CONFIRMED(?)- Dish Discontinuing Absolute HD Package

[rajmarie]

I always thought the old adage was "something is better than nothing".

Charlie must be smarter than me because apparently he feels the opposite is true.

Well....tell that to providers...eg Disney ....if they also follow the same old adage...then we might have been in a different position.

Just like absolute subs...who will start looking for others sats/cable now to save money...I guess Charlie also decided not to lose money.

 

[Yespage]

If it is costing them so much, why not just give the subscriber the option to pay more for that package?

Or end all this package stuff and offer three packages.

- All channels
- All channels minus sports or premium movies
- All channels minus sports and premium movies

 

[cosmo_kramer]

Well....tell that to providers...eg Disney ....if they also follow the same old adage...then we might have been in a different position.

Just like absolute subs...who will start looking for others sats/cable now to save money...I guess Charlie also decided not to lose money.

There is no way Charlie is losing money on Absolute subs. It's obviously not the same profit margin as other packages, but not bad when you add in the occasional premiums, VODs, sports packages, etc.

 

[DodgerKing]

What is Absolute, and how is it different from the others?

 

[Ilya]

Personally, I wouldn't mind them raising the price of Absolute. After all, they have added some good channels to it even after the plan has been discontinued.
The problem with them closing it altogether, is that there is no similar plan available on Dish! The only way to get back some of the same favorite channels is to go all the way to the highest tier. And that would double (if not triple) the cost.

 

[Max Wright]

The tough thing about this to me is having to explain the change to my wife. She still gives me crap about having to upgrade from the MPEG 2 DVR that we owned to a leased MPEG4 DVR.

Now I'll have to explain why we are getting fewer channels that we watch and paying more.

 

[Ilya]

What is Absolute, and how is it different from the others?

This was the first and the only All-HD plan that was originally intended for HD enthusiasts who didn't care about SD channels. At the time it was introduced, it had all HD channels available on Dish, except for premium channels like HBO. Today it still has most of the HD channels, but no longer all of them.

 

[OV_HDFan]

I have a strange feeling this has something to do with the content providers charging seperatly for the HD feed. I feel this move will bring the Disney networks back to us sooner in HD. So I think the gripe needs to be with the networks.

 

[Hemi 6.1]

This was the first and the only All-HD plan that was originally intended for HD enthusiasts who didn't care about SD channels. At the time it was introduced, it had all HD channels available on Dish, except for premium channels like HBO.

And its was only $29.99 with more HD channels then $29.99 Turbo Bronze.

Do they still have the All American Bronze,Silver,Gold HD only Packs?

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

While this is NOT official I am hearing that two of the programmers are forcing them to remove channels from the package as part of their contract renewal and DISH does not have contracts with others to replace the channels being removed.

If I had this package I wouldn't be upset it was going away, But I would smile knowing that for thepast few years I had the best deal in television anywhere, and that it truely was!

 

[HDRoberts]

My word, such whining! You had a good deal for a long time. One that was made better by the addition of channels recently, even.

I used to be Absolute. Eventually, I got tired of missing the Daily Show and switched to AT100. 2 months later, Dish added Comedy Central to the pack when I thought no other channels would be added. Since then, you have got adds like Epix, Indie, and Retro WITH NO PRICE INCREASE. I would not be surprised if, with some upcoming bump in programming costs, Dish went to losing money on Absolute. Remember, the 3 ESPN channel that come with Absolute probably cost $5-$6 BY THEMSELVES. Epix is probably a few bucks (and probably had to go into Absolute due to negotiations with Epix). All and all, programming costs alone are likely $16-$20 at least. Add to that overhead, including a share of satellite and uplink cost, equipment costs, plus billing costs and you probably get pretty close to $30. You guys had a good run with a great pack, but it could not last for ever. Live with it.

You still want HD only at the same price? Switch to the pack I went to: Dish America.

 

[Ilya]

If I had this package I wouldn't be upset it was going away, But I would smile knowing that for thepast few years I had the best deal in television anywhere, and that it truely was!

I had a better deal with VOOM...

 

[vaylon]

Has anyone gotten a set date yet for the switch?

Unless they have a set date for the package to end, it seems like the best thing to do is ignore them both by phone and e-mail and let them do the change on their own. Then accept the changes or cancel.

we'll see what happens. But if this is like the past? your better off ignoring dish.

Didn't they do something like this when they canceled the package a couple of years ago and started switching people over to "turbo HD". ?

 

[Ilya]

Anyway, does anyone know how much time do we have left? How soon are they pulling the plug?

Edit: vaylon asked the same question at the same time!

 

[Max Wright]

If I had this package I wouldn't be upset it was going away, But I would smile knowing that for thepast few years I had the best deal in television anywhere, and that it truely was!

Sounds similar to the same rationalization that is used when a hot girl dumps you and says "It's not you, it's me."

 

[Laddyboy]

What is Absolute, and how is it different from the others?

At its inception, Absolute offered subs every HD channel that E* carried sans the movie channel Premiums. It was to mollify HD subs after E* dropped Voom until more HD could be added to the lineup over the next couple of years. New HD was added to the package as E* added more HD channels to its lineup. This changed in the last year when Absolute subs did not get everything E* added. The Dish America packages started out as HD clones of the corresponding Top package, except for HD that providers refused to allow in the packages.

I have a feeling a lot of this has to do with E* having to pay for HD versions now. It wouldn't surprise me if they were forced to disband Absolute by the providers. They may not have been paying sub fees to the providers for some of the HD that was in the package. That would explain why it was so cheap. The Dish America packages may be next on the block. The advantages that E* once had over D* are quickly disappearing. D* now has a decent receiver in the HR24 and with their MRV over coax has a leg up on E*. The 922 and wireless slinging is still vaporware for the most part. E* just isn't gtting the job done and their management is some of the worst. I hate to see it fail. If we are left with only one provider, those of us with no other alternative will pay a huge price. I'm sure the number of Absolute subs is fairly small so it's not like this will up the churn rate to huge levels. Still, it's another sign that all is not well at E*. I hope they get a clue and soon.

 

[Hemi 6.1]

While this is NOT official I am hearing that two of the programmers are forcing them to remove channels from the package as part of their contract renewal and DISH does not have contracts with others to replace the channels being removed.

!

So more channel drops in the near future???

 

[lparsons21]

So more channel drops in the near future???

My crystal ball isn't talking today!

But maybe this is a way not to have to drop some channels to try to force a different contract. I know that Charlie has the reputation of being pretty contentious in these negotiations, but even he/they wouldn't want to drop channels that affected a large percentage of the subscribers. Or I wouldn't think so.

If I had been an Absolute subscriber, I'd be ticked initially at this. But it was a real bargain and it isn't like we didn't know it would end at some time.

 

[KAB]

So more channel drops in the near future???

As I read Scott, there would have been channel drops in the Absolute Package, not across the board.

 

[Hemi 6.1]

As I read Scott, there would have been channel drops in the Absolute Package, not across the board.

Got ya.