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SandFarmer

Last reply Mar 5, 2021 · posted in DISH Network Support Forum

Dish shrinks pay TV subscriber losses to 133,000 in Q4 . . .

Dish Network, across its satellite TV business and Sling TV, lost approximately 133,000 pay TV subscribers in the fourth quarter, down from 194,000 in the year-ago quarter.

The company said it closed the quarter with 11.29 million pay TV subscribers. That includes 8.82 million Dish TV subscribers (down about 140,000 during the fourth quarter) and 2.47 million Sling TV subscribers (up about 10,000 during the fourth quarter).
For 2020, Dish said it lost approximately 526,000 net pay TV subscribers: about 408,000 net Dish TV subscribers and about 118,000 net Sling TV subscribers.

The annual Dish TV losses do not include the approximately 250,000 subscribers removed in the first quarter of 2020. Those figures represent commercial accounts impacted by COVID-19. Dish said that during the year, 80,000 of those subscribers came off pause or had temporary rate relief end and were included in the company's ending pay TV subscriber count for 2020.

RELATED: Dish Network added over 200,000 Sling TV subs in Q3

Sling TV stood pat in 2020 while competing virtual MVPDs including YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV and fuboTV all raised their base package rates to $65 per month.
In January, though, Sling TV raised prices by $5 per month for new subscribers to the service, which will now start at $35 per month for the Sling Orange or Sling Blue packages. New customers can also choose to subscribe to both Sling Orange and Sling Blue for $50 per month, which also represents a $5 per month increase.

However, thanks to a one-year price guarantee instituted in 2020, existing customer prices will not change through July 2021 as long as their existing subscription remains active.
While pay TV revenue largely held steady in 2020, up 0.7%, Dish Network got a substantial revenue boost from its wireless business in 2020. The segment contributed nearly $2.6 billion to consolidated revenues to bring the figure up to $15.49 billion, up 21% year over year.

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pattykay

Feb 28, 2021

PortlandChris said:
And which Regional Sports Channel are you watching? Cause DISH booted 90% of them

Not every single game is on the Regional Sports Channels, though. Also, some people subscribe to the out-of-market sports packages, and are just fine with watching other markets' teams. So, without knowing what packages sam_gordon subscribes to (or which specific sports were being referenced in that post) it really is a moot point.

PortlandChris

Feb 28, 2021

crodrules said:
Not every single game is on the Regional Sports Channels, though. Also, some people subscribe to the out-of-market sports packages, and are just fine with watching other markets' teams. So, without knowing what packages sam_gordon subscribes to (or which specific sports were being referenced in that post) it really is a moot point.

My original statement was all about Regional Sports Channels, and I said DISH booted 90% of them. It's probably higher. But this is the point. This entire customer line is shut down on DISH. And you can save $40-$50 monthly with comparable cable packages AND get internet - and with cable you do get your RSN.

So when people wonder why DISH has lost so many customers this is a BIG part.

Juan

Feb 28, 2021

PortlandChris said:
My original statement was all about Regional Sports Channels, and I said DISH booted 90% of them. It's probably higher. But this is the point. This entire customer line is shut down on DISH. And you can save $40-$50 monthly with comparable cable packages AND get internet - and with cable you do get your RSN.

So when people wonder why DISH has lost so many customers this is a BIG part.

Its also why their profits and cashflow increased

PortlandChris

Mar 1, 2021

Juan said:
Its also why their profits and cashflow increased

In the short term it increased because some customers did not react fast enough. And during the pandemic no sports were being played initially. Now it is abundantly clear DISH is done with RSNs, and if you want your sports you must go elsewhere. AND it is cheaper elsewhere.

DISH has millions of people locked into contracts. Those people pay DISH no matter what. DISH drops all of its programming. DISH has a profit. But next quarter/year, etc, people say WTF, I am out of here. SO yeah, DISH pumped short term profits.

The other part of this is rural customers have few options. Part of this is DISH dropped giving incentives to some customers that are stuck with them anyway.

DISH works for customers in rural areas. Can DISH sustain on fewer and fewer customers? In the long term, no. There will be a shake out in this industry. It is coming.

Juan

Mar 1, 2021

PortlandChris said:
In the short term it increased because some customers did not react fast enough. And during the pandemic no sports were being played initially. Now it is abundantly clear DISH is done with RSNs, and if you want your sports you must go elsewhere. AND it is cheaper elsewhere.

DISH has millions of people locked into contracts. Those people pay DISH no matter what. DISH drops all of its programming. DISH has a profit. But next quarter/year, etc, people say WTF, I am out of here. SO yeah, DISH pumped short term profits.

