The OFFICIAL DISH / HBO Thread

[pattykay]

Is Dish going to drop HDNet from the Top 200 package or is it permanent? I didn't have it until the HBO fiasco and it's still there on channel 130.

That is a good question. According to the HDNet Movies page on the mydish site:
HDNet Movies (HDNMV) on DISH | MyDISH Station Details
HDNet Movies is only included in Dish Movie Pack, and Flex Pack. The free preview of HDNet Movies "officially" ended at the end of March, but it remains in free preview mode. So, it looks like we are in a holding pattern until Dish either catches their mistake, or decides what to do with HDNet Movies on a long-term basis.

 

[ekilgus]

According to the latest uplink report, a little over an hour ago Dish finally removed the HDNet Movies from channels 300 and 310. INFO channel 301 has been changed from an ad for HBO Now to an ad for the Third Annual Kids Binge-a-Palooza. Channels 310 and 311 no longer appear in my Guide at all. I have a theory that this is exactly what AT&T has been waiting for: for Dish to remove all signs that HBO and Cinemax were ever in the 300's, admit that the channels are not coming back, and "permanently" lower the price of America's Everything Pack. Then, a few months later, after subscribers have gotten used to seeing the lower rate on their bills, AT&T will gladly reach a deal to return HBO and Cinemax to Dish, forcing Dish to announce a huge price increase. (Even though it would actually be putting the price back where it was before.) At least, that is the way it worked with the Univision dispute. Univision waited for Dish to "permanently" lower the price of the Latino packages, and then reached a deal with Dish a few months later, forcing Dish to announce a price increase for those packages to reverse the decrease that had been made due to the lack of Univision.

I've had HBO since their beginnings when they transmitted via microwave and wherever I moved getting HBO was always a given. However, with this outage, I realized I didn't miss it at all, so when GOT ended so did my subscription to HBO NOW.

 

[ncted]

I just wish all these people dropping HBO forces AT&T's hand enough to bring it back to Dish as that is still my preferred method of delivery.

 

[NashGuy]

I just wish all these people dropping HBO forces AT&T's hand enough to bring it back to Dish as that is still my preferred method of delivery.

Nah. They've got plenty of HBO subscribers without DISH and their numbers will go up even higher in a few months when they launch a new expanded on-demand version of HBO (rumored to also include Cinemax and lots of other WarnerMedia content and be called HBO Max).

The current situation is quite good for AT&T because it gives DirecTV a strong competitive advantage against their only direct competitor, DISH. If you must have (or prefer) satellite TV, and you want HBO, Cinemax and/or NFL Sunday Ticket, then DISH simply isn't an option for you. Gotta have DirecTV.

 

[Foxbat]

Don't all the major Premium TV services have Apps on the majority of Smart TVs and streaming platforms? Cut out the Paid TV providers and go direct to customer. So AT&T doesn't need Dish. Dish made a calculation and AT&T's new terms for providing HBO is no longer worth it to Dish. Dish knows that people like me with Dish will subscribe to HBO separately if HBO is that important to them.

The people who lose will be those who do not know how (or want to) to get HBO via streaming. They either do without (hurting AT&T) or switch to DirecTV (AT&T win-win).

AT&T should be doing everything they can to get people interesting in making HBO as popular as possible. Losing "Game of Thrones" leaves them with movies and a couple of series like "Westworld" and "Big Little Lies". HBO has too much competition from Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video, and here comes Disney+…

 

[pattykay]

I just wish all these people dropping HBO forces AT&T's hand enough to bring it back to Dish as that is still my preferred method of delivery.

Sure, just as soon as they can get Dish to agree to include HBO in all packages at no additional cost, as people obviously aren't willing to continue paying for HBO anymore.

 

[ncted]

Nah. They've got plenty of HBO subscribers without DISH and their numbers will go up even higher in a few months when they launch a new expanded on-demand version of HBO (rumored to also include Cinemax and lots of other WarnerMedia content and be called HBO Max).

The current situation is quite good for AT&T because it gives DirecTV a strong competitive advantage against their only direct competitor, DISH. If you must have (or prefer) satellite TV, and you want HBO, Cinemax and/or NFL Sunday Ticket, then DISH simply isn't an option for you. Gotta have DirecTV.

