Nexstar/Mission/White Knight dispute with DIRECTV

[lordodogg]

They updated the blue bar at the top of the TV Promise page. However, anything you click up there just gives a 404:

 

[Bruce]

Just read this, do not know if already reported in this thread-

DIRECTV wants users to know that Nexstar is asking for double the amount that it received in its last deal to air its local affiliates on DIRECTV and DIRECTV STREAM, and that such a large fee increase would necessarily mean subscription costs for the service would rise.

Are they nuts, asking for that much from a company bleeding subscribers, by rising the price even more will cause a faster exodus.

AT&T’s COO already reported that DirecTV’s profits are shrinking by a billion a year, $4.5 billion in 2022, expected to be $3.5 this year.

Reads like Nexstar trying to get as much as possible from the turnip while it is still around.

 

[harshness]

Reads like Nexstar trying to get as much as possible from the turnip while it is still around.

What would you do in Nexstar's position?

Of course, like everything else, the solution involves reducing costs rather than raising prices.

 

[lordodogg]

Nexstar stations on stream are now showing this slide! If any of you are ex-Dish customers, the format (i.e. recommending antenna and streaming as options) may look familiar to you!

 

[harshness]

I fully expect that DISH will suffer as well. This has become Nexstar's business model.

If only DIRECTV's Digital Antenna solution worked better (or worked at all in the case of the Genie 2) and was much more widely available. Uverse customers are relatively screwed unless they can get by with an indoor antenna.

 

[lordodogg]

I fully expect that DISH will suffer as well.

They already suffered back in December 2020. I’m not sure how long the new agreement is with them, but if it’s only a 3-year, then yeah we might see them suffer next. However, if it’s a 4-year, they should hopefully be able to renew without their stations getting pulled again.

 

[harshness]

However, if it’s a 4-year, they should hopefully be able to renew without their stations getting pulled again.

What difference would an extra year make? Do you really believe that Nexstar's greed and pride are likely to diminish?

The only thing that is likely to change in that additional year is that DISH may have more subscribers than DIRECTV.

 

[raoul5788]

I fully expect that DISH will suffer as well. This has become Nexstar's business model.

If only DIRECTV's Digital Antenna solution worked better (or worked at all in the case of the Genie 2) and was much more widely available. Uverse customers are relatively screwed unless they can get by with an indoor antenna.

Why can't they use an outdoor antenna?

 

[lordodogg]

They can, it’s just that U-verse has never made an AM21-like tuner that includes OTA stations in the guide, so they would have to constantly switch from the HDMI/AV to the TV/Antenna/ input on their TVs if they wanted to watch their Nexstar station. Heck some areas you can’t even get Nexstar with an indoor antenna, like at my home near Scranton PA I cannot pull either WYOU or WBRE with my RCA indoor antenna. Yet here in Williamsburg, VA in most places you can get WAVY and WVBT as well as even Richmond stations like their sister station WRIC with an indoor antenna. At least that’s what signalstrength.directv.com tells me!

 

[harshness]

Why can't they use an outdoor antenna?

Because their coax is typically being used for other purposes.

 

[Bruce]

For those desperate to get you Nexstar owned NBC and CBS, you can get live feeds of both on Peacock/Paramount+.

Then I would call DirecTV and try to get a bigger discount because of that.

 

[KyL416]

Heck some areas you can’t even get Nexstar with an indoor antenna, like at my home near Scranton PA I cannot pull either WYOU or WBRE with my RCA indoor antenna.

I have no problem picking up WBRE or WYOU 26 miles away from Penobscot with a basic pair of rabbitears I got from the dollar store 20+ years ago. It literally is just a 300 Ohm twin lead soldered to the dipoles connected to a 75 Ohm transformer, it doesn't have anything extra like fine tuning knobs or variable amplification.

The "RCA" you got your indoor antenna from is not the same GE/Thomson RCA we all grew up with, now it's just a brand name that's licensed out to a bunch of different companies, with Voxx having the rights to slap the name on a bunch of accessories like antennas. You're likely either using an antenna with no real VHF elements, don't have the elements stretched to the right size and position for optimal VHF-Hi reception, or put it in a spot near noisy electronics that can interfere with VHF reception, like cheap LED bulbs or poorly shielded power adapters.

 

[lordodogg]

You're likely either using an antenna with no real VHF elements or put it in a spot near noisy electronics that can interfere with VHF reception, like cheap LED bulbs or poorly shielded power adapters.

This is the antenna I use.

Robot or human?

 

[KyL416]

Those flat/mudflap style antennas are designed for UHF reception and have no VHF elements, so what little VHF reception you get is actually coming from how the cord is positioned. The signals from Penobscot are very strong in the Moosic area, anything with VHF dipoles positioned correctly should get you reliable reception of WBRE and WYOU.

Unfortunately even though that it was known by 1998 that the post DTV transition band would be 2-51, and by 2005 it was known that nearly every DMA would have at least one VHF digital after 2009, and many stations including WBRE and WYOU were already broadcasting VHF digital signals during the transition, manufacturers still flooded the market with UHF only "HDTV/digital" antennas.

 

[raoul5788]

Because their coax is typically being used for other purposes.

BS. They can run another line just like anyone else.

 

[harshness]

They can run another line just like anyone else.

I think you may misunderstand the market we're discussing (the typical Uverse customer).

 

[raoul5788]

I think you may misunderstand the market we're discussing (the typical Uverse customer).

I didn't misunderstand anything. How does their service provider make any difference how difficult it is to use an outdoor ota antenna?

 

[lordodogg]

My only guess is poor shielding/interference from the box that would cause you to get a weaker than usual OTA signal?

 

[harshness]

I didn't misunderstand anything. How does their service provider make any difference how difficult it is to use an outdoor ota antenna?

If their service provider uses their existing cable, how many cable subscribers do you think are willing and able to install an independent cable. We're not talking about self-installing satellite or FTA users here.

 

[dfergie]

Seeing occasional flashes on Paramount+ saying something like NFL programming not available watching a Nextstar owned station. Perhaps they are planning on blacking out NFL next week?