Channels Exclusively on Flex and other packs but NOT available on AT Packages

tvwatcher2005

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Original poster
Jan 25, 2016
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Warren, Michigan
This is a huge concern about the programming decision that DISH is making.

Below is a picture of the guide showing channels that I am not subscribed to. I am specifically talking about BBC World News Channel (Channel 281) and the MTV suite of music channels in the 360s range, BET Gospel (362), BET Soul (363), CMT Music (364), BET Jams (365), MTVu (366) and MTV Hits (368). BBC World News is available on the news pack and the MTV suite is ONLY available in the Flex Pack. One other channel not shown is the World Fishing Network (Channel 394) is ONLY available on the Outdoor Pack. While I understand this is relatively new to DISH (except WFN), these channels are NOT available on America’s Top 120/200/250 packages. The flex package is available for $34.99/month, while the AT250 package, for example, is currently $89.99/month. If the customer is paying (AT250) more than double than what the Flex Pack offers, shouldn’t we be benefiting on getting these new channels? Not to mention, some of the channel s have been moved down to AT200 or AT120 in recent years!

In the past couple of days, I have made several attempts to call DISH about this situation. For the most part, Customer Service Reps doesn’t know what I was talking about. Some even claim it was a technical issue and wanted me to go to technical support, which has nothing to do with programming. Why would you say that these channels are not available on your end but it is available for purchase to customers? This is the most absurd and ugly decision to benefit people who subscribe to the new Flex Pack, getting less channels but not to people to who subscribe to a higher tier package, especially the AT packages. And no customer would pay an additional $4/month (Outdoor) or $10/month (news pack) for one channel when the customer has everything else available for AT customers. As a customer, do you really think it is okay to drop 200+channels to gain a few channels that are EXCLUSIVELY available to the Flex Pack? If you spent more money on a higher tier package, you should be getting the benefit of these channels! BBC World News, the MTV Suite of channels and WFN are NOT premium channels! I just don’t understand the logic behind these channels that are ONLY available to a specific pack.

For example, say you want all MTV channels (MTV, MTV2, MTV Live, MTV Classic, MTV Hits and MTVu). Flex pack offers MTV2, MTV Hits and MTVu. The AT customers can get MTV, MTV2, MTV Live and MTV Classic. But you cannot get both packages because these are core packages! In other words, you cannot get all the MTV networks, period.

I know it is relatively a new package to customers, but I am not the only one who is not aware of this issue. If you subscribe to AT packages, especially AT250, you need to tell DISH to make these channels available to these customers, we deserve better than that. But to scrutinize the fact that it is okay to benefit people the Flex Plan who would rather pay lower over AT customers who pay much more over a few channels exclusively to the Flex Pack is completely wrong.

This is the first time ever that I have to make a complaint over a programming decision over package availability. Please consider this decision to make these networks available to AT customers, NOT just the Flex customers. I am trying to make this better not only for customers who subscribe to your service, but to improve your service. Please take into consideration and have this resolved as quickly as possible.

I understand that there are other posts related to this and I am aware of that. Please understand that I am trying to encourage others to provide feedback relating to this and to improve service that Dish provides to customers. Eventually this should happen, but understand that this is a frustrating situation from a customer standpoint.
 

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Please people these new channels appeared 2-3 days ago and no need to have a stroke if they are not currently aligned to your AT package. Not everything works at lightening speed. Let things fall into place and give it a few weeks to shake out. Calling and hassling customer service is just crazy at this point.
 
I'd say it's good marketing. Like I want the Golf channel, so that means I can't get the flex pack or any of its addons. So basically the Golf channel is costing me $40/mo. If they made the flex pack too desirable they'd lose all their high paying customers. Think they'd do well to offer every channel ala-cart, or at least have every channel in an addon pack.

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Please people these new channels appeared 2-3 days ago and no need to have a stroke if they are not currently aligned to your AT package. Not everything works at lightening speed. Let things fall into place and give it a few weeks to shake out. Calling and hassling customer service is just crazy at this point.
That is what they are there for, to give customer service. If everyone at SatGuys would just pick up the phone, call and complain, that is how you will get action on BBC World News. There is nothing wrong with calling up and complaining, and there are some people who will call more than once. So be it.
 
We currently do not have any official announcements, or information in our system that these channels have even launched, let alone that they are part of any package. We have sent questions about this up the ladder, but at this time anyone that calls about this will not receive information they are looking for until information is released.
 
We currently do not have any official announcements, or information in our system that these channels have even launched, let alone that they are part of any package. We have sent questions about this up the ladder, but at this time anyone that calls about this will not receive information they are looking for until information is released.

