Versus Removed Sept 1 from DirecTV

[Scott Greczkowski]

they are seperate companies now..both owned by..............

Shareholders. :

Although the management for both companies it mostly the same.

 

[Hall]

(snip)

You mean to tell me that all the added programming since the last contract isn't worth that small an amount. Even if my numbers are half, we're talking a DIME per sub.

(snip)

If my math is right we're talking about $5 Million dollars a year?

Doesn't seem like too much, 20%?

That is short-sighted thinking.

 

[odictamis]

I am a PBR (Bull Riding) fan and a big hockey fan, but I wont call D* and complain about the channel being off because ultimately it will no good, except to waste 30 minutes of my life. I emailed the PBR and the NHL and told them that I am losing my only link to their programming which will only hurt them in the end and let them take it up with Comcast. It's not the end of the world if I lose either, especially NHL, because VS hockey coverage consists of the only Crosby and the Pens anyway. My Hurricanes made it to the East Finals and aren't on VS once this year, so screw them anyway. Hopefully Comcast will cave and they will get a deal done before too long.

 

[Ramy]

I have no idea what versus charges in their existing agreement, but lets use an example:

25 center per sub (just an example).

They are asking for 30 cents per sub instead of 25.

You mean to tell me that all the added programming since the last contract isn't worth that small an amount. Even if my numbers are half, we're talking a DIME per sub.


It gets even worse - this isn't per ALL directv subscribers, just those with Choice Extra. I'd say that less than 50% pay for the Xtra package over the standard choice package.

That would mean for an example, lets say 9 million.

If my math is right we're talking about $5 Million dollars a year?

Doesn't seem like too much, 20%?

Guess it just depends on which side you fall on as to which group is unresonable.
Personally I'd like to see them pay less per subscriber and move it to the Choice package so more people get it.

But if every channels does that over and over again then the prices will skyrocket for the whole.

I say let Versus stay off until they come down in price.

 

[darrencp22]

Well if the claims on Twitter are correct, D*is claiming Comcast wants a 20% fee hike in what they get paid to carry VS. D is also claiming they already pay more for the channel than any other provider.

If these claims are true, I back D* 100% on this one... especially with their history of coming to agreements.

 

[darrencp22]

One other thought on this... I would not be surprised if the NHL tries to push comcast to come to an agrrement.. this is an absolute killer for them.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

HEY DIRECTV what are you replacing this channnel with? Oh yea a crapy slate.

To be fair, when Dish pulled a channel it was a slate as well, then over time if not short term solution was agreed to then Dish just removed the channel / slate altogether, like it never existed.

 

[darrencp22]

I have no idea what versus charges in their existing agreement, but lets use an example:

25 center per sub (just an example).

They are asking for 30 cents per sub instead of 25.

You mean to tell me that all the added programming since the last contract isn't worth that small an amount. Even if my numbers are half, we're talking a DIME per sub.


It gets even worse - this isn't per ALL directv subscribers, just those with Choice Extra. I'd say that less than 50% pay for the Xtra package over the standard choice package.

That would mean for an example, lets say 9 million.

If my math is right we're talking about $5 Million dollars a year?

Doesn't seem like too much, 20%?

Guess it just depends on which side you fall on as to which group is unresonable.
Personally I'd like to see them pay less per subscriber and move it to the Choice package so more people get it.

I understand what where you're coming from, but I think part of this is from a hockey fan perspective. This channel just isnt that popular. If I were D I would add the Outdoor Channel to the standard tier to play hardball. Ramy makes an excellent point.. this starts a snowball effect. Comcast is over-valuing their product.. and i'm a hockey fan.

 

[iceturkee]

i suspect its going to take the heavy hitters to expedite an agreement because the nhl, pac10 and the mixed martial arts people aren't going to be happy.

anyhow, a member of the customer advocate team thanked me for my phone call this morning and said they are bascially at an impasse.

 

[JohnL]

Interesting take on it. I hope you're right about getting more Comcast feeds.

"All I want for Christmas are those MSG HD feeds" :

Scoop,


Yes, but MSG is currently owned by Cablevision, not Comcast. There could be some good news though. MSG is spun off from Cablevision as a completely separate entity by the end of this calendar year.

John

 

[jcrandall]

Statement from DirecTV:

Dear DIRECTV Customer:

We want you to know we’re doing everything we can to keep your favorite sports programming on DIRECTV but we’ve simply reached an impasse with Comcast over its Versus channel.

In sports, we all expect fair play and a level playing field – a competitor that plays by the rules. Evidently that’s not the rule book Comcast plays by. Its unreasonable demands are the economic equivalent of juicing to gain an advantage over its competitors. And our fear is that their egregiously greedy behavior may ultimately kill coverage of your favorite sports on television.

The deal that just expired was well above market value and beyond what other significant distributors were paying. To add insult to injury Comcast demanded we carry Versus at a 20 percent premium in a new deal, thereby forcing us to take down the channel. We’re not happy about this, but we hope you understand that we must hold the line on programming costs in order to protect our customers from unwarranted price increases in this difficult economic climate.

