Viacom and DishNetwork Battle On Air Over Contract 604
An anonymous reader writes "This weekend, Viacom stations began scrolling messages on their cable stations(MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, etc) stating that DishNetwork may soon be removing the channels from its lineup and urging subscribers to call DishNetwork. DishNetwork subscribers(me!) may have begun to see black bars cover the messages and calls to DishNetwork regarding the messages were greeted with a recording telling subscribers to call the President and GM of KCBS. These antics stem from lawsuits here. I, for one, will be switching to DirecTV if they don't get this figured out."
Viacom really needs to watch themselves (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Viacom really needs to watch themselves (Score:3, Funny)
Thats sarcasm.
Are you blind or just stupid. Large Companies are under absolutely no threat from the government and they know it.
Re:Viacom really needs to watch themselves (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Viacom really needs to watch themselves (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Viacom really needs to watch themselves (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Viacom really needs to watch themselves (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Viacom really needs to watch themselves (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Viacom really needs to watch themselves (Score:5, Insightful)
If they start, Bush and Ashcroft are going to go down as the people who sent the Republican Party into the graveyard.
Rupert Murdoch is basically gambling his empire on DirecTV. Increased content regulations will hurt his profit (porn is the most profitable aspect of DirecTV's business). If the GOP becomes a threat to the profitability, Rupert will try to eliminate the GOP.
This means prime-time specials on Fox, Fox Sports, and Fox News denouncing the Republican Party as the Communist Party of the USA. This means every GOP scandal will be fully aired in the New York Post.
He's taken down governments in Australia and the UK before.
Re:Viacom really needs to watch themselves (Score:4, Interesting)
1: Charlie Ergen, CEO of Echostar, IS a gambler. Not as in a business sense.
2: You forget that NewsCorp. is one of the largest media empires of the world. DirecTV gives him worldwide satellite coverage, Fox News gives him news. While DirecTV may be a jewel of his crown, there are other elements that make it sit high on his head.
Not a chance. His politics lean conservative to begin with. FCC regulation? Bah. So what if it means he can't PPV porn (fat chance, especially once courts get involved, possibly fixing original indecency decision)? The satellite network is useful for other reasons to Rup.
Content regulation only affects certain aspects of broadcasting. The primary target is OTA broadcasters, the ones you pick up on a radio dial or with a pair of rabbit ears on your radiation box. Secondary targets may be basic cable channels, as they tend to use unscrambled satellite signals for broadcast. Note, *may* *be*. One typically cannot receive such signals without equipment, my neighbor's (EM-wise) noisy TV notwithstanding.
Premium services and PPV events, which are encrypted and encoded, are most likely to avoid any regulation. Current laws, including our ol' friend 12 USC 1701, preclude illicit reception of the signals.
I am not a lawyer, but I play one online. Do not use for legal advice, medication, stock tips, or to induce vomiting.
Re:Viacom really needs to watch themselves (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Viacom really needs to watch themselves (Score:5, Insightful)
Dish Network holds about 8% of the TV audience. What that means is that there will be an instant drop in the audience by 8% on all of the affected stations.
Viacom does not own any distribution arms other than OTA TV stations. Their entire cable empire stands at risk if they can't make deals with outside distributors. Viacom needs Dish more than Dish needs Viacom.
Re:Viacom really needs to watch themselves (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Viacom really needs to watch themselves (Score:5, Interesting)
Also, at least in the cable world, the cable companies puts the commercials in. Dish probably injects the commercials too, so Viacom only makes dough off of the fees it charges Dish Network.
Re:Viacom really needs to watch themselves (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Viacom really needs to watch themselves (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Viacom really needs to watch themselves (Score:4, Insightful)
The submitter says it all:
"I, for one, will be switching to DirecTV if they don't get this figured out."
Dish is buying content that appeals to their subscribers and can draw more subscribers. It is more symbiotic than just a distribution system. Viacom gets viewership, Dish network gets something to sell.
Re:Viacom really needs to watch themselves (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Viacom really needs to watch themselves (Score:5, Interesting)
That "I'll be switching to DirecTV" had me thinking (don't get me wrong, I think DirecTV has a very high quality product, and I was very happy with it until I moved somewhere where I couldn't have it.) Isn't this the company that just got busted under the RICO act for suing people with card reader/writers? Did that ever get settled? Like I said, I really dug that company, but I was extremely disappointed when I heard they were throwing out all of those lawsuits.
