Senate Panel Calls Hearing on DirecTV's Sunday Ticket Package

[cybrsurfer]

Please provide a link/url for the info your providing...

From 2006-2010, DirecTV will pay $3.5 billion, which translates to $700 million a year.Sure. Can you talk to the NFL and have them put the Super Bowl on three different networks? It isn't fair that CBS has the exclusive to the Super Bowl this year.You are completely missing the boat. DirecTV is now paying $700 million a year because they didn't want cable to have the package. Last year they paid $400 million, and that was only because DirecTV renegotiated to stop the NFL from offering Sunday Ticket to Comcast.

In other words, the NFL would have only received $400 million this year from DirecTV, and probably less than $300 million from some cable companies. The rumor is that nowhere near $300 million was offered by the cable companies, so the NFL asked DirecTV for $700 million a year to keep it exclusive.

Where are you getting these numbers on quotes for Comcast? Can you provide a link?

Despite what the rumors are, competition is best for all, I could care less what DirecTV wants, let alone Comcast. I want the same for any carrier/vendor.

Should DirecTV get HBO exclusively simply because they want to?

Should DirecTV decide and do what ever they want?

 

[splat10]

Should DirecTV get HBO exclusively simply because they want to?

if HBO decides to sell their product to only D* then that's their perogative. They decide to market their product through anyone who pays for it. The NFL has determined (by people waaaaaay smarter than you) that they can make more $$$ with the D* exclusive. . Waaaaa it's not fair....govt must make everyone the same. This is the USA, get over it.

 

[Greg Bimson]

Should DirecTV get HBO exclusively simply because they want to?

Should DirecTV decide and do what ever they want?

Why isn't Comcast Sports Net Philadelphia on DirecTV? Because Comcast does not want to sell the channel to DirecTV. Comcast does not want to sell the channel to their competitors.

If HBO turned around and said "HBO will be available as an exclusive to the highest bidder", then you'd better believe for the right price, HBO would only be available as an exclusive.

The NFL decided it was in their own best interests to come to an exclusive agreement with DirecTV for Sunday Ticket.

DirecTV, Comcast, the NFL and HBO will do what they want in order to compete for the almighty dollar. As long as no rules are broken, everything would be good.

 

[charper1]

Agreed; but they (NFL) didn't say DirecTV specifically up front. They (NFL) decided to be exclusive in their own interest exactly as Greg is telling you, and DirecTV was the only one in the "WIDE OPEN BIDDING" to pay up for the rights. All the others didn't think it would be worth it, and now that they know how wrong they are, they are crying and likely are in the ears and calling in some favors to those in the senate to even have any hearings on capital hill at all regarding this topis.

 

[lou_do]

The reason why Sunday Ticket is priced more than the other sport packages is because it is the NFL package. The other sports would love to be able to charge that much money for their packages. They can't because people don't want it. It has little if anything to do with who or who does not carry it.

Your right, and I think it is called being greedy. D* overcharging because they have the only game in town.

 

[charper1]

Greed and worth (or value) is only a relative term; meaning what the market will bear; if they saw any drop off in subs because of their markup (or attempt to earn back what they pay the NFL plus profit) then that will be their undoing or lead to price reductions, BUT as we can tell that is NOT happening. If people don't want to pay a price or higher for this or any other LUXURY ITEM, then don't and move along; enjoy what you get for free and stop complaining; its called free market enterprise.

 

[dishcomm]

I understand the "Supply and demand" but DirecTV has even admitted to bidding so high on it to keep other providers from touching it. If the previous contract called said for $40 million dollars and when the term of that contract expired and 4 other providers wanted to bid and for the hell of it DirecTV throws out $120 million, I would not call that supply and demand, I would call it out right stupid, especially when they could have gone trough the bid process and may have gotten it at $65 million and keep the cost of the package down. I wouldn't be surprised if the NFL package subs have actually dropped instead of increase. I wouldn't pay that to watch football or any other sporting event for that matter. More important things then to pay overpriced players.

Note, just throwing figures out as examples only.

yiu're missing one important factor..Value..DTV had a ceiling price they would pay the NFL and still be able to make money on the ST...Plus, DTV had a lot tied into keeping the ST ...Had they lost to Dish, perhaps 90% of the D* ST subs would have gone to the new provider...It was in D*'s best interest to keep the ST for those reasons..If anyone on here thinks that D*'s bid on the ST just to make sure no other provider could get it, it really not thnking this through..D* made a
business decision...That's it..