The other part of this is rural customers have few options. Part of this is DISH dropped giving incentives to some customers that are stuck with them anyway.

DISH works for customers in rural areas. Can DISH sustain on fewer and fewer customers? In the long term, no. There will be a shake out in this industry. It is coming.

EVERYONE was paying for RSN's if they had at200 or higher

PortlandChris

Mar 1, 2021

Juan said:
EVERYONE was paying for RSN's if they had at200 or higher

Yes they were. Never said they were not.

Providers can maintain low costs IF they can find a way to spread those fixed costs over a lot of subs. Otherwise, costs have to go up because fixed costs cannot go away.

So at the end do the increased costs of having the RSNs - which gives DISH more customers - offset the ability to spread fixed costs against fewer subscribers? This is the question. and we will find out in time.

Rural customers will pay more. They have few options. Urban customers have a plethora of options and the ability to lower costs. Can DISH survive on rural customers alone? It can, but costs will be huge for those subscribers.

Short term DISH can boot all of it's customers and many are locked into contracts. So yeah, DISH will make some cash here. But fewer customers will sign up and everyone will leave as the contract comes up. I flat agreed with Charlie Ergen in not renewing sports deals during the pandemic last year - no sports were being played, so why pay the bill? But as those leagues came online, well it all changed. As contracts lapse, people are leaving in droves.

Juan

Mar 1, 2021

PortlandChris said:
Yes they were. Never said they were not.

Providers can maintain low costs IF they can find a way to spread those fixed costs over a lot of subs. Otherwise, costs have to go up because fixed costs cannot go away.

So at the end do the increased costs of having the RSNs - which gives DISH more customers - offset the ability to spread fixed costs against fewer subscribers? This is the question. and we will find out in time.

Rural customers will pay more. They have few options. Urban customers have a plethora of options and the ability to lower costs. Can DISH survive on rural customers alone? It can, but costs will be huge for those subscribers.

Short term DISH can boot all of it's customers and many are locked into contracts. So yeah, DISH will make some cash here. But fewer customers will sign up and everyone will leave as the contract comes up. I flat agreed with Charlie Ergen in not renewing sports deals during the pandemic last year - no sports were being played, so why pay the bill? But as those leagues came online, well it all changed. As contracts lapse, people are leaving in droves.

As long as dish is making gobs of money..nothing changes..translated..losses from rsn customers not that bad..especially when your competitor.which carries every sport is bleeding just as badly if not worse

PortlandChris

Mar 1, 2021

Juan said:
As long as dish is making gobs of money..nothing changes..translated..losses from rsn customers not that bad..especially when your competitor.which carries every sport is bleeding just as badly if not worse

DISH is not making gobs of money.

NashGuy said:
Yes, satellite TV is increasingly just for rural dwellers who have no other real options for pay TV since they aren't wired for cable and can't access decent broadband. AT&T publicly admitted over a year ago that, with the launch of AT&T TV, the focus of DirecTV was shifting to rural/no-broadband areas. Same for DISH.

As for DISH dropping certain channels to keep prices down -- RSNs, HBO & Cinemax, etc. -- it makes sense, IMO. Because DISH has always played the role of the more value-focused satellite operator while DTV has been the pricier high-end provider, especially catering to sports lovers. (Although I would say that DISH has definitely surpassed DTV in terms of better quality customer-facing tech with their Hopper in recent years.) So the channel-dumping on DISH's part further differentiates them from DTV as the cheaper, skinnier option. If RSNs or HBO are must-haves and satellite is your only option, you pay more and go with DTV. If you don't care about those things and want to save money, you go with DISH. (DISH also lets you drop locals and pay $12/mo less if you want, while DTV does not.)

Anyhow, as to the future of DISH and DTV as they continue to lose customers (especially in cities and suburbs), Charlie Ergen is right that it's inevitable that those two businesses eventually merge. At some point, as their subscriber bases dwindle, it will become necessary for survival, as was the case for satellite radio operators Sirius and XM, which merged years ago.

As you may know, AT&T just announced that they sold a 30% stake in their cable TV businesses, of which DTV is the largest by far, to an investor group. And when the deal was announced, they said that they will remain open to the possibility of a future deal to fully spin off DTV in a merger with DISH. I think everyone knows it's coming at some point. It's just a matter of when, and if the government will allow it and, if so, with what conditions. I tend to think we won't see it happen for at least another two years, at which point DTV will have completed their exclusivity arrangement with NFL Sunday Ticket (ending with the 2022 season). In the meantime, they'll likely try to shift some of those DTV subscribers who have broadband over to AT&T TV.