-matt
Re:Viacom really needs to watch themselves (Score:4, Insightful)
I'm not speaking on any authority here, just musing.
Re:Viacom really needs to watch themselves (Score:5, Interesting)
Pick up the phone and call Don Corsini and let him know how you feel.
The summary: Dishnetwork has the lowest cost programming in the US. They'd like to keep it that way so they are dropping these channels from their basic package. They will allow people to add them if the cost is deemed worth while on a per-user basis. This is good for the consumer and good for the free market because Viacom will learn that they can't just raise their prices arbitrarily and still keep their seat in the basic package.
Fuck Viacom
Re:Viacom really needs to watch themselves (Score:4, Interesting)
According to the person I talked to, the ala carte thing was taken away because they'd get people sitting on the phone with customer service, looking through a listing of 500 channels, hemming and hawing, asking what was on different channels, and taking 30 minutes of phone time to decide to buy 2 channels that cost $1.50 each per month.
Re:Viacom really needs to watch themselves (Score:3, Insightful)
Why not disallow *phone* ordering of customized selection? Instead allow it over the web where you can browse the listing and click & pick? I know e-commerce sites are Difficult(tm), and cable/dish companies are not the brightest bunch, but still...
Re:Viacom really needs to watch themselves (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Viacom really needs to watch themselves (Score:5, Informative)
I can't say whether you can select channels a la carte there where you are in Florida - I don't have that information. What I can respond to is the statement that law requires it.
The Cable Act of 1992 actually says that they cannot link "premium" channels, such as HBO, Cinemax, etc., to a specific "tier" of programming. That is - you cannot be required to buy the "expanded" package just to get HBO. The law also says that they cannot require you to buy a package of premium channels - you can pick and choose which premium channel you want.
The law does NOT say anything about picking and choosing your standard channels a la carte. If your cable provider allows you to do this - which I highly doubt - it's not because it's required by law, it's just because the provider either wants to be nice or feels that it's a business advantage to do so.
Here's [nbc4.com] a transcript of a television news story that talks about this.
Yes! Finally a TV supplier gets a clue! (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm sick of having to pay for dozens of channels I never watch and don't want, just to get the half dozen I do want.
I want the cable company to let me pay for just the channels I want. That means no news channels and no sports channels. Ironically, most of the Viacom channels are ones I'd pay for.
I'd also pay extra for HBO, if I didn't have to pay for all those news and sports channels... but since I do, no HBO for me.
Re:Yes! Finally a TV supplier gets a clue! (Score:4, Interesting)
The list of channels in play... (Score:5, Informative)
BET
Comedy Central
MTV
MTV2
Nick Games & Sports
Nickelodeon/Nick at Night (Both East and West versions)
Noggin/The N
VH1
VH1 Classic
All CBS O&O stations (listed here) [paramountstations.com] within their local markets. (Those seeing WCBS, KCBS, or WBZ as a distant CBS service outside of their natrual zones will not be affected.)
All UPN O&O stations (listed here) [paramountstations.com] within their local markets. (Those seeing WSBK as a superstation outside of Boston will not be affected.)
KCAL in the Los Angeles area.
Re:The list of channels in play... (Score:4, Informative)
Re:The list of channels in play... (Score:5, Informative)
It's true that Viacom owns SpikeTV and its former sister network CMT, but I'm having trouble confirming that they're covered by the contract that currently is in dispute. (The two may be covered by a contract that's a holdover from the days that SpikeTV was The Nashville Network they were owned by a freestanding Nashville-based company.)
I know for sure that Viacom's Showtime and The Movie Channel properties are definitely under other contracts and therefore won't be involved in this situation.
Re:The list of channels in play... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:The list of channels in play... (Score:3, Insightful)
Try explaining to my boys that they're not in danger of loosing Spongebob. Sometimes, almost wish they couldn't read.
Re:The list of channels in play... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:The list of channels in play... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:The list of channels in play... (Score:5, Insightful)
MTV is such crap. They had an excellent show, Clone High, which they cancelled. As far as I'm concerned, Viacom can screw themselves.
And Comedy Central is just boring most of the time. I can't figure out how Dave Attell earned the title of "Comedian". All he does is just take us around shitty neighborhoods chatting with stupid people. If I wanted to see that, I would watch Cops.