They need to hurry and update their customer service reps. Have seen advertising for the Flex packages and they say call for more info.
 
All right, while I understand it is relatively new for customers to better suit their budget, these channels should have been more considered in the first place. While it only publicly launched a couple of days ago, I think it needs to be aware of when needed.
 
Here is a link to the Flex packages and the channels in each pack. I do not see all these MTVs or any of the op's channels listed in his original post either. Please provide a link to where you got this info. http://www.dish.com/flexpack/

Yeah...what's shown on that page is not an all inclusive list. (Note the "Plus More" in the lower right of the channel icons). If you go to the actual channel comparison screen (http://www.dish.com/packages/) you can see the full list of channels, including those in the OP:

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We currently do not have any official announcements, or information in our system that these channels have even launched, let alone that they are part of any package. We have sent questions about this up the ladder, but at this time anyone that calls about this will not receive information they are looking for until information is released.

Wait for the next rate increase
 
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(sorry this is a repeat of my post from another related topic, but...)

This is actually NOT the first time this sort of thing has happened w/DISH; when they first added Hallmark Movie Ch (now Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) they ONLY added it to the DISH Family pkg - & NO other pkg, nor was there a way to get it "a la carte" - either with any AT pkg or otherwise. As I recall, it took somewhere between 6 months - 1 year before they ALSO added it to what is now AT250. :rolleyes:

This is a huge concern about the programming decision that DISH is making.

If the customer is paying (AT250) more than double than what the Flex Pack offers, shouldn’t we be benefiting on getting these new channels? Not to mention, some of the channels have been moved down to AT200 or AT120 in recent years!

TOTALLY agree w/you on the current, ridiculous AT250 situation...I REALLY am close to the point of going down to AT200, but there are some channels I REALLY do like - but I'm almost to the point of just saying "screw it" & learning to live w/out them.
 
This is a huge concern about the programming decision that DISH is making.
Tell us the decision they have made.... You can't so I'm guessing as you have what DISH is going to do...

I think they are going to carry channels they otherwise would not have, never would they put so many low watched channels at the same time into the Top packs then charge even more than they are now, or charge even a higher increase than they will. You appear to have an unlimited amount of money to spend I am not in that position. I don't want to be made to pay for any of the new channels I see, excepting BBCWN.

Could it be they are going to have additions via packs for certain channels to the Top packages instead of cramming everything into them and making a package no one will buy? Taking it further, DISH has been outspoken about not wanting to take all the channels to get just the good ones. Could they have changed tactics and said we can carry most any of them but it has to be by choice of the consumer (at least to some extent) and not forced into the larger packages?

Could it be they are going to make wholesale changes to the Top packages, will they be what they are now?

The huge concern is the opposite of yours, that they will keep adding channels no one really wants and raise the price so lets hope that isn't what DISH will do.
 
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Have you contacted the owner of these channels ? It's entirely possible that they either dictated or requested Dish to offer them only in the Flex packages.
 
(sorry this is a repeat of my post from another related topic, but...)

This is actually NOT the first time this sort of thing has happened w/DISH; when they first added Hallmark Movie Ch (now Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) they ONLY added it to the DISH Family pkg - & NO other pkg, nor was there a way to get it "a la carte" - either with any AT pkg or otherwise. As I recall, it took somewhere between 6 months - 1 year before they ALSO added it to what is now AT250. :rolleyes:



TOTALLY agree w/you on the current, ridiculous AT250 situation...I REALLY am close to the point of going down to AT200, but there are some channels I REALLY do like - but I'm almost to the point of just saying "screw it" & learning to live w/out them.

I have had the Top package whatever it has been called the whole time I have been a subscriber going on 18 years. I went down to the Top 200 just recently. Virtually every channel we watch that I had to get 250 for was moved down to the Top 200 also. I actually took that as a good sign that I could save $10 to get that programming now
On the other side, I don't think any new channels, except Smithsonian has been added just to the Top 250 in quite sometime. Before we knew anything about the Flex package or any package changes I speculated here that it appears it may be going to be dropped or Grandfathered or some kind of change could be coming to all the TOP packages.
 
My guess is that eventually it's going to be flex and a bigger base packaged based on AT120 with different addon packsge of channels like Sling is doing. So soccer package gets NBCSN, BeIN, FS1/2, etc you get the picture. Also maybe a pick X number of channels for $y for those that still find the addon packages as bloated.

So in this case the basic Viacom channels are in base and the extras are in a Viacom package. Basic NBCU channels are in base and the extras are in an NBCU package. That way the companies can still bundle but if their deadweight is actually deadweight they don't get much money from them and have to take hard looks at it.

So in a way it would eventually force the consolidation that is sorely needed at this point in the industry.


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