Directv Customers Decrease

[slice1900]

I agree that the real problem they need to solve are parents not wanting their kids to play, though I wonder how much that will affect watching it on TV. Hardly any women ever played football as kids - not even backyard pickup type games that even men who never played organized football with helmets/pads/etc. all played. Yet many women are football fans.

The decline in participation won't be universal, there will still be plenty of players coming up for college and pro ranks, even if some of the higher income suburban boys whose parents won't let them play football end up playing baseball or basketball instead.

 

[slice1900]

Season ticket is the directv NFL package

Sent from my SM-G950U using the SatelliteGuys app!

You mean Sunday Ticket. Does Directv release sales figures for NFLST? Regardless, the individual packages are mostly used as freebies to get people to sign up or re-sign. The real money is made from commercial subscriptions, that cost thousands or tens of thousands per season depending on the size of the establishment. That's why Directv got it in the first place, because pretty much every restaurant or bar that shows sports on TV has Directv, because that's the only way they can get NFLST.

 

[raoul5788]

You mean Sunday Ticket. Does Directv release sales figures for NFLST? Regardless, the individual packages are mostly used as freebies to get people to sign up or re-sign. The real money is made from commercial subscriptions, that cost thousands or tens of thousands per season depending on the size of the establishment. That's why Directv got it in the first place, because pretty much every restaurant or bar that shows sports on TV has Directv, because that's the only way they can get NFLST.

Commercial accounts pay that kind of money for Sunday Ticket? Jeez.

 

[Ronnie-]

Commercial accounts pay that kind of money for Sunday Ticket? Jeez.

Oh, its unreal what they charge sports bars and such for the package. Our local place had it when it opened. I am good friends with the owner, and he showed me the bill when I asked why he cancelled it. It will make your head spin.

It is the same way with sports ppv events. Costs them alot more than Joe Average buying it for his home viewing.

 

[Jimbo]

You have to remember that Bars and that type of situation are charged by the amount of people the establishment can seat.

 

[Don in CT]

The more they protect the QB like he's a china cabinet and allow the offense to run wild it will hurt the game long term.

 

[aa9vi]

It makes one think that AT&T buying Directv might not have been the greatest idea..

It's not unique to Directv. Dish and the cable companies have similar customer retention problems.

DirecTV is bleeding subscribers and it's dragging AT&T shares lower

Simple logic here
Prices go up every year, customers drop the service every year

Less expensive packages available on other streaming services
Other streaming services gaining subscribers

AT&T's customer service STINKS!
People are leaving the new DirecTV

This isn't rocket science. Their business model is too slow to change to what customers want.
STOP MAKING US PAY FOR CHANNELS WE DO NOT WANT! Pretend like you care and want to keep me as a customer. Throw in a few HBOs or Cinemax. Toe the line on prices for AT LEAST ONE YEAR.

 

[NashGuy]

I agree that the real problem they need to solve are parents not wanting their kids to play, though I wonder how much that will affect watching it on TV. Hardly any women ever played football as kids - not even backyard pickup type games that even men who never played organized football with helmets/pads/etc. all played. Yet many women are football fans.

The decline in participation won't be universal, there will still be plenty of players coming up for college and pro ranks, even if some of the higher income suburban boys whose parents won't let them play football end up playing baseball or basketball instead.

Yes, you raise valid points. I'm just saying that concern about the safety of football -- along with the rise of participation in and viewership of soccer (very popular with certain demographics) -- are factors that will contribute to future slow erosion in the popularity of the NFL. And, bringing this back to TV, I would point out that the NFL is probably the strongest glue holding together the current channel-based US TV distribution system. It's going to be interesting to see how that system evolves in the 2020s...

 

[slice1900]

I agree things will change. We just don't know exactly how they will change yet.

Sports revenue at current levels depends on getting most TV viewers to pay for sports even though only some of them actually watch. If that model completely breaks down, then sports rights fees will decline, and NFL/NBA/MLB salaries will take a dive. Not that many will shed a tear that players will get fewer millions a year, but it might end up bankrupting a few team owners who sign players up to long term contracts and then find they don't have the revenue to actually pay them...

 

[Jimbo]

Yes, you raise valid points. I'm just saying that concern about the safety of football -- along with the rise of participation in and viewership of soccer (very popular with certain demographics) -- are factors that will contribute to future slow erosion in the popularity of the NFL. And, bringing this back to TV, I would point out that the NFL is probably the strongest glue holding together the current channel-based US TV distribution system. It's going to be interesting to see how that system evolves in the 2020s...

Keeping in mind that the D* model is 95% USA ....
The rise (?) of soccer is minimal to USA Football ...

I don't know how to look that up quickly, but Nationally I don't see soccer gaining at all in the 18-54 demographic, which is D*'s prime subject.

 

[NashGuy]

Keeping in mind that the D* model is 95% USA ....
The rise (?) of soccer is minimal to USA Football ...

I don't know how to look that up quickly, but Nationally I don't see soccer gaining at all in the 18-54 demographic, which is D*'s prime subject.

Soccer Will Soon Be America's Third-Favorite Spectator Sport

 

[Jimbo]

Soccer Will Soon Be America's Third-Favorite Spectator Sport

Ya right ...

 

[Claude Greiner]

Oh, its unreal what they charge sports bars and such for the package. Our local place had it when it opened. I am good friends with the owner, and he showed me the bill when I asked why he cancelled it. It will make your head spin.

It is the same way with sports ppv events. Costs them alot more than Joe Average buying it for his home viewing.

It’s as little as $500 for a bar under 50 people.

Average is about $2500/season and if your like 200 people it could be as much as $5000/season.