IDK if DISH would want to purchase DTV. Seems more likely that Ergen would spin off DISH and AT&T spin off DTV into a joint venture that would merge the two and ride them off into the sunset together. That would give Ergen cash to spend on 5G.

Well - here's the deal - if you drop RSNs and pay channels like HBO you will lose customers. You will.

Dropping RSNs and pay channels will drop your variable costs, but it increases your fixed costs per subscriber because many will terminate. Satellites and related infrastructure is expensive to maintain. You NEED a lot of customers to make the per person price low.

You will notice that low cost satellite provider Orby failed today; Orby charged $40 for bare bones channels, no fluff, no sports. DISH will absorb most of those customers - manipulating the short term sign up numbers.

Back in the day we went to satellite because of two main reasons: (1) it was cheaper, and (2) we could get MORE content - locals from all over AND sports channels from ALL over. OR, you went to satellite because you were rural. Not true today.

PortlandChris

Mar 1, 2021

sam_gordon said:
I suggest going back and reading your post that started this without your bias. Here's you quote again...

That sentence has two statements in it...
1) DISH booted almost all RSNs (True)
AND
2) DISH made it so anyone who wants to watch sports can no longer do so. (False)

Instead of saying you missed a word ("DISH made it so anyone who wants to watch those sports can no longer do so"), you keep doubling down saying what you said was accurate. It really isn't.

Moving on...

False Sam. My post that started all of this reads:

PortlandChris said:
I think the two reasons for DISH's subscriber loss - regional sports channels AND the costs of DISH are higher than with cable when you bundle internet.

I was with DISH for 17 years, but dropping the sports channels was it. I paid more than cable to avoid cable and I was generally happy.

But I realized I was paying $40-$50 a month more with DISH and my internet connection combined than if I bundled it with cable.

Drawbacks with cable is the equipment is crap, and I miss prime time anytime. The plus: I can get ALL of my sports channels and I pay $50 less right now and it will be $40 after the year ends.

Very clear I said Regional Sports Channels.

And then below I said :"I can get ALL of my sports channels"

The rest of this is YOU and this other guy splicing my statements, which turns it into something I never ever said.

Facts Do Matter Sam.

pattykay

Mar 1, 2021

PortlandChris said:
False Sam. My post that started all of this reads:

Very clear I said Regional Sports Channels.

And then below I said :"I can get ALL of my sports channels"

The rest of this is YOU and this other guy splicing my statements, which turns it into something I never ever said.

Facts Do Matter Sam.

Your post that started all of this was post number 10. You just quoted post number 26. Also, each time that the other guy and I quoted the snippet of your earlier post, the quote box automatically included a link to that entire post (the little blue curved arrow at the top of the quote box) so that anyone can go back and read the context of the part that is being quoted, so that they can read your statement accurately.

Anyway, moving on...

PortlandChris

Mar 1, 2021

crodrules said:
Your post that started all of this was post number 10. You just quoted post number 26. Also, each time that the other guy and I quoted the snippet of your earlier post, the quote box automatically included a link to that entire post (the little blue curved arrow at the top of the quote box) so that anyone can go back and read the context of the part that is being quoted, so that they can read your statement accurately.

Anyway, moving on...

Alright, we're going back there - and even then I flat said RSNs were pulled off DISH, which was the whole subject of discussion forward from my perspective.

Your idea that sports is simply satisfied with 1-2 games a week from a broadcast channel is not the same thing and you know it is not, the rest is you twisting what I said, and that pisses me off.

pattykay

Mar 1, 2021

PortlandChris said:
Alright, we're going back there - and even then I flat said RSNs were pulled off DISH, which was the whole subject of discussion forward from my perspective.

The (now often) quoted part of that post is the only sentence where you specifically mentioned RSN's. Here is the rest of that post:

PortlandChris said:
The bottom line is DISH costs more than cable when you need internet as well. The bundle is a better deal overall. DISH just cannot compete.

And cable has sports channels.

DISH booted almost all RSNs and made it so anyone who wants to watch sports can no longer do so. Those customers are leaving or have left. This is just plain fact.

DISH calculated that there were many customers who would prefer lower rates and no sports. Fair enough. But those who want to watch sports were faced with needing to leave.

For the entire rest of that post (both before and after the "RSN" sentence) you were speaking generally about "sports channels" and "no sports" and "want to watch sports."

After sam_gordon quoted the middle section of that post, you then specifically asked sam_gordon about RSN's, when that was clearly not what sam_gordon was talking about:

sam_gordon said:
Really? We've watched a bunch of sports on Dish, even within the last week.

PortlandChris said:
And which Regional Sports Channel are you watching? Cause DISH booted 90% of them

PortlandChris said:
Your idea that sports is simply satisfied with 1-2 games a week from a broadcast channel is not the same thing and you know it is not, the rest is you twisting what I said, and that pisses me off.

