Dish Network Big 10 Notice

[db2]

rad

I was literally typing the exact same message as your post and you beat me to it.
I used to buy into the whole ''Charlie works to keep our monthly bills down'' logic but i'm not sure I do anymore. Charlie is a stubborn negotiator to be sure but I don't think its because he has the customers' best interest in mind. In addition to the point you made about the price discrepancy, look at how much money D* spends on advertising. I don't have any data sitting in front of me but I would guess that E* spends a mere fraction of what D* does. Where does all this money go that he's saving on advertising?

If E* doesn't add the BTN this year do you think they'll still raise prices next year? Of course they will. And I'm willing to bet the raise them about the same amount that D* does.

 

[Hall]

Just like some of you guys do not feel that YES-HD is necessary. I feel like BTN is not necessary either. I am not a football fan. I watch ocassionally but no big deal. So to me it does not matter.

First off, it's more than a football network.... Second, I don't expect people outside of the Big 10 region to subsidize the cost of this network no more than I want to subsidize YES. They're both REGIONAL networks and should be priced and offered that way. The poster above points out something I've missed all along how B10N wants to charge customers in Big 10 states one rate and everyone else a different rate. They're acknowledging that they're regional just by that !

Does Dish have ANY channels or packages that they charge different rates for based on the customer's location anyway ?

 

[heisman27]

When threads are started about E* not picking up such and such channel or package, or dropping a channel, because it costs too much, and Charlie's saving all his customers money, I wonder, how much money is he really saving E* subs? Looking a a page on Mr. Longs web site, http://jameslong.name/compare.html, it looks like some E* packages do save a few dollars, some cost more, some just about the same. With all the costs savings Charlies doing I would have expected all the packages to cost much less then D* packages which seem to pick up those high priced channels/packages that Charlie passes on.

I totally agree. It costs $79 for AT250 DVR advantage with HD. It costs $69 for the same thing with D*. Where's my savings? That's one of the reason's I switched to D* last week. The others were BTN and NFLST included in that $69 a month. I will warn those considering a switch, however, that the HR-20 is a brutally awful piece of equipment. It's not so much that it doesn't have the advanced features of the 622 (it doesn't), but lacks even the basic ones.

 

[briani]

First of all, I'm a big Ohio State/Big Ten fan and would gladly pay extra for the BTN, but I have to agree with Dish on this issue. For years I have paid for the expensive(but worth it to me) ESPN gameplan to watch the many Big Ten games that were not available to me locally. Eventhough the cost was high, I got what I paid for. I love college football, but I would not want my monthly bill to go higher so the "Mid-America conference channel" could be added nationally. I'm sorry, but this channel should either be in a sports tier or a PPV package like ESPN Gameplan. If Dish Network, Time Warner and Comcast stick to their guns the BTN will certainly change it's tune. I really don't think this new network will prompt every Big Ten fan in the country to switch to Direct TV.

 

[Codeman00]

Just to let you know, the games that you use to pick up on your local PBS won't be there NO MORE, that's what a lot of people aren't realizing, the picking and choosing by your local cable or over-air channels is done. The BTN has put a stop to all that.
I understand your feelings but just thought I would let you know

GOHAWKS is absolutely right here. You will not get those games on your local PBS network anymore. Those games will only be carried on the BTN.

I wonder how many regular people out there don't know anything about this!?!? The leverage of the Big Ten fans hasn't even begun to exist yet.

 

[TRSmudge]

The complaining will really start when the conference schedule starts on 09/22/07 - Many could care less about these wiffy non-conf games(well except for maybe scUM hehe)

But when they start missing big games

Here is the schedule so far for the 1st week on Conf play.....
9/22 Illinois @ Indiana - TBA
9/22 Northwestern @ Ohio State - TBA
9/22 Penn State @ Michigan - TBA
9/22 Michigan State @ Notre Dame - 3:30 p.m. NBC
9/22 Iowa @ Wisconsin - 8:00 p.m. ABC
9/22 Purdue @ Minnesota - 9:00 p.m. ESPN2

ABC, ESPN2, NBC have already grabbed 3 games. ESPN has not announced their schedule yet for this week. I can't imagine the outcry if BTN gets the Ohio State game on BTN this week.

Luckily my Badgers are on ABC :up:up:up

TRSmudge

 

[Claude Greiner]

You know everytime there is a new sports network available, its a major dissappointment for not only DISH Network customers but their dealers also who have to deal with the customers by telling them we do not have it.

But who is to blame here?

To we Blame Charlie or do we Blame the Big Ten Network?

If you ask me, its nothing more than legalized extortion by the Teams that make up the Big 10 to get more money out of everyones pockets!

I was more than happy last year when all the games where on ABC, ESPN and some of the regional sports networks and the ESPN Game Plan.

So what happens is that the Teams all want to make more money, so they get this idea that they will launch their own sports network. Now they got this new sports network and they go around to all the cable and satellite companies and try to get top dollar for their programming.