We have successfully negotiated hundreds of carriage deals, but sometimes you need to stand up to a bully and there is a strong possibility that if Comcast makes these same demands to other distributors, they will also be forced to drop Versus resulting in significantly reduced exposure and availability of the sports you like to watch on Versus. Maybe that’s what Comcast wants; other than greed it’s the only other explanation.

You have our commitment that we will continue to negotiate in good faith with Versus to try and reach a fair settlement. We truly appreciate your patience and understanding during this time.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Derek Chang
Executive Vice President, Content Strategy and Development
DIRECTV, Inc.

 

[Juan]

Scoop,


Yes, but MSG is currently owned by Cablevision, not Comcast. There could be some good news though. MSG is spun off from Cablevision as a completely separate entity by the end of this calendar year.

John

owned by the Dolans

 

[Mariah2014]

I think the commets clearly show how far apart they are. If I'm reading these right, then I don't believe they are really talking with each other over this channel. Each is waiting for the other to cave and call saying, I except your terms.
Here is some of comcasts response from their twitter blog
twitter.com/comcastcares

@87Reasons @directv removed it not usless than a minute ago from web in reply to 87Reasons
Twitter / Frank Eliason: I would be happy to help a ...
I would be happy to help any @DirecTV Customer missing Verses to sign up for a local cable provider with Verses.about 3 hours ago from web

@Kyle_Hudgins I would be happy to help any @direcTV Customer missing Verses to sign up for a local cable provider with Versesabout 3 hours ago from web in reply to Kyle_Hudgins
@DIRECTV It is nice to see all the demand for Verses. I guess you should work to get this doneabout 3 hours ago from web in reply to DIRECTV

directv has response this statment in the twitter.com/directv feed
@comcastcares We're sure when you have a more reasonable deal for DIRECTV customers, we'll be much closer. Let's work on that together about 3 hours ago from web in reply to comcastcares

@DIRECTV We are waiting on you for Versesabout 3 hours ago from web in reply to DIRECTV

 

[digiblur]

And now DishNetwork has this channel in free preview mode adding fuel to the fire

 

[sportsfan42]

It doesn't matter to me, until Directv loses the stranglehold on the NFL, they could offer 5 channels and I would still have to have them.

 

[Rangerman]

Congressional Hearings

The government likes to stick their noses into everything these days, so maybe it's time to contact your congress person and ask them to hold hearings on Comcast's business practices.

I believe there is a good case for Congress considering breaking up Comcast. Besides their stranglehold on the cable market, they are also a broadcaster who can unfairly hold up their competitors for higher programming prices. Can you say conflict of interest.

 

[SpaethCo]

I believe there is a good case for Congress considering breaking up Comcast. Besides their stranglehold on the cable market, they are also a broadcaster who can unfairly hold up their competitors for higher programming prices.

If they're going to start getting involved, there are bigger fish to fry.

Take CableVision, owned by the Dolans. The Dolans own the NY Rangers and the NY Knicks. CableVision owns the Madison Square Garden facility, and the MSG networks that broadcast the games. CableVision has thus far refused to sell access, at any price, to the MSG-HD feeds to anyone that competes within their service area. Technically they do sell the channel to DirecTV, but it's not like a large number of people in Manhattan have a clear view of the southern sky.

Both ATT (U-verse) and Verizon (FiOS TV) have petitioned the FCC to compel CableVision to sell access to the channel.

The Comcast / DirecTV dispute over Versus is simply a one of cost -- the free market can decide. This is no different than Dish choosing not to pay the outrageous rates for MLB:EI and not to get into the multi-billion dollar fray for NFL:ST.

 

[Mojo Jojo]

How many D* customers out there that would switch to E if, like me, you are not under contract and about to upgrade to HD? What are the pros and cons. Like Mojo Jojo, I am interested in local sports (Go MIZZOU) but have no desire for the NFL package. From reading here and elsewhere I am getting the impression that E beats D* hands down when considering the availability of HD programing.

I was an E customer long long ago and was driven away by their dead end customer service. I also have the impression that little there has changed. Customer service is extremely impt. Fortunately I rarely have had need for it with D*. If the HD line up difference b/t the two is significant, I will seriously consider the move. If not and given no other reasons to switch, I'll likely stay put.

The receiver/equipment is also a concern. On another thread members are talking about recording glitches and slowness of the HR 22. Any one have any thoughts on the differences between the HD DVR's offered by each provider?