Now, to borrow one of your lines, "That is not what I said!" Not all sports fans are fans of their in-market team. I have repeatedly been referring to out-of-market sports packages, such as NBA League Pass, NHL Center Ice, and MLB Extra Innings. Dish still has all of those packages, and fans of those teams (who live in the right place in order to "qualify")

can still watch all of the games that Dish carries as part of those packages, not just 1 - 2 games a week as you keep saying. This is without even mentioning many other sports that have their own specialty channels (golf and tennis, just to name a couple) that are not affected by the loss of RSN's at all. So, there are still some sports fans who are satisfied with the channels that Dish does still have available, and that is all that sam_gordon and I are saying. I never said that all sports fans (especially fans of in-market major sports league teams) should be satisfied with what Dish still has, nor that they should continue to stay with Dish even when they are not satisfied. So stop pretending that is what I am saying. That pisses me off!

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PortlandChris

Mar 2, 2021

crodrules said:
The (now often) quoted part of that post is the only sentence where you specifically mentioned RSN's. Here is the rest of that post:

For the entire rest of that post (both before and after the "RSN" sentence) you were speaking generally about "sports channels" and "no sports" and "want to watch sports."

After sam_gordon quoted the middle section of that post, you then specifically asked sam_gordon about RSN's, when that was clearly not what sam_gordon was talking about:

Now, to borrow one of your lines, "That is not what I said!" Not all sports fans are fans of their in-market team. I have repeatedly been referring to out-of-market sports packages, such as NBA League Pass, NHL Center Ice, and MLB Extra Innings. Dish still has all of those packages, and fans of those teams (who live in the right place in order to "qualify") can still watch all of the games that Dish carries as part of those packages, not just 1 - 2 games a week as you keep saying. This is without even mentioning many other sports that have their own specialty channels (golf and tennis, just to name a couple) that are not affected by the loss of RSN's at all. So, there are still some sports fans who are satisfied with the channels that Dish does still have available, and that is all that sam_gordon and I are saying. I never said that all sports fans (especially fans of in-market major sports league teams) should be satisfied with what Dish still has, nor that they should continue to stay with Dish even when they are not satisfied. So stop pretending that is what I am saying. That pisses me off!

You twist, shake, and roll in my words, but whatever. But I will add to only one point - that is that NBA League Pass, NHL Center Ice, and MLB Extra Innings are replacements for Regional Sports Channels. They are not. All of those league package blackout in the team's home market. You can't watch your home team.

What this WAS - was a discussion of WHY DISH is loosing so many customers - before it was hijacked. A substantial reason for this is the booting of Regional Sports Channels. That's what I initially said and what I still say.

DISH is certainly free to boot the RSNs. I will be the first to state that these channels are expensive and not for everyone. Pay providers ALL together let this get out of control in the first place.

Further, aside from news and sports, there is no real need for live television. So without this no one needs any of this. Orby just showed us that operating a bare bones satellite service without sports and news. As far as I can tell CNN CSPAN, and CSPAN2 were the only channels that ORBY had that broadcast live television, other than locals. So a bare bones service without more is simply not sustainable. DISH will continue to lose customers, making fixed costs harder to cover.

And at the same time.....RSNs are under a threat as well. They can't exist without viewers.

I believe we are still a few years away, but I see the only solution to this is move RSNs into higher tiers. They are never going ala carte. But the question will be what goes with them to the higher tier, because you know this is how this industry works....bundles.

sam_gordon

Mar 3, 2021

PortlandChris said:
A substantial reason for this is the booting of Regional Sports Channels. That's what I initially said and what I still say.

I disagree. A substantial reason is the price & limitations of satellite. People have tried cord cutting and found it works for them, therefore they don't want an MVPD.

Did Dish lose SOME subscribers by dropping RSNs? I'm sure. A "substantial" amount? Doubtful.

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PortlandChris

Mar 3, 2021

sam_gordon said:
I disagree. A substantial reason is the price & limitations of satellite. People have tried cord cutting and found it works for them, therefore they don't want an MVPD.

Did Dish lose SOME subscribers by dropping RSNs? I'm sure. A "substantial" amount? Doubtful.

To each their own.

TV viewership of RSNs is up. So if DISH and several of the streamers have dropped these channels, where are the viewers coming from? From cable, Directv, and FUBO mostly. And many of those are folks that migrated away from their current provider.

