Altitude Sports Network (Channel 681 Dropped)

[EarDemon]

That is correct. Dish never started charging a RSN when it became popular among MSOs a handful of years ago. Although it really doesn't matter anymore, since they don't carry very many RSNs.

All they have is:

NBC Sports Bay Area – Golden State Warriors, San Francisco Giants
NBC Sports California – San Jose Sharks, Sacramento Kings, Oakland Athletics
NBC Sports Washington – Washington Capitals, Washington Wizards
MASN – Washington Nationals, Baltimore Orioles
AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh – Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Pirates
AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain – Vegas Golden Knights, Utah Jazz, Colorado Rockies
Root Sports Northwest – Seattle Mariners
NESN –Boston Bruins, Boston Red Sox

That's 17 out of 91 teams.

Besides the single team markets, the San Francisco Bay Area, DC, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Boston are the only markets with all or most of their teams on Dish, so there no real reason to charge an RSN fee.

And in all honestly, I can see all of the remaining RSNs being dropped as the contracts come up for renewal. They are pretty solid in the Bay Area and DC/Baltimore with the three remaining NBC Sports channels, but I can see them dropping the three AT&T SportsNet channels without a fight. For Rocky Mountain, Las Vegas and Salt Lake are smaller markets, Altitude is probably never coming back so might as well give up on the whole Denver market. Root is a one team channel, two if the Seattle NHL expansion team winds up on there, but that's still two year away. So if those two channels don't hold much value to Dish, it would make sense for them to say bye bye to Pittsburgh and make it a clean break.

 

[Claude Greiner]

Let’s see how long until the other two fold.

Let’s hope Dish weathers it out

 

[Claude Greiner]

I got a $1.80 refund from Comcast. Did DirecTV give out any?

Funny also the AG's office says Dish has no regional sports fee. Is that true? Do they just bundle it in the package price?

It was included in the base package

 

[goaliebob99]

DirectTV Forgot To Stop Charging Customers For Channels That Were Blacked Out

DirecTV / ATT will win this one.

The fee is a regional sports fee. DirecTV provides more than one regional sports network in Denver. There is no requirement that says because DirecTV drops a network they must stop the fee. DirecTV & AT&T's defense will be that because they still gave customers AT&T Sportsnet Rocky Mountain that the fee is valid

 

[larry55]

I agree it not D it the sports channels are the one to blame.

 

[jcrandall]

Well, one could argue that the "right thing to do" would be to lower the fee by half since one of the two regional nets were in blackout. They can't argue Pac-12 as a regional net for the market either. Frankly the RSN fee (and local broadcast fees for that matter) should be addressed as anti-consumer. They advertise lower prices than one can pay by incorporating the fees outside the package price. It's not the same as a receiver where one is choosing and additional service. Locals or regional sports aren't optional based on package choice (meaning that you can't elect choice without the RSN fee). The locals fee is common on cable providers (Comcast is $10/mo).

Dish is doing something that is reasonable, selling locals as part of the package price and having the option to go without if not desired, but they're not advertising $47.99 instead of $59.99.

 

[Claude Greiner]

Too bad you can’t opt out of paying the regional sports fee, by dropping the sports channels.

I would love to drop Fox Sports Detroit from October through March. We only watch baseball in my house

 

[slice1900]

Well, one could argue that the "right thing to do" would be to lower the fee by half since one of the two regional nets were in blackout. They can't argue Pac-12 as a regional net for the market either. Frankly the RSN fee (and local broadcast fees for that matter) should be addressed as anti-consumer. They advertise lower prices than one can pay by incorporating the fees outside the package price. It's not the same as a receiver where one is choosing and additional service. Locals or regional sports aren't optional based on package choice (meaning that you can't elect choice without the RSN fee). The locals fee is common on cable providers (Comcast is $10/mo).

Dish is doing something that is reasonable, selling locals as part of the package price and having the option to go without if not desired, but they're not advertising $47.99 instead of $59.99.

I think it is proper to break out the RSN fee, since it varies so widely depending on where you live. I think they should break out the locals into a separate fee as well, like my cable company does.

But providers should be required to list the price including ALL fees in their advertisements. Separating out fees for the sole purpose of listing a lower price should be illegal.

 

[JohnL]

One of the reasons I left Dish Network for DirecTV was the removal of MSG Networks, I'm a big Hockey Fan.

Dish is still charging all New Yorker's RSN fee for the Packages that are suppose to include your RSN's. That is a GIANT SLAP in the face to Subscribers, being charged a RSN fee and NOT RECEIVING any RSN's is ridiculous.
I can understand the frustration in not receiving your Home Town Sports teams that is one of the biggest reasons for having a Linear TV subscription in the first place.

John

 

[Tampa8]

This would require much more legal knowledge certainly than I have. If it was in the package price no chance they have to drop it. Is it considered part of the total package, it isn't optional. But it is a surcharge. Is a Company under any law to drop a surcharge? If a transport company charges a gas surcharge (and they do) when the price of gas dropped do they have to drop the surcharge?

 

[Claude Greiner]

One of the reasons I left Dish Network for DirecTV was the removal of MSG Networks, I'm a big Hockey Fan.

Dish is still charging all New Yorker's RSN fee for the Packages that are suppose to include your RSN's. That is a GIANT SLAP in the face to Subscribers, being charged a RSN fee and NOT RECEIVING any RSN's is ridiculous.
I can understand the frustration in not receiving your Home Town Sports teams that is one of the biggest reasons for having a Linear TV subscription in the first place.

John

I didn’t think dish charged a separate RSN fee, rather rolled it in the price

 

[Claude Greiner]

An RSN fee is an RSN fee as long as 1 channel is carried.

I think the minimum charge from AT&T is $5.99

What was being charged in Colorado ?

 

[ltapilot]

$8.49

 

[Jimbo]

An RSN fee is an RSN fee as long as 1 channel is carried.

I think the minimum charge from AT&T is $5.99

What was being charged in Colorado ?

Is that the fee for 1 RSN ?

I think its $8.49 here, but thats for 3 RSN's, still doesn't make the fee right.

 

[Claude Greiner]

I think it’s $5,99 here and we have 1 RSN

 

[jcrandall]

I think it’s $5,99 here and we have 1 RSN

They raised it to $7.28 for just fox sports Detroit, but I think they include Big 10 network in their cost approach as it has the higher regional fees for big ten states. I imagine next year they'll break $8. Markets like New York, LA, and Chicago (with the Cubs new RSN) may break $10 soon, though they may try to keep it at $9.90 or so to avoid that psychological barrier.

 

[Claude Greiner]

They raised it to $7.28 for just fox sports Detroit, but I think they include Big 10 network in their cost approach as it has the higher regional fees for big ten states. I imagine next year they'll break $8. Markets like New York, LA, and Chicago (with the Cubs new RSN) may break $10 soon, though they may try to keep it at $9.90 or so to avoid that psychological barrier.

I know Comcast is like $8

I haven’t looked at my Directv bill in months

 

[ltapilot]

Is that the fee for 1 RSN ?

I think its $8.49 here, but thats for 3 RSN's, still doesn't make the fee right.

Yes, one RSN in the Denver DMA.
Some might argue the Altitude is an RSN but they are not AT&T owned.

 

[Jimbo]

Yes, one RSN in the Denver DMA.
Some might argue the Altitude is an RSN but they are not AT&T owned.

Its still an RSN, regardless of who owns it.