I just want a la carte. Let the networks set their price, let the cable company tack on a profict and a flat base fee and then let me decide which channels I think are worth the price.
Don’t make me buy ESPN Deportes 12 to get ESPN. I don’t need MTV or VH1 or E!. I’ll pay plenty for TCM, ESPN, Discovery, and a couple news channels.
And when nobody is willing to pay for The Model Train Network, it can go away instead of being propped up because it is (if it existed, don’t tell me it exists if it does) bundled with all the other Discovery Communications channels.
Losing The Daily Show would sting a bit, but I’ll get over it. Unless Viacom can prove that at least the vast majority (~90%) of the increase is due to cover an increase in expenses on their end, I’ll gladly forego any Viacom channel and show rather than pay as much as a dollar a month extra. I can certainly go without Viacom channels longer than they losing 20 million viewers.
I’d pay a couple of dollars extra for AMC but more than that and I’d be really pissed and opt to just not watch it. I can always read the synopsis of Breaking Bad the day after and then watch it on DVD in a few months; it ain’t gonna kill me none.
The irony is that at time when people are trying to cut expenses, and can get the same content online – whether legally, or illegally – both parties in these disputes are just shooting each other in the foot. They’re only encouraging people who haven’t needed to bother with seeking out this content online to do so, now that their shows are gone. And when they discover they can watch everything they want without paying exorbitant monthly fees for a ton of channels they don’t ever watch, a lot of them are going to decide to cut the cord for good.
We are witnessing the death throes of the TV industry as we know it. They will be just the latest in the long line of industries that have fallen victim to the failure to adapt to the impact of the internet.
I completly agree, i could probably cut my direct bill by a 3rd if i take off all the crap i dont watch, i dont know about the model train network ( though i wouldnt put it past them to do one) but i wouldnt be too upset to get rid of WGGS, the QVC networks, SBN, all the sport channels, telenova…too many to name actually
I’m 45 years old, which while that increasingly seems like I should be in the Oldest 2% of Americans there are, according to the Census, approximately 100 million Americans my age or older. All of us, and I would wager tens of millions more, can remember a time not that long ago when you didn’t have to pay more to watch TV for a month than you do for gasoline and we’re pissed off. Any more expensive and I’ll just say “fuck it” and go get one of those converter things that will let me watch network for free and to hell with anything else. Cable isn’t a necessity.
Both companies are playing a dangerous game. The cable channel marketing package goes back thirty years. It allows a wide variety of channels. Some that only serve a niche audience. As a customer I like having a wide variety of channels to choose from.
If companies like Viacom get greedy then everybody may lose. Customers will pay more for less channels. Small niche channels may disappear entirely.
I’ve always worried that free channels like AMC could start charging like HBO. Our tv bills would go through the roof.
I’ll tell you what I want, what I really really want… is The Smithsonian Channel. By all accounts it’s what the History Channel should be. However, it would cost me about $12 per month to upgrade to the package that includes that on DirecTV, and while $12 isn’t going to make or break my budget it just pisses me off because it’s about the only thing that’s in that tier that I want that I don’t already get or would consider paying for, and I’m tired of the marketing games.
I would just like to point out that that although episodes have been pulled on the actual websites they are still available on Hulu. Whether that continues to be the case I can only hope, but I would assume that Hulu has contracts that will continue for some span of time.
I love how viacom is adding as much sensationlism as possible, they keep saying its 26 channels but you cant really count the hd channels, ive never watched both, either all hd (when available) or none
Is the Smithsonian Channel in DirecTV plus package? I pay $6 extra a month to get the plus. It has DIY, Planet Green and a few other channels. Not sure if Smithsonian is included or not.
Versus a rate increase today? Versus the rate increases all the providers try to stick you with whenever they can anyway? Is Direct TV going to knock 10% off everyone’s rates for the times Viacom isn’t available since they’re not providing a complete service?
Loyalty is earned and I’ve yet to deal with a TV provider who deserved it.
I’m still pissed off that Cablevision reclassified GSN as a “sports” network. Now I have to shell out $86,574.99 a month for 20 ESPN channels just so I can TiVo an hour a day of Jeopardy reruns.
Needless to say, I no longer get my retro jep fix.
well what i meant was viacom wants to raise our rates today, if i were to leave and go to…well the only other available options in my area would be dish and charter (who sucks) then its just a matter of time till viacom or another company will try to raise the rates for the options i have, and yes ive already heard of ppl getting discounts or other things for the channels being down, i am planning to call myself soon.
thats too bad you havent found that company yet, i have had a few problems but direct has been very good to me so far, in everything from dvr problems to my bill, especially working with me when i needed to decrease my bill some time ago
ha! i just read an article that viacom are now blocking their shows from viewing online, the hole theyre digging themselves is getting bigger, this “punishment” that directtv customers are getting now extends to every other person who watches those shows online, people who werent affected by this dispute (ive seen alot of ppl saying they were glad they had comcast, time warner, cox…etc) well guess theyre in for a surprise, since viacom cares soo much for their customers theyll let everyone be affected, the article said this is a response for directtv telling its suscribers where to find all the free shows from viacom online, and you can watch some of them on hulu still…smell the desperation?
viacom are making themself look worse, direct is putting all news articles from many sources, even those that are not saying kind things about either company, the only article i can find on viacoms website, is one written by them blaming direct for everything, this should be a fun week lol
Viacom has a history of screwing over its users to screw over other companies. This is exactly what they did to YouTube when they discovered that the founders, the people no longer running YouTube, had knowingly used their content illegally.
And just like before, I predict they will find that saying “fuck you” to the users will mean they’ll take the other guy’s side. We took YouTube’s side, and now we’ll take DirectTV’s, as DirectTV isn’t the one fucking with the Internet.
I was pretty mad at Dish when we came back from Europe to find we didn’t get to see the last Mad Men. I was thinking of maybe switching - now not so much.
And I even watch IFC some times, so I’m for them keeping it.
I hate to get all Straight Dope on you, but: cite?
I’m not saying that there aren’t people that watch it, but I’m having a lot of trouble swallowing that Nick is “the most watched cable channel on DTV”.