Twins TV ratings on Fox Sports North are up 47% over last year

Close to two-thirds of MLB teams have seen increases in TV ratings, and the Twins are near the top of two lists: overall ratings in 2020 and percent increase from last year.

www.startribune.com

Early Regional Sports Network TV Ratings And Ad Sales For MLB Are Up Compared With 2019

Here's the early TV ratings for all 29 MLB teams in the U.S. in 2020

www.forbes.com

pattykay

Mar 3, 2021

PortlandChris said:
To each their own.

TV viewership of RSNs is up. So if DISH and several of the streamers have dropped these channels, where are the viewers coming from? From cable, Directv, and FUBO mostly. And many of those are folks that migrated away from their current provider.

Twins TV ratings on Fox Sports North are up 47% over last year

Close to two-thirds of MLB teams have seen increases in TV ratings, and the Twins are near the top of two lists: overall ratings in 2020 and percent increase from last year.

www.startribune.com

Early Regional Sports Network TV Ratings And Ad Sales For MLB Are Up Compared With 2019

Here's the early TV ratings for all 29 MLB teams in the U.S. in 2020

www.forbes.com

You might even say that they are "manipulating" their short-term viewership numbers.

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NYDutch

Mar 3, 2021

Deleted following crodrules correction. Thanks for the catch!

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pattykay

Mar 3, 2021

NYDutch said:
Dish partners with CenturyLink, EarthLink, Frontier, Verizon, Kinetic, ViaSat, and HughesNet for speeds up to 1 Gbps according to this page: Save a Bundle on TV and Internet Packages | DISH

Nice link, but that was from 2018. Read the fine print. They are still advertising HBO and Cinemax as part of the offer! :eeek

PortlandChris

Mar 3, 2021

crodrules said:
You might even say that they are "manipulating" their short-term viewership numbers.

How so? if DISH subs are down, and overall RSN viewership is up, who is watching?

PortlandChris

Mar 3, 2021

crodrules said:
Nice link, but that was from 2018. Read the fine print. They are still advertising HBO and Cinemax as part of the offer!

and that's the current link on DISH's webpage. Shows how unlikely that someone actually pays DISH for a 'bundle' where they go out and contract with the phone company. I wonder how many of these they actually sell.

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pattykay

Mar 3, 2021

PortlandChris said:
How so? if DISH subs are down, and overall RSN viewership is up, who is watching?

In this specific case, casual fans who normally might not watch very many games, but who were so desperate for entertainment after the sports drought (and the general lack of much other new programming during that time span) that they tuned in more often. Maybe even a bunch of non-fans tuned in, just for the novelty of it, and out of curiosity about how the sports were being played while still maintaining social distancing rules. The very first sentence in the first link you posted explains why the numbers would be skewed (and why they were expected to be skewed). So, short-term gains due to an unprecedented pandemic do not necessarily indicate any kind of long-term trend.

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MrDRC

Mar 4, 2021

PortlandChris said:
DISH is not making gobs of money.

"Gobs" is subjective but they are clearly making money. Have you seen their financials lately? They look pretty darn good from a cursory view.

PortlandChris

Mar 5, 2021

MrDRC said:
"Gobs" is subjective but they are clearly making money. Have you seen their financials lately? They look pretty darn good from a cursory view.

I have been an investor of DISH at times. DISH's asset holdings include bandwidth and it's new wireless service. It's core TV business is not seen as a winner.

DISH is strong in rural areas where there is no real option other than Directv. In urban areas DISH is getting killed. Too much competition and DISH's price point is not competitive.

DISH is doing a good job eeking out short term profits, mainly from not offering rural guys any significant deals like they used to. In urban areas they're offering deals when existing customers call in.

DISH is also riding off of cutting its RSN fees and not lowering the customer's bill, telling them instead it won't rise so fast. So there's a spread here that DISH is keeping. And people are locked into contracts for up to two years, despite the programming options.

Sling is getting manhandled right now.

Short term DISH looks good. This won't last long term.

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TWiT Tech Podcast Network

57 minutes ago · posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network

Whiskey Pick: Frey Ranch Straight Bourbon

Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omPQDqqbatQ

Direct YouTube Link - Whiskey Pick: Frey Ranch Straight Bourbon
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Scott Greczkowski

Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge

Last reply Today at 2:50 AM · posted in The Chit Chat Club

Song Name Game Part 3!

Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!

So let the game continue!

The last song was added by Bobby who posted...

One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters

CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!

Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game

Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.

Example:

Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow

Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio

Another example:

Ride the Lightning -- Metallica

Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne

Get it?

An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....