Re:The list of channels in play... (Score:5, Informative)
Well, I for one watch The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Comedy Central. It's by far the best thing on TV today. I would be seriously pissed right now if I were a Dish Network customer.
There are probably quite a few geeks here on
Re:The list of channels in play... (Score:5, Insightful)
Go Charlie [Ergen, spiritual and actual leader of Dish Network]!
Re:The list of channels in play... (Score:4, Funny)
sounds familiar (Score:5, Interesting)
We did without NBC for six months, Charlie [Dish] never caved. NBC moved itself to a San Jose station and we get NBC again.
Viacom probably wants Dish to carry additional channels or drop competing channels from their line-up.
Re:sounds familiar (Score:5, Informative)
I don't know jack about the rate increases and how fair they are, though I have to wonder how much extra commercial networks (ALL of the affected broadcast/cable channels have paid commercial advertising) should be expecting Dish Network and, by extension, their customers to pay for those channels. But the Nicktoons issue is a clear example of a media conglomerate using its consolidated power to force the purchase of something that the customer doesn't want.
The only thing that would really affect me (and deeply at that) is the loss of Comedy Central. But I'm willing to put up with that in the hopes that the little guy (Echostar) can put the big guy (Viacom) in his place.
Re:sounds familiar (Score:4, Informative)
Dish already carries Nick GAS. It's Nicktoons that DirecTV recently added but Dish seems to be refusing to.
BTW, you will still get WBZ and WSBK so long as you're not local to Boston. The distant rights to those stations are granted by law, Viacom can't take those stations away.
Very Annoying (Score:3, Interesting)
These kind of games are very annoying. Honestly, even if dish network did drop the channels, how long do you think it would last? They would either bring them back or loose a lot of customers.
Re:Very Annoying (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Very Annoying (Score:3, Funny)
Yeah, I can see how that would be really annoying.
I don't even own a dish and I'm seeing these fucking messages.
So? How is that any different than me? I don't have Dish Network either. Is it some how less annoying because I have a dish on my roof?
I was wondering what that was about.. (Score:5, Interesting)
Each time, a few words in, a black bar appeared across the screen to block it out.
This explains a lot. How childish.
Re:I was wondering what that was about.. (Score:3, Informative)
Re:I was wondering what that was about.. (Score:5, Insightful)
[ from the article: "DishNetwork subscribers(me!) may have begun to see black bars cover the messages"]
Now, I seem to remember a fuss about how modifying web-proxies (like Proxomitron) which remove ads from web pages, and TIVO-like devices, which allow the editing out or skipping of broadcast ads, violated the creator's copyright.
My feeling is that editing out, as an end-user, is perfectly acceptable, equivalent to glancing away from a TV or scribbling over an ad in a magazine.
But that's because I got the content the creator wished me to get, and I made a decision to ignore it. And indeed, that's what a judge decided in the case of those browser add-ons that replace a site's ads with their own: since the end user (wittingly or nor!) installed it, it's ok.
But were my ISP to start modifying pages I received via my ISP's pipe, I'd be outraged: it's one thing for me to ignore whatever ad is showing on Slashdot today (yes, I use Proxomitron), it's quite another not to have the option to see that ad. Similarly, at one point, my hosting company (not my ISP) was filtering my email for spam. I promptly told them that wasn't what I wanted: I'm paranoid enough to about missing mail (you never know when an old ex-girlfriend is suddenly going to realize she's still in love with you -- and so far none of them have, but I live in hope
So how can it be legal for Dish to edit out content that's is efficiently advertisements on Viacom's stations?
And how can we let the precedent be set that a carrier, not a creator or an end-user, has any right to do this? Because while what's being edited out is effectively an advertisement by Viacom, it is also an editorial comment. which leads to a slippery slope: if Dish can censor this, can they also censor a story on "60 Minutes" critical of Dish? A new story about, or an advertisement by, a political candidate that Dish doesn't want you to see?
Just because you're the client of some carrier should not mean that that carrier has any right to regulate -- or, as in this case, change what you see. This is dangerous, and desires to be slapped down quickly and decisively.
And as usual the customer gets screwed... (Score:3, Insightful)
And who wins? The lawyers, of course.
Re:And as usual the customer gets screwed... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:And as usual the customer gets screwed... (Score:3, Interesting)
OJ Simpson [tcpalm.com] dug the dish at nicely discounted price.
