DISH Drops AMC Networks (AMC Back on DISH channel 131)

[osu1991]

inasully - I think a lot of the AMC poopooers aren't familiar with the current original programming. They are thinking of AMC as it was at one time "American Movie Classics", and how it went from showing uncut, commercial-free classic movies to a shadow of its former self, airing only crappy movies that could barely fit the "classic" label, with tons of commercials. That was basically due to Turner Broadcasting having the rights to most classic films, and saving them for its own TCM network.

But, times have changed. And, now, AMC has a stable of some of the most highly-regarded television drama this side of HBO and Showtime with Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Walking Dead, The Killing, and Hell on Wheels. Even if one does not personally watch AMC, to deny the quality of its programming or the level of it's viewership is simply to deny reality. And, to those who haven't even given AMC a chance because of its low period mentioned in the first paragraph, I think you've been missing out on some good television.

Not denying that they have a few high rated programs, but it is not the must have network that a few on here thinks is going to bring Dish to its knees. Maybe when AMC can program more than 2 hrs a week of original programming and offers to stand on its own without bundling We, IFC and whatever else, then it might have an argument.

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[inazsully]

Maybe they will have more than 2 hours a week if people start watching. Lets face it, AMC doesn't have the deep pockets of channels like SCIFI, TNT,TBS and USA. Is any other channel offering original programing? We should applaud and back AMC because they are at least trying to give us some fresh stuff. Aren't you all getting sick of reality shows being shoved down our throats? The big 4 love reality shows because according to them they are much cheaper to produce then hour and half hour studio shows. We need to get behind any channel that delivers something that actually exercises our brains and is. My suggestion was simply to watch a couple of AMC offerings and see what you think. Naturally I'm talking to those that don't watch it or have never watched it. We're all TV nuts here, right?

 

[king3pj]

Not denying that they have a few high rated programs, but it is not the must have network that a few on here thinks is going to bring Dish to its knees. Maybe when AMC can program more than 2 hrs a week of original programming and offers to stand on its own without bundling We, IFC and whatever else, then it might have an argument.

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Hey I would be fine without IFC and WE if it meant keeping AMC but some people wouldn't and I'm not in favor of any channels being taken away from people who want them. This won't happen though. AMC is hardly alone in this practice. Just about every popular cable network drags along some less popular channels in its contract. That's just the way cable and satellite tv works.

 

[osu1991]

Maybe they will have more than 2 hours a week if people start watching. Lets face it, AMC doesn't have the deep pockets of channels like SCIFI, TNT,TBS and USA. Is any other channel offering original programing? We should applaud and back AMC because they are at least trying to give us some fresh stuff. Aren't you all getting sick of reality shows being shoved down our throats? The big 4 love reality shows because according to them they are much cheaper to produce then hour and half hour studio shows. We need to get behind any channel that delivers something that actually exercises our brains and is. My suggestion was simply to watch a couple of AMC offerings and see what you think. Naturally I'm talking to those that don't watch it or have never watched it. We're all TV nuts here, right?

They have just as deep pockets as those other networks.

 

[osu1991]

Hey I would be fine without IFC and WE if it meant keeping AMC but some people wouldn't and I'm not in favor of any channels being taken away from people who want them. This won't happen though. AMC is hardly alone in this practice. Just about every popular cable network drags along some less popular channels in its contract. That's just the way cable and satellite tv works.

That is what needs to change. If those networks can't stand on their own, they don't need to be siphoning money off the main networks. That is the problem, the media companies just want to put a few hours of programming on them and then sell a bunch of extra commercial time.

 

[king3pj]

That is what needs to change. If those networks can't stand on their own, they don't need to be siphoning money off the main networks. That is the problem, the media companies just want to put a few hours of programming on them and then sell a bunch of extra commercial time.

There is some truth to that. If Dish did this for all channels that are only carried because they are attached to bigger channels we would probably be saying goodbye to about half of them though.

 

[dare2be]

This won't happen though. AMC is hardly alone in this practice. Just about every popular cable network drags along some less popular channels in its contract. That's just the way cable and satellite tv works.

"Everyone else is doing it, so why shouldn't we?". Consumers don't have to like it though. "The way cable and satellite TV works" is broken, and we consumers are the victims of outrageous price increases or permanently dropped channels. Lose-lose for the consumers just so the content owners can continue their extortion and collusion activities.

 

[osu1991]

That is exactly what I personally want to see. I really get tired going through the guide, only to see the same all day marathons, over and over again.

 

[king3pj]

That is exactly what I personally want to see. I really get tired going through the guide, only to see the same all day marathons, over and over again.

But then they couldn't advertise their America's Top 250 packages(mostly sarcasm).

It wasn't that long ago that one of the major allures of satellite tv was the huge amount of channels and options that cable just couldn't offer. This is still somewhat true today.

 

[mike123abc]

That is what needs to change. If those networks can't stand on their own, they don't need to be siphoning money off the main networks. That is the problem, the media companies just want to put a few hours of programming on them and then sell a bunch of extra commercial time.

If a cable company had to have enough new content to fill prime time like CBS/NBC/ABC or even reduced like FOX/CW there would be 1/5 the number of channels. Maybe even less. Cable seasons are 6-13 episodes, and a network is lucky to have 10 series.

 

[JM42]

If a cable company had to have enough new content to fill prime time like CBS/NBC/ABC or even reduced like FOX/CW there would be 1/5 the number of channels. Maybe even less. Cable seasons are 6-13 episodes, and a network is lucky to have 10 series.

That is true, but the problem is all the networks are trying to increase their profile/stature with original programming, heck even TVLand has original programming now. The nets are coming to the subscriber base to pay for it. Monthly bills are approaching a tipping point and can't really absorb much more than inflationary increases at this point. The sat/cable cos can't be expected to pay a premium for a few hours a year of well rated programming. It really is time for some reshuffling/consolidation, but that will be a painful process.