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dishstaller

Yesterday at 11:17 PM

Owner Of a Lonely Heart - Yes

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long_time_Dish

Today at 12:40 AM

Lonely Street - Kansas

dishstaller

Today at 12:46 AM

Lonely is the Night - Billy Squier

long_time_Dish

Today at 1:41 AM

Lonely People - America

hwkn

Today at 2:50 AM

PEOPLE Are Strange-The Doors

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JSheridan

Lifetime Supporter

Last reply Today at 2:09 AM · posted in DISH Network Support Forum

All DMA's now Western Arc

I know HipKat said that they were working on conversions but we got the official news yesterday right from Dish that starting next month all DMA's will be on the western arc, and all customers will be assigned to that. That's gonna mean a lot of customers around here aren't gonna get Dish unless there are exceptions. Too many mountains and trees.

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MikeD-C05

Sep 26, 2026

I don't know why DISH doesn't just start a streaming version of DISH and then if you can't see the western arc you go with streaming versions and then they could keep customers if they had good internet speeds. I mean Sling TV could be changed to Streaming DISH TV if they wanted since both companies are under Echostar. Then you would still be able to use your ota antenna with Air TV devices like I do with Air TV Anywhere with 4 ota tuners.

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Scott Greczkowski

Sep 26, 2026

MikeD-C05 said:
I don't know why DISH doesn't just start a streaming version of DISH

I have the same wish.

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Strega

Friday at 10:01 PM

Even if you are broadcasting old SD-only shows, I would think advertisers would still want their commercials to look good.

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Jimbo

Friday at 11:17 PM

Strega said:
Even if you are broadcasting old SD-only shows, I would think advertisers would still want their commercials to look good.

Advertisers on SD channels are probably Far and Few, very hard to find, they have very few viewers to watch them.

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Mister B

Saturday at 7:35 AM

Jimbo said:
Advertisers on SD channels are probably Far and Few, very hard to find, they have very few viewers to watch them.

I watch mostly SD channels (H&I, Start and ION, etc.). There are plenty of advertisers, this time of the year it is mostly Medicare Advantage plans, auto extended warranties and the occasional walk-in-tub. They know who is watching.

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slow_poke_pete

Yesterday at 10:40 AM

Mister B said:
I watch mostly SD channels (H&I, Start and ION, etc.). There are plenty of advertisers, this time of the year it is mostly Medicare Advantage plans, auto extended warranties and the occasional walk-in-tub. They know who is watching.

can't forget the little blue m&m's

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charlesrshell

Yesterday at 11:23 AM

slow_poke_pete said:
can't forget the little blue m&m's

That's what my wife calls my Viagra!!

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bnewt

Yesterday at 3:30 PM

Scott Greczkowski said:
I have the same wish.

Why?
A lot of people do not have fast internet.
That is why they use satellite

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NYDutch

Yesterday at 7:40 PM

bnewt said:
Why?
A lot of people do not have fast internet.
That is why they use satellite

DISH will happily sell them a Starlink system and service.

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telstar_1

Yesterday at 8:12 PM

Why didn't Charlie end up launching starlink

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Foxbat

Yesterday at 9:01 PM

telstar_1 said:
Why didn't Charlie end up launching starlink

Because he didn't have a fleet of reusable rockets. Starlink works because SpaceX is able to launch hundreds (thousands?) of their Starlink satellites for what a single geostationary Internet satellite costs to build and launch on a disposable launcher.

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telstar_1

Today at 12:08 AM

But how is it reusable if it's disposable

slow_poke_pete

Today at 2:09 AM

charlesrshell said:
That's what my wife calls my Viagra!!

My gf is 29 years younger than me :shh

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dishstaller

Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter

Last reply Today at 1:03 AM · posted in The Chit Chat Club

Well crap....Donnie Iris died today

RIP dude. Always liked his music. He was 83

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH5Arbm47IQ

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dishstaller

Today at 1:03 AM

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFmPEgNuELM

dishstaller

Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter

Today at 12:39 AM · posted in The Chit Chat Club

Yosemite HD

This video was put up shortly after I was able to take my family out to Yosemite in 2011. No AI.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6-2fVsFV8E

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dishstaller

Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter

Last reply Yesterday at 11:41 PM · posted in The Chit Chat Club

Might want to watch this before you buy a new vehicle battery

Love this guy's channel. Looks like Walmart has thrown in the towel when it comes to conventional car batteries.

I bought a new AGM battery from Walmart about a year ago, it is already needing replacing. I thought about just buying a regular battery but from what I've read, that might not be a smart move. Might check my Forscan program and see if I can change the battery type from AGM.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awe7kY5nvdU

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harshness

Sunday at 11:33 AM

When you need a battery, you need a battery.

If you can wait, new technologies are on the not-too-distant horizon.

