Directv Charging for Another HD Package?

[jjudson]

I'm a little confused. I tried to look at some earlier posts to get info on this, but I'm not really sure what to search on.

I noticed that I lost access to a couple of my HD channels a couple of weeks ago - notably HD-Net Movies and Universal. I noticed this because I tried to setup the DVR to record a couple of movies and it didn't take.

I called Directv today, and they told me that five channels have been moved to a separate package called HD Extra. I think he said they were HD-Net Movies, Universal, MGM-HD, Smithsonian, and one other channel I hadn't heard of. The HD Extra package was $4.99 a month extra over the $9.99 a month currently charged for HD. He gave me a courtesy access for three months to these channels, but if I want them after that, I have to pay.

I couldn't find anything at all on Directv's website about this. In fact, it still lists HD-Net Movies under the $9.99 package.

What gives?

 

[goaliebob99]

This was announced last month.. You can currently get the 4.99 package free for 3 months.

 

[Davey Roa]

Rip Off!

 

[markrubi]

This has been discussed for a few months now over on DBStalk.com. Basically any HD channel which does not have an SD counter part is part of the HD extra pack. HD Net is not included since Mark Cuban filed suit against Directv throwing his HD channels into this smaller package. He felt he would be losing a lot of eyeballs thus losing advertisement revenue. Directv and Cuban settled leaving HD net out of the extra package. So anyone who had HD boxes will get it at no additional cost above the $9.99 hd access fee.

 

[scottie_h]

There have been a lot of threads on the subject over the last 2, maybe even 3 months both here and at DBS. As mentioned above, it's based on the channels that do or don't have SD versions. Anyone can sign up for the free 3 months via the D* webpage. That trial has been discussed at length as well.

I'll probably be dropping those channels at the end of the trial period - I just don't watch them very often.

 

[Newshawk]

I just don't get it. People will pay thousands of dollars for a HDTV, hundreds of dollars for a home theater system, but whine and cry over a $5/month programming package. The sage was right... "penny wise and pound foolish".

 

[Bunnyman]

There's this whole thing of being "nickel-and-dimed" to death by D*. It's just another way for them to weasel money out of people, this time by charging for HD channels which had until recently been included in the $9.99/month access fee.

$5/month doesn't seem like much, but when you get an extra $5 from each of a couple million subscribers that amounts to big bucks per month, and that is what D* is after. It's the little fees that you get hit with every month from the bank, phone company, D* or whatever that really adds up over the year.

I didn't subscribe to the Extra package even though the $5 a month doesn't mean anything to me because 1) I object to D*'s incessant money-grubbing and 2) the content is just not that compelling.

 

[DanG48]

I had to sign up for the extra HD package last month if I wanted to keep those HD channels. I knew that Directv would eventually have to charge more for HD! they can't keep sending up all those satellites for nothing. I feel that after switching to HD channels it is like a breath of fresh air over standard tv. I will gladly pay the 4.99 after the 3 month trial period because it is worth it to me.

 

[scottie_h]

$5/month doesn't seem like much, but when you get an extra $5 from each of a couple million subscribers that amounts to big bucks per month, and that is what D* is after.

I hate to be a smart ass, but.... EXACTLY! That's the whole point of DirecTV to be in business - to make money. Did you expect them to add 40-50 new channels (or whatever the number is) and just swallow the cost?

I'm not saying I don't complain about rising costs myself. But prices are continually rising in every industry (and companies downsizing/outsourcing) due to the almighty dollar. Rising gas prices increase the cost for the installer to drive to your house and for FedEx (or whoever they use) to deliver equipment to the installers. The companies have to make that money back somewhere. And that would be the case even if they hadn't just added all kinds of new channels.

And they could have kept a single HD tier and just increased everyone's price by $5-10. They certainly would have made a lot more money that way. This at least gives users a choice. It's a happy medium of sorts.

It wasn't that long ago that we were paying the same $10 for about 10 channels...

 

[Plywodstatebum]

What T's me off it some of the channels have commercials to pay for themselves so why are we being charged ontop of that, UHD didn't used to have commercials.

 

[randyk47]

We pay for all TV off of DirecTV or Dish, it's not free OTA. OTA is "paid for" by commercials so if you don't want to pay anything for the signal then drop cable or satellite. Far as I know neither the cable or satellite companies get paid from the commercials pool, all (most?) of their revenue comes from subscribers. Having said that I'm not going to sign up for the extra channels in package as none of them interest me that much. Wife noticed she'd lost a couple of channels she watched from time to time and I explained what happened. She agreed, not paying even $4.99 more per month for those.

 

[vurbano]

They are crap channels anyway. Just let them go.

 

[FlyingJ]

They are crap channels anyway. Just let them go.

Best advice that I have heard from Vurbano in a long long time.

 

[Ronnie-]

I couldn't find anything at all on Directv's website about this. In fact, it still lists HD-Net Movies under the $9.99 package.

What gives?

Here is the rundown on the D* page.
DIRECTV: Superior HD Programming - Packages

Little tab bar close to the top (under where it says packages), all the way on the right lists the HD-extra pack. Click on it to get a little more info(probably not much that you didnt already post, but this just shows that it is on there)

 

[pete409]

Weird. Only my MGM and Smithsonian shut off. Universal, HDNET, HDNETMovies, are all still working for me.