I was meaning in a more general sense. Supposedly, the rumor is HBO subscriptions are down significantly across the board since GoT ended. If they want to minimize the effect of that, adding Dish back is an option for them. I'm not saying it is going to happen, but one can hope.

 

[NashGuy]

Don't all the major Premium TV services have Apps on the majority of Smart TVs and streaming platforms? Cut out the Paid TV providers and go direct to customer. So AT&T doesn't need Dish. Dish made a calculation and AT&T's new terms for providing HBO is no longer worth it to Dish. Dish knows that people like me with Dish will subscribe to HBO separately if HBO is that important to them.

The people who lose will be those who do not know how (or want to) to get HBO via streaming. They either do without (hurting AT&T) or switch to DirecTV (AT&T win-win).

AT&T should be doing everything they can to get people interesting in making HBO as popular as possible. Losing "Game of Thrones" leaves them with movies and a couple of series like "Westworld" and "Big Little Lies". HBO has too much competition from Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video, and here comes Disney+…

Series like GoT only come along every once in awhile. But HBO is actually still doing fine. They're cranking out more and more hours of quality content, and continue to draw lots of critical acclaim and viewers with stuff like the recent miniseries Chernobyl. New fantasy/sci-fi/thriller series on the way this year include His Dark Materials, Lovecraft Country and The Watchmen. Some new prestige dramas are coming too this year. Meanwhile, established comedies and dramas like Silicon Valley, Divorce, and True Detective are continuing on.

At any rate, I agree with your assertion that AT&T would rather folks just subscribe to HBO as a streaming service. They get a bigger cut of the price you pay that way as opposed to the cut they get if you subscribe through a cable/satellite package. HBO is slowly transitioning into a direct competitor to Netflix and they'll take a big step toward that goal later this year when they launch an expanded HBO streaming service, rumored to be called HBO Max, combining HBO, Cinemax, TBS, TNT, and lots of past movies and TV series from the Warner Bros. vault, along with lots more. It's going to put some hurt on Netflix.

 

[NashGuy]

I was meaning in a more general sense. Supposedly, the rumor is HBO subscriptions are down significantly across the board since GoT ended. If they want to minimize the effect of that, adding Dish back is an option for them. I'm not saying it is going to happen, but one can hope.

I'm skeptical that the trendline is negative for HBO, though. Sure, they saw a substantial bump in subs before the final season of GoT and then most (but not all) of those folks cancelled once it was over. But if you smooth out the numbers over the course of the year and look at the overall direction, my guess is that HBO subscribers are still trending up. That's been the case all throughout the run of GoT. And despite all the internet buzz that show got, there's a lot more to HBO than just GoT. I honestly never watched an episode. But I did just resubscribe to HBO to catch season 2 of Big Little Lies and Barry, plus other stuff. Just started Years and Years and find it fascinating.

 

[ncted]

I'm skeptical that the trendline is negative for HBO, though. Sure, they saw a substantial bump in subs before the final season of GoT and then most (but not all) of those folks cancelled once it was over. But if you smooth out the numbers over the course of the year and look at the overall direction, my guess is that HBO subscribers are still trending up. That's been the case all throughout the run of GoT. And despite all the internet buzz that show got, there's a lot more to HBO than just GoT. I honestly never watched an episode. But I did just resubscribe to HBO to catch season 2 of Big Little Lies and Barry, plus other stuff. Just started Years and Years and find it fascinating.

It is just rumors at this point, but my friends in the biz are saying HBO is looking at a big drop-off in subs this quarter. It could just be mean girl stuff though. Media folks can be so petty. I agree it is worth it, and I am a longtime subscriber. I would just rather have it on Dish. If not that, then they at least need to fix how live shows become available. It is supposed to be early morning, but it is often late morning to afternoon before they are actually available. Compared to just DVRing it, it is sub-par.

 

[mwdxer1]

I have heard that HBO is getting few new subs either. Maybe that is why AT&T is changing the HBO streaming to HBO/Cinemax/Warner pack.

 

[NashGuy]

I have heard that HBO is getting few new subs either. Maybe that is why AT&T is changing the HBO streaming to HBO/Cinemax/Warner pack.