Effective? (Score:3, Insightful)
As a Direct TV Viewer... (Score:5, Insightful)
The message itself was inflamitory, saying how customers should call Dish to keep the channels that "they [the consumer] paid for!" when that doesn't describe the scope of the suit in the least...
Wasn't just Dish Network (Score:5, Interesting)
Dish will get sued and lose (Score:3, Interesting)
Censorship? (Score:2)
Re:Censorship? (Score:5, Insightful)
No, it's not censorship... jesus christ. Viacom is intentionally scrolling messages to try and turn Dish Network subscribers against Dish Network by making it seem like Dish is "threatening" (I quote) to drop various popular channels such as Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, etc.
I don't think it's unfair to expect Dish to try and block out that kind of obvious bullshit. If the issue really were that simple, then okay, but Viacom is trying to play ignorant consumers against Dish Network by manipulating them with half-truths and menacing terms. I see nothing wrong with Dish trying to defend itself from these flagrant attacks by blotting the messages out.
Re:Censorship? (Score:3, Insightful)
Censorship is still censorship. I don't support the KKK, but I respect their right to say what they want openly without being told what they can and cannot say.
Re:Censorship? (Score:3, Insightful)
Ahh but there is where you become lost, grasshopper. For the only 'right' regarding speech is freedom from Government censorship. A corporation is entirely within its rights to control what is broadcast over its own satellite. Much as a sysadmin can delete forum posts he or she does not want to host.
Repeat the mantra again, young one...
"Congress s
Crawl being seen on all other providers too (Score:5, Interesting)
I've been told that DirecTV's call centers have also been geting calls from their own consumers who don't read the whole ticker and are wondering if they're at risk too. (DirecTV's contracts are not lapsing right now, only Dish's.)
Whats with annoying customers? (Score:5, Insightful)
Maybe companies are forgetting one thing and one essential thing. No matter how much money they have or how many years theyve been around and on top they got where they are by being a service to their customers
It sounds like neither of these companies are doing that any more. It's the death throes of business when distraction overcomes service.
nude mac desktop gallery [67.160.223.119]
Re:Whats with annoying customers? (Score:5, Insightful)
I really think America needs to go back and re-examine the Anti-Trust, the Corporation laws, and the Patent/Copyright laws. None seem to be working and it's time we stand up for ourselves and take responsibility for them not working.
The message was... (Score:5, Interesting)
DishNetwork will stop offering BET, MTV, Nick at Night, Comedy Central...and many others. DishNetwork subscribers, call DishNetwork and tell them you want to keep the channels you paid for.
It seemed to me like they were really saying:
DishNetwork subscribers, please call DishNetwork and tie up their support lines with furious indignance while we spread disinformation!
But the message had a complete lack of WHY those channels were going away, if at all. Anyone have some insight?
Customers have choices... (Score:5, Informative)
So, if you want to get your content from the low-price supplier, you want to be with Dish Network and put up with these occasional squabbles. If you want a distributor that has a history of bending over whenever the prices go up, you go to DirecTV or your local cable company. Competition in a marketplace is good that way...
Childish. (Score:4, Funny)
not a Dish fan, but... (Score:5, Insightful)
BUT, Viacom is the evil party here IMO. They're holding Dish and all of its customers hostage until Dish accepts unreasonable contract terms. I for one, don't want higher TV monthly charges just because Viacom forces Dish to carry some obscure channels that the vast majority of subs will never watch.
A la carte pricing would address this, but that's a whole nuther discussion.
Comedy Central is the only reason I have dish (Score:2)
ABC pulled this crap a few years ago.... (Score:4, Interesting)
I'd have thought that with all the crap their Infinity radio division is having with the FCC, not to mention the Janet Jackson flap they'd be doing their best to stay off the radar screen!
I don't know whether these big companies are arrogant or stupid, but it sure illustrates why media monopolies are bad for the consumer.its a bloody shame (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:its a bloody shame (Score:5, Funny)
Yeah, that "bug" is generally referred to as a 'Wife'. Keeps happening to more and more people, strangely enough... Nothing a sledgehammer and a pit full of lye won't fix.
Arrrgghhh my karma is burning!