In some ways, I wish it wasn't AMC as a test case, but from Dish's perspective they may seem prime candidates considering the other bad blood involved and the fact the other channels in the group are so weak.

 

[multnomah]

inasully - I think a lot of the AMC poopooers aren't familiar with the current original programming. They are thinking of AMC as it was at one time "American Movie Classics", and how it went from showing uncut, commercial-free classic movies to a shadow of its former self, airing only crappy movies that could barely fit the "classic" label, with tons of commercials. That was basically due to Turner Broadcasting having the rights to most classic films, and saving them for its own TCM network.

But, times have changed. And, now, AMC has a stable of some of the most highly-regarded television drama this side of HBO and Showtime with Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Walking Dead, The Killing, and Hell on Wheels. Even if one does not personally watch AMC, to deny the quality of its programming or the level of it's viewership is simply to deny reality. And, to those who haven't even given AMC a chance because of its low period mentioned in the first paragraph, I think you've been missing out on some good television.

I have refrained from commenting on this debate up to now, because I haven't watched AMC for at least 5 years, maybe 10 even. The reason is that I discovered the Dolans were cutting words, conversations, and even whole scenes out of the movies they showed on AMC, when those scenes didn't agree with their 'moral', i.e. religious, beliefs, and maybe their political beliefs as well, who knows? They actually bragged on the AMC website about doing this. They were proud of it! I don't know how long they had been doing it, but I felt like going back and watching all the movies I had seen on AMC again on some channel that didn't 'edit' its movies. And I never watched AMC again.

 

[Yespage]

If a cable company had to have enough new content to fill prime time like CBS/NBC/ABC or even reduced like FOX/CW there would be 1/5 the number of channels. Maybe even less. Cable seasons are 6-13 episodes, and a network is lucky to have 10 series.

This is the problem. Media companies want Dish and Dish subscribers to pay for three channels that are only showing one channel worth of programming.

AMC has a few really good shows, but otherwise, nothing worth watching at all. I can't tell you how many times I've flipped through AMC because it had a commercial on. Almost always a commercial on AMC.

 

[inazsully]

Maybe you should give them another shot. The shows they have now certainly do not seem to take any kind of religious high ground. Actually some of the stuff on AMC would be censored on any of the big 4. I very seldom watch a movie on AMC, just original programing. Having not watched AMC for the last 5 years, maybe even 10, to means that you've missed some good stuff.

 

[GaryPen]

I have refrained from commenting on this debate up to now, because I haven't watched AMC for at least 5 years, maybe 10 even. The reason is that I discovered the Dolans were cutting words, conversations, and even whole scenes out of the movies they showed on AMC, when those scenes didn't agree with their 'moral', i.e. religious, beliefs, and maybe their political beliefs as well, who knows? They actually bragged on the AMC website about doing this. They were proud of it! I don't know how long they had been doing it, but I felt like going back and watching all the movies I had seen on AMC again on some channel that didn't 'edit' its movies. And I never watched AMC again.

You're exactly the type of person I was addressing in my post.

 

[VegasVoomer]

I sent an angry email to ceo@dishnetwork.com about loosing AMC and also not be able to see a lot of Angles baseball on FSW. Here is the response I just got...

Dear Valued DISH customer,

Thank you for your e-mail. We value your business and the opportunity to discuss this situation with you.

It’s in our DNA to provide the best programming to our customers at the best value possible. That’s our first priority and it guides how we run the business. As we keep customers first, we’re constantly making evaluations on the value various channels bring to the DISH family.

AMC Networks requires us to provide and pay for channels beyond AMC, including WE tv and IFC which, as a whole, do not deliver value to our customer base for the price demanded. Providing value to our customers is at the core of our business. We are the only Pay TV provider to not have raised your programming prices this year and as a result, we cannot ask our customers to pay more for this extraneous programming.

We regret that AMC Networks has chosen to involve viewers at this time. Our contract does not allow us to go into further details, however, we remain hopeful that we can find a resolution that brings AMC’s networks at a value they’ve come to expect.

Please keep in mind that you are still able to watch programming on AMC (ch 9609 - SD/9610 - HD), IFC (ch. 9607), and WE tv (ch.9608), and you will still be able to view the season finale of Mad Men on Sunday, June 10th, and the finale of The Killing Part 1 on Sunday, June 10th and Part 2 on Sunday, June 17th.

Thank you for your patience and understanding in this matter.

Sincerely,
DISH

 

[gpollock87]

in our dna? rofl

 

[empiretc]

in our dna? rofl

hhhmmmm..... dish, dna...... Do Not Agree (to that contract)...... :

 

[Tampa8]

Sounds like this could be even longer than first thought. I don't know that Dish is going to win only carrying AMC. That's one reason they don't carry MSG.

I think this explains the remarks, though still ill advised, that Dish made. The remarks about quality of programming seems to be pointed to the other channels, not AMC directly. We have been focusing on the AMC channel's increase in price, I wonder what the increase being asked for the package of channels is.

 

[VegasVoomer]

Sounds like this could be even longer than first thought. I don't know that Dish is going to win only carrying AMC. That's one reason they don't carry MSG.

I think this explains the remarks, though still ill advised, that Dish made. The remarks about quality of programming seems to be pointed to the other channels, not AMC directly. We have been focusing on the AMC channel's increase in price, I wonder what the increase being asked for the package of channels is.

I don't know but if Dish had to charge all customers an extra buck or 2 to keep those channels I don't think anyone would complain about it. Maybe it's a lot more than that, I have no idea.