For the Cable or Satellite companies, the choice is simple. Either carry the The Big Ten Network and pay their ridiculas rates, or loose subscribers to the company that does!

Comcast and DISH Network are tired of this crap and so far have refused to give in.

As far as im concerned the people at Directv are idiots for giving in and paying their price. They should have put up a fight for their customers to avoid a potential price increase to carry this network.

Im not really worried here, I actually hope that DISH Network never carries the Big Ten Network because in another 3-4 weeks customers will no longer be asking for it and this will be a forgotten issue.

Its just like the MLB Package. Everyone made a big stink over it back in April, and guess what, I have not had a single customer ask me about that package since May. Same goes for Sunday Ticket, everyone wanted it in the beginning of August and now since the pre-season started I get very few people asking about it, and in another 3 weeks it will again be a non-issue.

But for all of those of you who think DISH should give in and carry Big Ten Network, the problem isn't paying the $1 or so to carry Big Ten Network the problem is that if this is successfull how many other teams will try to form their own network and pull the same crap?

We already got the Yankees doing it with the YES Network, and now we got the Big Ten doing it with the Big Ten Network...

Lets take Detroit for example, what if the Tigers, Red Wings, Pistons and Lions all decided to form their own Network? Now we got 4 teams in a DMA demanding a $1/2 from every customer on DISH, Directv or Comcast Cable.

Those costs ultimatly get passed down to the customer in the form of higher monthly bills.

Its bad enough ESPN accounts for about $5 from your monthly bill, can you imaging of being forced to pay an extra $10-$12 out of your entire bill each month for Sports?

The networks will not agree to Alacart, because they know the audience is not there. By forcing it in the lowest tier package, its legalized extortion if the channel or sports package is not carried!

 

[Codeman00]

Claude, I just want to clarify one thing in your post. You noted that you were happy "when all the games where on ABC, ESPN and some of the regional sports networks and the ESPN Game Plan."

The fact is that not all games were on these stations. There were some Big Ten football games every year that weren't televised at all....some without any kind of video footage and some were shown on the ESPN360 internet feed. There were many more Big Ten basketball games which weren't televised at all!

At least now with the Big Ten Network, ALL Big Ten basketball and football games are going to be televised... now its just up to Charlie to give us the opportunity to get them or up to me to switch to DirecTV. Time will tell.

 

[Claude Greiner]

True, but there was nothing people could complain about because the games simply where not televised.

It was not a matter of a customer threating to switch providers due to a paticular game, because the other providers didn't carry them either!

You think its bad your not getting your favorite game, as a TOP 75 retailer who does several hundred sales and handels several thousand calls per month its a little depressing when you loose potential sales over not having what people want.

I think we might have lost maybe 30 potential sales that I know of over Big Ten Network.

But I would much rather loose my 30 sales now, then deal several hundred customers in January calling in to complain and potentially cancel over a price increase!

 

[Jim5506]

Give 'em Hell, Claude. AMEN.

 

[Jim5506]

You BTN fans don't seem to realize how small a group you really are. 99% of the people don't care.

I know that leaves 2 million that do but you are'nt that big of a deal, REALLY!

If your team is good enough it would be on ESPN, otherwise only a few follow the also-rans.

Spend the time doing something productive not watching gladiators in the arena, which in the end is all meaningless anyway.

 

[Pepper]

What's this "football" you guys are talking about?

OK, I will admit, I've never been much of a fan of televised sports, but I find football even more extremely boring than ever after seeing some of the Rugby on Setanta. I don't understand exactly how it works, except it "looks" like American football with the exception that the play doesn't end when somebody gets tackled or the ball is dropped after a pass. They just keep fighting over it. They don't seem to stop the clock nearly as often, much more action, and they don't have all that protective gear in the way.

 

[mike123abc]

The sham of the BTN is that they get the reject games that are going to have the smallest audiences. Do you really think ABC/ESPN are going to pick the games that will have the lowest ratings? So, essentially you have a sports network with the leftover games attempting to get top $$ as though the games they are offering the providers are the ones more people want to see. Yes I realize that if it is your school's game on BTN you will want to watch it, but also realize that your school's ratings are not the best or they would have been picked up by ABC/ESPN.

What are they going to show the rest of the week? They may have 1-3 games live but the rest of the week will just be filler. What are the ratings of games shown later when people already know the outcome?

 

[gopherscot]

You BTN fans don't seem to realize how small a group you really are. 99% of the people don't care.

I know that leaves 2 million that do but you are'nt that big of a deal, REALLY!

If your team is good enough it would be on ESPN, otherwise only a few follow the also-rans.

Spend the time doing something productive not watching gladiators in the arena, which in the end is all meaningless anyway.

Why did you waste your time with such an idiotic post. You base your comments on what? Tell Charlie that 2 million really isn't much of a deal.
Think before making such stupid posts!

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

I think there are more Yankees Fans then Big Ten Fans...