Re:its a bloody shame (Score:3, Informative)
If you have an
Forbes writeup (Score:5, Informative)
I work there.. (Score:5, Informative)
I'm not happy about this either, but from I was told by management, Dish wants to pick and choose what they want to air, instead of taking packages. (ie they want MTV MTV2, Nick, and Comedy central but not Spike and cmt, Im not sure if the exact grouping though...) and Viacoms stance is its a package, they want some they take them all. This has started a pissing contest.
Over the weekend We started moving the location of the crawl in order for it to be seen despite the black bar.
Re:I work there.. (Score:5, Funny)
Over their own network? God forbid.
Re:I work there.. (Score:4, Interesting)
Viacom basically wants the right to say "We started this new Nicktoons channel. You have to take it (and pay for it) or lose all of the MTV Networks package channels." Dish Network sees Nicktoons as having no value to them since it at this point consists of only programs that have already run on the main Nick network.
There's the core source of the dispute.
Re:I work there.. (Score:5, Insightful)
This is *exactly* why ala-cart channels are better for citizens. The package idea would not fly in any other market.
"No, sir, you can not buy that printer without also buying the computer."
"No, sir, you can not have a soda without also buying the burger and fries."
The media companies, however, are huge and know they have the weight to toss around. I've never used either dish provider, but I'm glad to see one stand up to keep citizen's prices lower (and thus their own, of course.)
Re:I work there.. (Score:4, Insightful)
I find it ironic that when dealing with the customer, Dish Network (along with every other Sat and Cable provider) ends up taking Viacom's position on the matter. Customers ask to pick and choose channels, but they are forced to take packages. I couldn't give a crap about the golf channel, but I have to take it (and 10 others I don't want) if I want Discovery. Maybe they need to learn that what's good for the goose is good for the gander.
Re:I work there.. (Score:3, Informative)
I'm positive that would be the grounds on which Dish Network will (or has) get the attention of the Federal Trade Commission in pursuing antitrust actions again Viacom.
Bring on the 10,000 point starfield !! (Score:4, Funny)
Why are we even seeing this battle? (Score:4, Interesting)
Boy I sure do. If anything needs a bit of regulation, this industry does. People should not have to wonder if they can watch their paid for programming or not depending on the whims of some fat ass execs.
Do you think Dish will compensate their customer base? Do they even care about their customer base?
Too many programming choices are an either or bundle situation. People are stuck paying high rates in return for few real choices about their programming.
Dish and Direct TV both should be forced to carry programming on a RAND basis. Their customers should be able to choose what they want with a finer grained degree than they do now.
The bundled programming does not save any of us a dime because the 30 percent of good channels are spread throughout the bundles. This forces people to just pay for all the crap at once, rather than be able to pick 'n choose.
We are seeing this because there is no real check on the power these distributors have over both their customer base and those who seek to distribute programming.
Viacom is going to lose on this one because Dish holds most all the cards. People are going to wonder what happened. Dish will make sure and tell them their version first.
Re:Why are we even seeing this battle? (Score:4, Insightful)
I had DirecTV and was completely satisfied, then switched to cable (because it was "better" and I got a cable modem that worked about 50% of the time), dumped that nonsense and went to Dish Network. One of the reasons was I could finally get NASA TV with Dish.
Dish, DirecTV, and your local cable company have to buy programming packages from the vendors, such as Viacom. They dont get to pick and choose ala-carte. So you, as an end-purchaser, dont get the chance to pay for just what you watch. The service provider gets stuck with the contracted package and has to air the losers along with the popular high rating channels.
Personally, I prefer the satellite way because 1) I'm in control of the hardware. I dont mind climbing a latter and replacing a piece of cable that gets damaged. At least I dont have to take a day off from work to wait on a cable installer. If I move, it takes me 30 minutes to install and aim the dish. 2) The price is tremendously cheaper all around. The earth station equipment was free with free installation, and 3) the quality is much better. Straight mpeg video out of the decoder, not a signal that has passed through gawd knows how many line amplifiers between the head-end and my house. My cable reception looked like something off a cheap roof-top antenna.
The only way I would dump what I have is if someone would pull fiber to the curb, like we've been promised for years.
Amen to what? (Score:3, Insightful)
The reason Viacom won't do the PPC is that the number of people who will actively decide to pay for Nicktoons is much lower than that for Comed
Contact Viacom Instead (Score:4, Informative)
Viacom
1515 Broadway
New York, NY 10036
tel.(212) 258-6000
fax: (212) 258-6464
Go DISH! (Score:3, Insightful)
Go Dish Network! (Score:3, Informative)
In my eyes the cost of cable isn't worth it. For my viewing habits getting the highest level of Netflix subscription would be better then putting up with a $65 cable bill.