You're probably doing something wrong if you're only getting a year out of an AGM battery. Heat and infrequent charging both significantly reduce lifetime.

dishstaller

Sunday at 12:53 PM

harshness said:
You're probably doing something wrong if you're only getting a year out of an AGM battery. Heat and infrequent charging both significantly reduce lifetime.

Huh? How can I be doing something wrong.....I took out the original battery, that was 6 yrs old and put in a new one.....kinda hard to screw that up. I figure it was just a bad battery....it happens.

The biggest takeaway I got from this video was the Walmart batteries only had something like 85% of battery life left even though they were brand NEW. The ones from O'Reilly all tested 100% of life left.

Jimbo

Sunday at 1:01 PM

dishstaller said:
Huh? How can I be doing something wrong.....I took out the original battery, that was 6 yrs old and put in a new one.....kinda hard to screw that up. I figure it was just a bad battery....it happens.

The biggest takeaway I got from this video was the Walmart batteries only had something like 85% of battery life left even though they were brand NEW. The ones from O'Reilly all tested 100% of life left.

And the Walmart ones mostly had very little warranty.

My last AGM (using now) I got from O Rielly's, its the Super Start ... I got the Platnium, they had several to choose from.

telstar_1

Sunday at 1:14 PM

He sounds like he's trying to sell me a pocket hose.

I just had to replace a car battery this week and thought I'd look into LiFePo4. Amazon has plenty of them, but all have top posts and only one 'also' has side connections (Group 75).Then I read that they're really lousy in the cold. So, an AGM, but again, almost nothing with side terminals instead of top. In researching that, I read that most mfrs in recent years have dropped side terminals and gone back to the old top posts, which is surprising to me since those are more corrosion-prone, cause the battery to need more space and are generally more hazardous. Finally I just threw up my hands and bought a regular lead-acid at Sam's Club. They had a Group 75 "Duracell" with side terminals only. It was virtually the only such battery with side posts on their shelves

arlo

Sunday at 2:20 PM

Had a Die Hard in my folks cellar for over 6 years. Pulled it out, slapped it on a charger for a day. Put it in my 'Cuda and drove it around for a week of my vacation. Next year, the same. But my dad kept it topped off for me.It was a mid 80's battery in early 1990.

Flooded acid batteries like a float voltage of around 13.5-13.8 voltage.
AGM needs a float of 14.2 volts. So if you slap an AGM in where a flooded was. It never gets a full charge.
"Why do they die so fast?" Question answered. There are folks who sell voltage regulators for alternators that are designed to boost float voltage for AGM batteries.
The other way around? Flooded will gas-off a little at 14.2 volts. But seems to tolerate it pretty good.

Lithium car/bike/atv batteries. After 3 batteries in my Harley. The OEM flooded and two AGM's (before the 14.2 volt float requirement to let them live was learned). I bought a lithium for it. 4 year, no gripe warranty after having it tested by an approved store.
The thing started like Thor himself sent a bolt from the sky. Except......try to start it around freezing? Nope. Needed a heating pad.
And I usually like to park it around events in the evening with the parking light on. Looks cool like that.
We could traipse around for a few hours no worries. Hop on, fire it up, and go putt around.
Lithium? A Dakota Lithium at least. The BMS shuts it right down if it discharges below <something>.
Come back. Parking lights off. Won't start. And you know the rest. But it lasted 6 years. A lot better than 'new every two'. And the fact that powersports batteries are warranted for six, maybe nine months. Ludicrous.

I called Noco. Asked all of the right questions. Great warranty. Save some bucks ordering directly, faster service that the wally world alternative.
They addressed (or claimed over the phone) that the shut down was addressed. Sure. The BMS keeps it form being damaged. But if it is shut down because it does become low. Shut down any load (key on, parking or headlights left on) for 10-15 minutes and you get a second try to start your rig. Not a bad thing if it really works. Right?!

Exide, Interstate? Be very afraid. They ain't what they used to be. In Florida my '70 Cutlass had an Interstate (early 90') that lasted 6 years until it dropped its plates at an intersection and boiled over. In Florida, mind you. The last Interstate.....done in 2. Guys down there would suck out the acid and put water in shortly before the warranty ran out. Make it to the auto parts, get them tested. And get a new one pro rated. No more pro rating.
You can't beat an Odyssey. Napa, AC Deco (the better ones). Yup.
The mom and pop Car Quest only sells Die Hard. For a reason, the old man says. So they convinced that a Die HArd Platinum was the hot ticket for me. l will see. Stand by!

You can't cut Mr. Project Farm down. He does great tests of all sorts of things. Not sponsored and pressured to slap a little sugar on his comparisons and reviews. Compared to the Brits and Aussies with their constant overzealous and same sounding (Dave from EEVblog) rant. I like P-Farm a lot. Of course I like AvE (Boltr) too.
Reminds me to beware when wearing shorts around the garage vice.