Regardless I love selling this to bars as I get 10% of the renewal every year

 

[slice1900]

Soccer Will Soon Be America's Third-Favorite Spectator Sport

That question asks what people like to watch. So basically it is counting all the parents who go to their kid's soccer games. If they asked about going to watch pros play, soccer would be a rounding error below football, basketball, baseball, hockey and even golf.

 

[NashGuy]

That question asks what people like to watch. So basically it is counting all the parents who go to their kid's soccer games. If they asked about going to watch pros play, soccer would be a rounding error below football, basketball, baseball, hockey and even golf.

Ha! I think that's a misinterpretation of the survey's question. The article really only talks about professional sports and TV viewing. I'm doubtful that survey respondents were answering based on watching their kids' soccer games.

At any rate, there's definitely been an increase of interest in pro soccer in in the past several years. (Notice that NBC now carries Premiere League soccer matches from the UK?) Folks are excited here in Nashville about landing a new MLS team and building a new soccer stadium for them. As the article explains, the increase in interest in soccer is greatest among the younger generations who, not coincidentally, have grown up with soccer (not baseball) being the normal sport to play in community rec leagues. I personally would rather visit the doctor than watch an entire soccer match as I find it extremely boring, so I'm not arguing based on my personal preferences.

But again, to get back on track, the rise of soccer is just one factor that I see being a drag on football and the NFL. Again, there's the safety issue. And then there's the rise of so-called "e-sports" in which younger folks enjoy watching others play video games, which seems unfathomable to me but hey, whatever. And then there's the current political controversy surrounding the NFL -- like seemingly everything else, football is getting pulled into our cultural tribalism. As other things compete for viewers' time and interest, I think that will continue to nibble away at the popularity of football, which in the coming years may lose its cultural position as the dominant all-American sport that brings everyone together.

 

[slice1900]

Anything that serves to further fractionalize "free time" people spend away from TV, or to more varied interests on TV, is just as likely to further entrench the NFL as the dominant sport. Even if the NFL suffered a 30% drop, if the next highest competitor to football was down 40% the NFL becomes even more important to networks.

The reason why sports rights have gone through the roof is DVRs - that's something that most people watch live and almost no one watches even 24 hours later. Everything else besides news doesn't suffer from watching on delay. Who is sitting around watching yesterday's college football games right now, or last night's World Series game? No one watched Friday night's game off a recording, because no one would have possibly set their DVR to account for the game to run over that late

 

[sxmfan2018]

Satellite and cable are all losing

Sent from my SM-G950U using the SatelliteGuys app!

this is why i chose the flex pay plan from dish. i don't have bad credit at all. but to me it just makes no sense to be locked into a 2 year contract when all of these companies are cut throating each other by day and kissing each others rears at night and there friends. when my cable co gives me a lower rate with the same amount or a few more channels that's where i am. there's no way i would pay 200.00 plus a month to watch reality shows the cheapest shows to produce and then there's more damm commericals in them. no thanks i'll take the lowest rate possible to watch the idiot box!!!

 

[Jimbo]

Ha! I think that's a misinterpretation of the survey's question. The article really only talks about professional sports and TV viewing. I'm doubtful that survey respondents were answering based on watching their kids' soccer games.

At any rate, there's definitely been an increase of interest in pro soccer in in the past several years. (Notice that NBC now carries Premiere League soccer matches from the UK?) Folks are excited here in Nashville about landing a new MLS team and building a new soccer stadium for them. As the article explains, the increase in interest in soccer is greatest among the younger generations who, not coincidentally, have grown up with soccer (not baseball) being the normal sport to play in community rec leagues. I personally would rather visit the doctor than watch an entire soccer match as I find it extremely boring, so I'm not arguing based on my personal preferences.

But again, to get back on track, the rise of soccer is just one factor that I see being a drag on football and the NFL. Again, there's the safety issue. And then there's the rise of so-called "e-sports" in which younger folks enjoy watching others play video games, which seems unfathomable to me but hey, whatever. And then there's the current political controversy surrounding the NFL -- like seemingly everything else, football is getting pulled into our cultural tribalism. As other things compete for viewers' time and interest, I think that will continue to nibble away at the popularity of football, which in the coming years may lose its cultural position as the dominant all-American sport that brings everyone together.

Soccer has MORE Concussions than Football (on the Pro and College side) ... Everytime you see a header, that is a concussion ... Soccer just doesn't police it that way ... so , is soccer really that safe ?

 

[sxmfan2018]

Simple logic here
Prices go up every year, customers drop the service every year

Less expensive packages available on other streaming services
Other streaming services gaining subscribers

AT&T's customer service STINKS!
People are leaving the new DirecTV

This isn't rocket science. Their business model is too slow to change to what customers want.
STOP MAKING US PAY FOR CHANNELS WE DO NOT WANT! Pretend like you care and want to keep me as a customer. Throw in a few HBOs or Cinemax. Toe the line on prices for AT LEAST ONE YEAR.

heck i thought most people leave when the promos and deals end

 

[goaliebob99]

Simple logic here
Prices go up every year, customers drop the service every year

Less expensive packages available on other streaming services
Other streaming services gaining subscribers

AT&T's customer service STINKS!
People are leaving the new DirecTV

This isn't rocket science. Their business model is too slow to change to what customers want.
STOP MAKING US PAY FOR CHANNELS WE DO NOT WANT! Pretend like you care and want to keep me as a customer. Throw in a few HBOs or Cinemax. Toe the line on prices for AT LEAST ONE YEAR.

Yep, people forget that DirecTV had some of the best customer services out there before ATT purchased DirecTV, and was one of the only services to keep adding subs when others were bleeding. This all is a thing of the past.