Viacom should get smacked for scrolling misleading messages to all the cable and sat TV networks. I am paying for content not for your propaganda.
As mentioned before, Dish Network subscribers concerned about the issue may wish to tune into "Charlie Chat" tonight at 9pm. Dish Network's CEO has a show on channel 100 or 101 once a month where customers can call in with questions. (If you miss the show it is rerun frequently).
What about scrambled porn channel? (Score:3, Funny)
I gave up on TV (Score:3, Insightful)
I dropped my cable TV to the lowest possible tier and signed up for Netflix instead. When I'm sure my cable company can properly separate cable and Internet services, I'll drop the cable TV altogether.
At a DVD per day, it should take me a little more than 40 years to get through the Netflix inventory. No commercials, and I get to watch what I want when I want it -- the reason I signed up for cable to begin with.
Nothing beats the bandwidth of a USPS mail truck full of DVDs.
Want to Contact Viacom? (Score:3, Informative)
Viacom Productions
Phone: (310) 234-5000
Fax: (310) 234-5059
10880 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 1101
Los Angeles, CA 90024
Perry Simon President Viacom Television
If you switch, you're a tool. (Score:3, Insightful)
That's what they want. Dish Network doesn't want to pay more money and charge you more. They're fighting for you. If you can't see that, you're a total dick.
Think about things once in a while. It might do you some good.
Other recent content/distributor disputes (Score:3, Informative)
There was a similar situation with DirecTV, the ABC Family channel, and the 700 Club a while ago. In that case, however, it was DirecTV playing hardball. IIRC, DirecTV wanted to pay less to ABC for the ABC Family channel, and threatened to drop it. [webprowire.com] Since ABCF is the cable outlet for the 700 Club, the issue of "freedom of religion" came up. So DirecTV started a scroll that said something like "The 700 Club is carried by a number of local channels throughout the country." A deal was eventually worked out, and ABCF is still on DirecTV.
There was also a nasty battle [lycos.com] between ESPN and Cox Communications.
In short, these disputes are becoming commonplace. Thank goodness so many good shows are being put out on DVD!
Travis
Which evil broadband TV provider to support. (Score:3, Insightful)
DishNetwork and viacom play foolish "kids" games with the consumers.
and Comcast is just, well expensive, and could care less about it's consumers.
New Packages (Score:3, Interesting)
You want the Viacom channels?
You want the ESPN lineup?
You want the Disney lineup?
You want the Discovery/History channels?
You want Starz?
You want Cinemax?
etc. etc.
I like Comedy Central, but if it was the only channel I wanted among all the other Viacom garbage, I'd skip if it would save me money.
I'd also like to not pay for all that sports programming I never watch!
Since the content providers only get paid per subscribing household, they'd find out real quick how valuable their content is when it comes as a distinct package rather than scattered throughout all the current tiers.
How to contact Viacom? (Score:3, Interesting)
http://www.viacom.com/factsandfig.tin#contact yields nothing...no phone numbers, addresses, email, nothing.
Anyone know how I can email Sumner Redstone? (grin)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Microsoft Of the TV industry (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:corporate siblings (Score:4, Informative)
Re:corporate siblings (Score:2)
Re:DirecTV rules (Score:4, Insightful)
Those of us who want a package for $25.
Re:DirecTV rules (Score:5, Insightful)
Their content is _arguably_ better (especially when it comes to HD), but the company is no better than the RIAA. Remember the smart card lawsuits [cbsnews.com]? Why on earth would you willingly do business with a company like this?
Re:You should switch anyways... (Score:5, Insightful)
If you are not willing to vote with your dollars, what are you willing to do?
Re:Programming, shmoegramming... (Score:3, Interesting)
This is the problem the cable/sat companies can't deal with. They bundle channels into packages so they can sell advertising. If they let users pick the programming they wanted a la carte, they'd lose tons of ad revenue because most of the channels nobody wants. Tivo essentially does the same thing, which is why companies like Comcast are doing their best to shunt its implementation.
TV suc
Re:Back away from the TV and get a life... (Score:3)
Ok, fine. You don't watch tv? Well I don't go around killing people. Its about as relevent to this thread as your post.