And we still don't have YES Network yet.

 

[GOHAWKS]

You BTN fans don't seem to realize how small a group you really are. 99% of the people don't care.

I know that leaves 2 million that do but you are'nt that big of a deal, REALLY!

If your team is good enough it would be on ESPN, otherwise only a few follow the also-rans.

Spend the time doing something productive not watching gladiators in the arena, which in the end is all meaningless anyway.

Brilliant post, your vast amount of knowledge was very evident!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[gopherscot]

The sham of the BTN is that they get the reject games that are going to have the smallest audiences. Do you really think ABC/ESPN are going to pick the games that will have the lowest ratings? So, essentially you have a sports network with the leftover games attempting to get top $$ as though the games they are offering the providers are the ones more people want to see. Yes I realize that if it is your school's game on BTN you will want to watch it, but also realize that your school's ratings are not the best or they would have been picked up by ABC/ESPN.

What are they going to show the rest of the week? They may have 1-3 games live but the rest of the week will just be filler. What are the ratings of games shown later when people already know the outcome?

The unimportant game is very important to people that follow certain teams. Also my team in basketball is on 18 times ... exclusive to the Big Ten Network. You talk about filler ... try any other channel. I am a big HGTV fan and about 1/3 is bought time and much of their programming is reruns. But I watch for the hour or two that I want.

 

[Nebugeater]

This is horrible. If charlie is too cheap to add this to the regular programming tier why not allow us to get it in the multi-sport package or alacart. This is ridiculous. .

Becasue the BTN will not allow this. My guess is that if they would it would be done this way now.

 

[Derwin0]

Problem I see is, BTN wants to be in the basic package, in order to get money from everyone, not just Big 10 fans or even people in Big 10 states. Since the best games are already gobbled up by ESPN/ABC, then it's the leftovers that are left on BTN. Does anyone really think that should be a basic channel and not a sports pack channel?

If BTN would realise they are nothing more than an RSN, then all would be fine and they would be carried the same as the other RSN's.

 

[webbydude]

You know everytime there is a new sports network available, its a major dissappointment for not only DISH Network customers but their dealers also who have to deal with the customers by telling them we do not have it.

But who is to blame here?

To we Blame Charlie or do we Blame the Big Ten Network?

If you ask me, its nothing more than legalized extortion by the Teams that make up the Big 10 to get more money out of everyones pockets!

I was more than happy last year when all the games where on ABC, ESPN and some of the regional sports networks and the ESPN Game Plan.

So what happens is that the Teams all want to make more money, so they get this idea that they will launch their own sports network. Now they got this new sports network and they go around to all the cable and satellite companies and try to get top dollar for their programming.

For the Cable or Satellite companies, the choice is simple. Either carry the The Big Ten Network and pay their ridiculas rates, or loose subscribers to the company that does!

Comcast and DISH Network are tired of this crap and so far have refused to give in.

As far as im concerned the people at Directv are idiots for giving in and paying their price. They should have put up a fight for their customers to avoid a potential price increase to carry this network.

Im not really worried here, I actually hope that DISH Network never carries the Big Ten Network because in another 3-4 weeks customers will no longer be asking for it and this will be a forgotten issue.

Its just like the MLB Package. Everyone made a big stink over it back in April, and guess what, I have not had a single customer ask me about that package since May. Same goes for Sunday Ticket, everyone wanted it in the beginning of August and now since the pre-season started I get very few people asking about it, and in another 3 weeks it will again be a non-issue.

But for all of those of you who think DISH should give in and carry Big Ten Network, the problem isn't paying the $1 or so to carry Big Ten Network the problem is that if this is successfull how many other teams will try to form their own network and pull the same crap?

We already got the Yankees doing it with the YES Network, and now we got the Big Ten doing it with the Big Ten Network...

Lets take Detroit for example, what if the Tigers, Red Wings, Pistons and Lions all decided to form their own Network? Now we got 4 teams in a DMA demanding a $1/2 from every customer on DISH, Directv or Comcast Cable.

Those costs ultimatly get passed down to the customer in the form of higher monthly bills.

Its bad enough ESPN accounts for about $5 from your monthly bill, can you imaging of being forced to pay an extra $10-$12 out of your entire bill each month for Sports?

The networks will not agree to Alacart, because they know the audience is not there. By forcing it in the lowest tier package, its legalized extortion if the channel or sports package is not carried!

As I stated earlier in this thread, I completely agree with your points Claude. My issue is this "news release" from Dish. It just completely smacks of, "be lucky for what you have". If Dish would've let sleeping dogs lie (lay? sleep? Oh, whatever...LOL) by not issuing that, I would side with them 100 percent.

And you're right, it's total extortion by BTN. And the fact it's E*'s rival that did secure that network doesn't help matters. On the flip-side of that coin, it really does help substantiate the argument that if you like sports D* is the way to go, if you like family oriented programming then choose E*