Well, I think that's in response to much bigger, broader changes in the TV industry brought about by Netflix. Netflix has changed the value equation for consumers, in terms of the amount and type of content that people expect for a certain amount of money (currently anywhere from just $9 to $16, with zero ads). And they've changed the economics of how video is created and distributed, pointing the way to a large-scale vertically consolidated direct-to-consumer model that is fast becoming the only way to survive.

The head guy at Netflix said a few years back that he bet that they could become HBO before HBO could become Netflix. As Netflix has come to rely more and more on their own original content, they've become like HBO. But HBO has dipped their toe in the streaming water with HBO Now, becoming a bit more like Netflix. They're going to become a LOT more like Netflix later this year when they unveil their new on-demand streaming service HBO Max.

 

[eddie willers]

Well, I think that's in response to much bigger, broader changes in the TV industry brought about by Netflix. Netflix has changed the value equation for consumers.

I was working at a hifi store (and owned a LaserDisc) when DVD players were introduced. I hedged my bets and bought a Pioneer LaserDisc/DVD combo player. Of course, you'd go to Blockbuster (at only a few, bigger stores) to ask about DVDs and they'd pull a shoebox or two out from under the counter. They were so hard to get (and this was in Atlanta!) that I would have to drive about an hour to the only locally-owned video store who would sell (no rentals) LaserDiscs and DVDs on "Release Tuesday" to see if there was any $19.99 and up movie worth buying.

BUT...in about every DVD Player we sold, there were tacky little colored crepe paper cards introducing a new company called Netflix that would mail you DVDs that you could swap for newer releases.

Even at that time they predicted they would eventually send you movies over the Internet and take snail mail out of the equation. That was ALWAYS their goal, but at the time I couldn't see it. All I could afford was a WebTV that would take 15 minutes to download a 20 second jerky, crappy MPEG.

What a silly notion.

 

[zippyfrog]

I think even Dish has moved on from HBO. I check DISH Promise | MyDISH | DISH Customer Support ever now and again to see if anything is brewing, and for the past 7 months since Dish dropped HBO, there was a note at the top saying "You will not be charged anytime you do not have access to HBO/Cinemax". Now that is gone and it says there are no disputes in my area.

 

[tanman]

I remember listening to an interview (probably on NPR) with I believe the CEO of Netflix. At the time DVD by mail was the thing and I think Netflix online was just beginning.Anyways the thing I remember is him saying something to the effect "Our company name is Netflix and not dvds by mail for a reason".

 

[eddie willers]

I remember listening to an interview (probably on NPR) with I believe the CEO of Netflix. At the time DVD by mail was the thing and I think Netflix online was just beginning.Anyways the thing I remember is him saying something to the effect "Our company name is Netflix and not dvds by mail for a reason".

That is why some people are billionaires and others post comments on a Saturday.

 

[CyberSpock]

I remember listening to an interview (probably on NPR) with I believe the CEO of Netflix. At the time DVD by mail was the thing and I think Netflix online was just beginning.Anyways the thing I remember is him saying something to the effect "Our company name is Netflix and not dvds by mail for a reason".

Is this going away? Because my in law still uses it.

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[pattykay]

Well, I think that's in response to much bigger, broader changes in the TV industry brought about by Netflix. Netflix has changed the value equation for consumers, in terms of the amount and type of content that people expect for a certain amount of money (currently anywhere from just $9 to $16, with zero ads). And they've changed the economics of how video is created and distributed, pointing the way to a large-scale vertically consolidated direct-to-consumer model that is fast becoming the only way to survive.

The head guy at Netflix said a few years back that he bet that they could become HBO before HBO could become Netflix. As Netflix has come to rely more and more on their own original content, they've become like HBO. But HBO has dipped their toe in the streaming water with HBO Now, becoming a bit more like Netflix. They're going to become a LOT more like Netflix later this year when they unveil their new on-demand streaming service HBO Max.

Well then, Netflix had better hurry up and get Dish to launch a linear Netflix channel in HBO's old slot. There has to be a reason why Dish put a duplicate Netflix app on channel 302, when the Netflix app already had a channel number (370) in the premium movie range.

 

[tanman]

Is this going away? Because my in law still uses it.

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I would guess as long as they can make money they will continue.After that they will probably sell that division to some company that will feast on it's bones.Call it Blockbuster /Sears.

 

[navychop]

There’s always Redbox.


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