Sinclair CEO warns Dish: Agree to deal or risk becoming irrelevant
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What's your point? Let's say they increase the rate $.50. That's a 6.5% increase. As one of their customers, that doesn't bother me.
The bottom line is people continue to pay. Yes, more folks are cutting the cord, but many still pay. It's like ticket prices at Disney. Why should they drop costs if folks are willing to pay?
I think as sports channels keep going up, the programmers will be forced to put them in sports packages. The rest of us just do not want to pay for them. Let the person who wants them, like my Brother In Law, buy them.
But the problem us that the sports programmers want everyone to pay for them irregardless of whether they want them or not.
Small picture. Multiply that by all the media conglomerates who think they can spend recklessly and expect consumers to eat it, and you can see why our costs go up by $5/month or more every year. Unsustainable welfare model supporting fiscal irresponsibility.
If all of the Sports channels were in a separate package, the cost would be much lower, so Dish would probably be less apt to raise prices as often too.
But Disney doesn’t want ESPN in a separate package. Fox doesn’t want FoxSports in a separate package. Sinclair doesn’t want their RSNs in a separate package. They all want their programming in a package that every subscriber pays for. They get their highest payout that way. They hold their other channels hostage to force that issue.
But people are still willing to pay the higher rates. Sure, many have left for streaming. But there's still enough paying to keep MVPDs in business. Do you both subscribe to Dish? Do you get ESPN? If so, then you're part of the problem. Like I said, it's like Disney ticket prices... they keep going up but people keep going. So what would the motivation be to lower costs? Shouldn't a business (any business) try to make as much money as they can? Or do you really expect TPTB to say "nope, this is enough, we don't need to make more."?
The vast majority of Americans like to watch sports. That's just a fact. The content providers know this and set their prices and policies accordingly. They're not going to let DISH or any other carrier separate out their product. It's the marketplace in action.
Heck, I've been paying $15 per month more for years just to get the Golf Channel. Is the Golf Channel worth $15 per month? Probably not, most people wouldn't pay that as an ala carte option. But, to get the Golf Channel, you have to buy at least the Top 200 package. I could easily be happy with the Top 120. Where else could I get the Golf Channel, though?
Football, basketball, hockey, etc. are our modern day gladiators. If you don't believe that, just listen to the sound of the stadium when contact is made. Just look at how popular UFC is. Stupid and backward as it may sound, they are our release from our everyday life, routine, and struggles.
Heck, I've been paying $15 per month more for years just to get the Golf Channel. Is the Golf Channel worth $15 per month? Probably not, most people wouldn't pay that as an ala carte option. But, to get the Golf Channel, you have to buy at least the Top 200 package. I could easily be happy with the Top 120. Where else could I get the Golf Channel, though?
Football, basketball, hockey, etc. are our modern day gladiators. If you don't believe that, just listen to the sound of the stadium when contact is made. Just look at how popular UFC is. Stupid and backward as it may sound, they are our release from our everyday life, routine, and struggles.
The fact that the number of people that are leaving continues to grow exponentially is proof that people are not willing to pay the fee. That’s how a trajectory works. And you’re right, this is the market working, which is exactly why Dish ISNT willing to pay Sinclair’s fees for FSRSNs, or NBCSC, and more as time keeps rolling on.
The issue is, if I drop Dish, then I will lose a ton of channels not available elsewhere. Like others, I do not like paying the horrible rates for sports, something I do not care about at all. Period. But if I went 100% streaming, I would lose many channels. So it is a problem because the programmers refuse to sell their channels without sports. I read about all of these people that have cut the cord, and many of them watch OTA and stream movies on Demand. They just do without what they used to have. Some miss live TV and some don't. For me, 100% streaming is a long way off.
I’d like to see something supporting this idea. I don’t think the “vast majority” like to watch sports. Not even close.
Last I read, something like a third follow football regularly. Another third off and on. The remaining third, not at all.
Think about how few women follow sports. That alone cuts out “vast.”
In order to get the channels you want, you feel it's worth it to subsidize the sports channels. I'm sure there are people who just want the sports channels and don't care about Lifetime, History, Discovery, DIY, etc. Would I like to reduce my bill and ONLY get the channels I want? Sure. What if they go to an a la carte model, so you only get the channels you want to watch, BUT it costs you the same or more per month? Is that better? You're not subsidizing any else's viewing, but they're also not subsidizing yours.
I don't completely agree. People are still willing to pay the fee for sports, even those who are leaving and going to streaming. It's just that right now the total overall streaming cost is less than the cost of cable or satellite. And, it should be, there is not near as much overhead involved, no satellites to launch and lease, no cables to string, and no boxes to develop and install and maintain.
Just look at those on satguys who are leaving DISH and going to streaming so they can buy their local RSN and watch their favorite teams. It's not that they are not willing to pay the fee, it's that DISH no longer offers what they want. I totally support DISH's stance. I wouldn't pay an extra penny for my RSN, Fox Southwest, for the simple reason they no longer carry the Astro's or Rocket's games. All Fox SW carries now is high school playoffs and non relevant college sports, aka the Big 12. Others feel differently.
I would agree with you, if Directv didn’t just pay the fee, but they did and they lost 2 million+ in 2 quarters.
There's no doubt that sat and cable are losing customers. It's because streaming is cheaper, not because people are not willing to pay for sports.
All the streaming packages include sports............Hulu, Sling, YoutubeTV, DirectTV, etc.