 

[Greg Bimson]

And my point is that the NFL made a business decision.

The NFL started Sunday Ticket back in the early '90's, on C-band systems. The network providers at the time (I think it was CBS and NBC) asked the NFL to scramble the availability of the backhauls, so the NFL figured since there was a market for out-of-market games, they setup Sunday Ticket. However, the intent was never to make it more popular than the current broadcast contracts for the Sunday afternoon games.

Sunday Ticket progressed from a C-band system barely making a few million dollars for the NFL to a staggering $700 million a year in just over a decade. The Sunday Ticket package mirrors the other broadcast contracts in the fact that they are also exclusives.

It is a business decision to sell Sunday Ticket to one provider. This way, the NFL has complete control over their product without having to price to the end user. The NFL also has a contained subscriber base so not to upset CBS and FOX, which also pay dearly and either lose money or break even on their exclusives.

 

[dfergie]

You are very right Greg, I have watched NFL from the Early C-band free view days and was a early Tvn Sunday ticket sub on C-band and followed them to D* Sunday ticket... have not subbed to ST for a couple of years as one, I work shift work and would only catch half the games and two... they have overpriced the ST, especially and particularlity for HD subs... I know they made the agreement with the NFL and have to recoup their losses, but hey the price is ridiculous. and should void the exclusive contract with D* and look to negotiate with other providers....

 

[splat10]

You are very right Greg, I have watched NFL from the Early C-band free view days and was a early Tvn Sunday ticket sub on C-band and followed them to D* Sunday ticket... have not subbed to ST for a couple of years as one, I work shift work and would only catch half the games and two... they have overpriced the ST, especially and particularlity for HD subs....

and you made a business decision just like they did. Sometimes it makes sence for two entities to NOT do business.

I know they made the agreement with the NFL and have to recoup their losses, but hey the price is ridiculous. and should void the exclusive contract with D* and look to negotiate with other providers....

That's rediculous. ST is a Premium service. You aren't entitled to it and if you can't afford it you don't buy it. I can't afford a Corvette Z06 and would reaaaaalllly like one but I'm not pressing congress to make it $15,000. Same deal. People now a days think they are entitled to everything. D* is pricing ST at what they think will bring them the most revenue. They could care less about the number of packages sold. Now are some that decide that they won't pay for ST going to cancel D* totally, sure, but that all goes into the financial analysis. They have all the data that we don't to make this decision.

The NFL doesn't want to cancel it's $700Million cash cow. In electing to provide D* with the exclusive contract they announced (inferentially) that they can't get $700million worth of contracts on a multiple provider basis or you better believe that they would have gone that route. They can't just cancel a contract or they'd befacing a mega lawsuit from D* that would be won easily by D*.

Bottom line is emotions and business don't mix and you whiners are emotional.

 

[dfergie]

And I could afford it as I have 3 sat providers, but chose not 2 because, it was not worth it... no whining, just not worth it... BUT the package should be ava to all sat providers..(especially C-band as it was where it started)and as for Premiums... Platinum with E*, Total Choice Plust 2 Premiums with D* and a $28 pack with C-band....

 

[dfergie]

And I really don't want it... I had it free, I Had it with TVN , I had it with D* they frikken overpriced it... I see all the games I want OTA ( no Hd) , on E* and D* ... I just report the news

 

[Mtnmike]

Should DirecTV get HBO exclusively simply because they want to?

Should DirecTV decide and do what ever they want?

Your "Should DirecTV" this or "Should DirecTV" that is meaningless and subjective at best. Corporations (including DTV,DISH,COMCAST etc) will do what they want, when they want, if they feel it is in their best long term interest. You the consumer have the power of paying or not paying for their product. And thats all you have.

People can come into a forum like this and sniffle and whine about some morale wrong they feel is being perpetrated upon the general public, but that means nothing. It is amazing to me anyway that this thread became as long and bloated as it has with all this foolishness.

 

[Newshawk]

It is amazing to me anyway that this thread became as long and bloated as it has with all this foolishness.

Amen to that! This thread has run longer than the hearing did!

Some people just don't want to accept that the world doesn't revolve around them and they can't always get what they want... hey, that'd make a great line for a song!