of I can get it decently OTA, but no programming info, so can't record. I do wish Dish did the antenna thing still. I'd pay for the install to get a close to perfect OTA reception.

 

[navychop]

I'd like to see some numbers on that, although I don't know how one would come up with them. It seems to me that if it were true, there wouldn't be such an outcry every time local channels get dropped.

I think the outcry is less every year.

 

[pattykay]

I think the outcry is less every year.

...because there are a lot fewer total Dish customers every year!

 

[PortlandChris]

For a long while, Dish did bundle the locals into the regular packages. (So, "no extra charge" as chiodo said.) When Dish made that change, they lowered the price of some packages by $5 (then the previous separate price of the locals) and heavily advertised that the locals were now "free." Of course, prices of the packages continued to climb after that, until the locals were finally split out again.

No, they were never free. At one time they were package together with the respective package (120, 200, 250, etc.). Then as the costs of these channels were increasing at a more rapid pace than the other channels DISH broke them out to show people who/where the cost increases are really going to. It was a marketing decision to split them out, but never free.

This local model here is just broken. What baffles me is why DISH just does not install an antenna on every DISH installation now. Any new models should just build one in. Very little extra costs for an installer once he is on site.

 

[PortlandChris]

This is again an issue of I can get it decently OTA, but no programming info, so can't record. I do wish Dish did the antenna thing still. I'd pay for the install to get a close to perfect OTA reception.

When I had DISH and had OTA many (but not all) of the channels would populate in the guide. The major networks did and then some of the other channels. Have to wonder if there is something a local channel can do to withhold this data?

 

[PortlandChris]

Although "most people" (the major population centers) have access to OTA, not everyone actually uses an OTA antenna. For those who do use OTA, Dish's current limit of only two OTA tuners per Hopper is not nearly enough. People need those OTA tuners to record the multitude of OTA subchannels that Dish does not bother to provide as part as the local package. (I know that Dish carries national feeds of many of the diginets, for those who have a high enough basic package. However, there are still some that Dish does not carry at all, and not everyone wants to upgrade to America's Top Infinity just to get the ones they do carry.) Then, Dish drops more than two of the major local channels in many markets, and expects two OTA tuners to be enough to record all of the OTA programs we want???

Agreed - two tuners is not enough. No reason it can't be four or more. And maybe going forward this is something to look at. There's clearly a cost factor in this, but maybe IF a Hopper 4 ever comes out this will have additional tuners. Hopper is still the best in the business.

 

[chuckster_dude]

The Buffalo NY CBS affiliate is affected by this. On the CBS All Access page, it says "Watch Live TV and stream your local CBS station (includes NFL on CBS live), CBSN, CBS Sports HQ, and ET Live."

The wife likes to watch Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy which is on our CBS channel. Is CBS All Access the way to still do that while this dispute is going on? Any help is much appreciated.

 

[comfortably_numb]

So glad I don't have to deal with this crap anymore!!

 

[pattykay]

... Then as the costs of these channels were increasing at a more rapid pace than the other channels DISH broke them out to show people who/where the cost increases are really going to. ...

Is that really what Dish is doing, though? How many years has it been since Dish split out the locals, and yet there has only been one price increase to the Locals package in all that time? (Going from $10 to now $12 per month.) How many disputes, and how many price increases to local carriage fees even without a dispute, have occurred since then? Also, why is the cost of the Locals package exactly the same, no matter where you live? Certainly some markets have much more expensive locals than others. (Based on the number of channels carried, if for no other reason.) So why isn't that price difference reflected on our bills with regional pricing? Oh right, you already answered all of these questions:

It was a marketing decision

 

[Howard Simmons]

I think the outcry is less every year.

That could be because of Locast expanding.