Opinions may vary.

harshness

Yesterday at 9:17 AM

Jimbo said:
And the Walmart ones mostly had very little warranty.

The days of the 84-month warranty appear long gone, regardless of brand or where you acquired it. Warranties tend to be shorter, with much greater dependence on quick prorating.

The big problem for lead-acid batteries (whether flooded or AGM) is that the US no longer produces lead (the last smelter closed in 2013) and must import it.

Recycling covers a good chunk of the need (~70%), but it isn't free.

EarDemon

Yesterday at 11:32 PM

I've always got regular OEM Ford Motorcraft batteries from the dealership and have never really had an issue. On my old Lincoln Aviator (the SUV from the early 00s, not the CUV of today), I had some phantom drain and went though a few batteries, but that was an anomaly and with the standard warranty I got free replacements. Taking the Aviator out of the picture, I've bought two batteries in my 24 years of driving. One battery replacement in my Mountaineer, one in my Navigator. But I probably would have had another one had I kept it around longer. Didn't have the Bronco long enough, and so far still on the factory battery for my Expedition.

I run more than the average bear. Dash cam, two radar detectors (yes, I'm aware that can be problematic when using simultaneously), laser jammers and a police scanner. I'm in Buffalo, 90 degree summers and 0 degree winters. Once in a while in the dead of winter I'll get an alert from the Ford app saying remote features have been disabled to conserve battery, but it starts right up.

dishstaller

Yesterday at 11:41 PM

EarDemon said:
I run more than the average bear. Dash cam, two radar detectors (yes, I'm aware that can be problematic when using simultaneously), laser jammers and a police scanner.

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Ramy

Supporting Founder

Last reply Yesterday at 11:12 PM · posted in The Sports Section

2026-27 NCAA College Football

Really excited for this season with Kentucky having a new coach and some really exciting recruits. Probably won't last long, but here's hoping this season is great.

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Jimbo

Yesterday at 9:22 PM

AI Overview

College Football Playoff bracket, schedule, scores, rankings ...

The 2025–26 College Football Playoff concluded with the Indiana Hoosiers winning the national championship by defeating the Miami Hurricanes 27–21. [1, 2, 3]

Playoff Results Summary
The 12-team playoff bracket featured the following key results across each round: [1]

- First Round: Alabama defeated Oklahoma (34–24), Miami (Fla.) beat Texas A&M (10–3), Ole Miss topped Tulane (41–10), and Oregon defeated James Madison (51–34) at higher-seeded campus sites.
- Quarterfinals: Miami (Fla.) upset Ohio State (24–14), Oregon shut out Texas Tech (23–0), top-ranked Indiana rolled past Alabama (38–3), and Ole Miss edged Georgia (39–34) across the New Year's Six bowls.
- Semifinals: Miami (Fla.) advanced past Ole Miss (31–27) in the Peach Bowl, while Indiana dominant-defeated Oregon (56–22) in the Fiesta Bowl.
- National Championship: Indiana secured the title with a 27–21 victory over Miami (Fla.) at Hard Rock Stadium. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Unfortunately, there was not rankings listed in this summary

AZ.

Yesterday at 9:38 PM

And no teams deserve a bye! Injuries are the largest part of the game that you cant practice for them. Any team can suffer the worst injury at any position on any play. No favorites.

Jimbo

Yesterday at 9:49 PM

AZ. said:
And no teams deserve a bye! Injuries are the largest part of the game that you cant practice for them. Any team can suffer the worst injury at any position on any play. No favorites.

I think they are actually discussing the Top 8 get a Bye this time, if they go to 24.
Then again, I heard something about Play in games for the 16-24 teams ...

Nothing is official yet, so lots of moving parts ...

Can't wait, lets do 24, 3 years later they will want 32 :sick

Yespage

Yesterday at 9:59 PM

AZ. said:
And no teams deserve a bye! Injuries are the largest part of the game that you cant practice for them. Any team can suffer the worst injury at any position on any play. No favorites.

While the bye can help the top four teams and those the Cartels would like to protect in the playoff, I think the bye is also about making the Cartel championships mean something. One problem with a playoff is it does diminish the conference title a bit.

Jimbo

Yesterday at 11:12 PM

Yespage said:
While the bye can help the top four teams and those the Cartels would like to protect in the playoff, I think the bye is also about making the Cartel championships mean something. One problem with a playoff is it does diminish the conference title a bit.

Once the 24 gets here, there won't be anymore Conference Championships .... or so they say.

Oh what the hell, we really don't need Conferences anymore either ... :coco