Well, if we would have stayed with D*, we would have had to pay fees for new DirecTV HD equipment and receivers since we only had 3 SD receivers. We could have got just one, but then, you cannot watch the HD only channels on the SD receivers. With E*, we have 2 HD Duo receivers that serve all 4 rooms in our house for $7 ($10 off each month for connecting the phone line to the receivers--I think if you have an HD Duo/SD Duo DVR they waive one TV 2 fee), and we can watch the HD only channels on our SDTVs as well. So, everyone in the house is happy. I think that the offer is for 3 free HD receivers, but I think you can count monthly costs with 2 HD Duo receivers and still watch all the channels on the SDTVs unlike D*. The installation went well, too; we were not satisfied with D*'s installation. The installation did not cost since the $99 installation fee was waived except maybe $0.01 for 5 channels [4 in HD] of Cinemax for a year, which may continue at $0.01/year for more years if the promotion continues (all with a two year contract...one can pay the $99 fee for no contract but will not receive all the promotions) . However, autopay and paperless billing are required. We also got HBO and Showtime (about 19 channels...12 in HD) free for 3 months along with DHHP for 9 months (We just have to cancel like with D* after the free trial period). We also get $15 off each month for a year. We also got an additional $30 off our first bill of two months by chatting with an agent while ordering although I had to chat again to get the credit. I could it though without hassle; so, it was not a big deal. I just always save my chats to go back on if I need to. I actually found out about all this in a forum along with what was on the Dish Network website: DISH Network Promo August 1, 2009: FULL YEAR of Discounts on Classic Packages for NEW Customers! Free Platinum HD PERMANENTLY for NEW and EXISTING Customers! -NO REFERRALS- - SlickDeals.net Forums. Ordering online was great since all I had to do was select what I wanted without actually having to talk on the phone with an agent, but I did chat for the referral offer. This website was really helpful in having a preview of what to expect: 1. Select Package - Official DISH Network DishBUILDER Tutorial in 5 Easy Steps


I was honestly surprised in a good way by the HD offerings with E*. They just added the Platinum HD channels to all the addon HD packages. So, now MavTV, Universal HD, BET J HD, Logo HD, Fashion TV, HDNet Movies, MGM Hd, Crime and Investigation Network HD, World Fishing Network HD, NBA TV, and NHL Network HD are all included at no extra charge in the $10 HD addon packages. My favorites in the Gold HD & Platinum add-on package would have to be Encore HD, HDNet Movies, and MGM HD. To see what HD channels are available in what package, visit this link: HDTV - High Definition Programming Options. For a PDF list of all the channels (SD & HD), visit this link: Satellite TV Programming & Local Channel Guide at DISH Network. As far as customer service, I have had good experience with chatting with agents online. I have not called in once, yet.

We are enjoying the Gold 250 package with the HD & Platinum add-on. We are getting the movie channels listed above along with having The Movie Channel West, The Movie Channel Xtra West, Encore West, Encore Westerns, Encore Action, Encore Mystery, Encore Drama, Encore Love, and Encore Wam with the Gold 250 package. Of course, there is also AMC, IFC, TCM, Fox Movie Channel, and Hallmark Movie Channe HD. It is really awesome. If you love movies, then E* has a lot of movie channels. Like I said before in this thread, there are many sports channels with E* as well along with other packs that can be added on.

Oh, I forgot to mention this: Some have complained about DVR costing more with E* with having it on multiple TVs. We did not get any DVRS. So, that may be the only con that I can think of. The only channels we did not get with E* that we had with D* are Fit TV, PBS Kids Sprout, and TV One....that is all that comes to mind really. However, E* has some channels D* does not have like The Documentary Channel and some of the premium movie channels. There are also different Sirius XM channels between the two as well as some of the same; E* actually has a lot of other music channels as well. The best thing I think one can do is look at what is in the packages to see if it is what one wants. Then, you can check out the following website to figure out what it would cost each month: http://www.dishnetwork.com/quote_builder/calculator/calculator.html (Be sure to note promotional costs and that $5 TV2 connection fees for DuoRecievers are not added as it is expected you will connect a phone line or Broadband connection)

I hope this helps as it helped us out a lot. We are not bored anymore like we were starting to get with D*. We stayed with cable unhappy for a long time and vowed that we would not do it again.

 

[uncrules]

If they're going to start getting involved, there are bigger fish to fry.

Take CableVision, owned by the Dolans. The Dolans own the NY Rangers and the NY Knicks. CableVision owns the Madison Square Garden facility, and the MSG networks that broadcast the games. CableVision has thus far refused to sell access, at any price, to the MSG-HD feeds to anyone that competes within their service area. Technically they do sell the channel to DirecTV, but it's not like a large number of people in Manhattan have a clear view of the southern sky.

Both ATT (U-verse) and Verizon (FiOS TV) have petitioned the FCC to compel CableVision to sell access to the channel.

The Comcast / DirecTV dispute over Versus is simply a one of cost -- the free market can decide. This is no different than Dish choosing not to pay the outrageous rates for MLB:EI and not to get into the multi-billion dollar fray for NFL:ST.

But Congress did get involved with the last MLB EI contract negotiations. D* had originally won an exclusive contract for MLB EI but Congress, led by John Kerry, got involved and put pressure on MLB and D* to not make it exclusive. Secondly, when Murdoch bought D* several years ago, the government put clauses in it's approval stating that Fox couldn't charge D*'s competitors more for its channels (like Fox News, Fox Sports, FX, Nat Geo, etc) than what D* paid for them.

 

[Sooner02]

What is this all about?

from dishnetwork twitter:

"Versus HD & SD (Ch. 151) is FREE for all DISH Network subs for 3 MONTHS starting TODAY."