Dish Network Statement on MLB

[lou_do]

The only saving grace Dish has over DirecTV at the moment (for me anyway) is that I love the Dish 622 HD DVR and the DirecTV H20-700 is still buggy as h*ll.

Next time you read those web sites, look at the posts and make sure they are talking about national released versions of the software for the HR20. A lot of information out there is from people testing beta versions of D* software. If you look at the actual polls taken on national releases, you will see only average amount of problems. Yes, you are correct, when the units were first released, just like any new complicated software driven product, did have some bugs. But, D* was very quick to respond to correcting those problems, and the national releases of the software, have corrected the problems.

They still occasionally find some incompatibility between the HR20 and new TVs just coming out onto the market. But to be honest I see the same complaints from people who own 622's and cable boxes.

My HR20 has worked great without missing a beat, since the day I got it. I am not trying to say that all have done that, but the fact that I have seen bugs in all of the HR-DVRs, satellite and cable.

Sorry for getting off subject.

 

[Robert NTSC Archivist]

Ah time to watch the California Angels and Oakland Athletics.

Once upon a time I could play on the computer and watch the game. Alas until Dish gets its act together I must retire to the DirecTV nation to enjoy the game

 

[ericpd]

And they keep on raising rates nearly every year too! I live in Northern Virginia and will get very little baseball this season unless by some miracle they pick up MASN. I may be leaving them very soon. I'm very tired of the anti sports stance that DISH has.

I hear ya,... you won't get Nationals and I won't get the O's on my side of I95. And like I said before, all I'm getting on 424 now are a bunch of guys in sunglasses and cowboy hats playing cards!

 

[ehren]

LOL our local traffic report on the radio in Madison is sponsered by Directv and MLB Extra Innings, how pathetic is that.

 

[Chris Walker]

LOL our local traffic report on the radio in Madison is sponsered by Directv and MLB Extra Innings, how pathetic is that.

Direct has to pay that 700 million somehow..

 

[fredfa]

Let me add to my comments above.

I have NO PROBLEM with Dish Network telling Major League Baseball that their price is too high, and thanks but no thanks then walking away.

The problem I have is when they don't get their way (when the other company In Demand made a deal) they whine and say they are going to go to congress and bitch and moan there, when they had the opportunity to get the deal if they wanted it.

Come on Charlie, man up just say we didn't want to pay their prices. We can respect you for that, but knock of this BS of running to congress everytime you don't get a deal you want.

Thats my take on it.

Excellent point, Scott.

And such whining is not going to help Charlie as he fights in Washington to keep John Malone from getting control of DirecTV.

Who thought up this childish game plan, the genuises from Mediacom?

Just say the price is too high, we've got more HD than anybody, and sit down. Quietly.

 

[fredfa]

Direct has to pay that 700 million somehow..

It's only $350 million now.

 

[fredfa]

...What if MLB decides to put a package of weekly telecasts on this new channel and makes it exclusive so that the teams' rightsholders cannot carry the game?

Of course MLB will do something like that.

Or just pull a 7 PM ET and a 10 PM ET game off the MLB EI package and provide only via the Baseball Channel.

The folks at DirecTV and iNDemand won't squawk -- they have a big piece of TBC pie.

And then MLB can advertise 12 exclusive HD games a week, only on The Baseball Channel.

That is about 300 games a year, less than two cents per game a year per sub. And MLB, DirecTV and iNDemand will get to split whatever advertising revenue they can get out of the telecasts.

As I said, of course TBC will have live games, and probably lots of them.

 

[fredfa]

Bill go up??? My DirecTV bill didn't go up when they signed the contract with MLB. My neighbor this afternoon just got EI through the cable company, and his bill didn't go up. As a matter of fact the cable company is selling the IE package for $159.00, same as D*.

Could the "Everyones bill go up" be someone blowing smoke XXXX again?

He is apparently referring to 2009, when repirtedly MLB will be charging 30 cents pre sub for The Baseball Channel.

Her are what some other cable channels are now receiving from provbiders per subscriber per month:
ESPN $2.96
Disney Channel $1 (commercial free)
TNT $ 0.89
Fox News Channel $ 0.75
USA $ 0.60
CNN $ 0.44
Discovery $ 0.25
MTV $0.25
TBS $0.25
A&E $ 0.22
NFL Network $ 0.21 (Jupiter Research 10/06) (bust appafrently asking for $ 0.75)
National Geographic $ 0.20
MSNBC $ 0.15
Court TV $ 0.11
Hallmark Channel $ 0.11
Main Source: Kagan Research 10/06

 

[Slamminc11]

He is apparently referring to 2009, when repirtedly MLB will be charging 30 cents pre sub for The Baseball Channel.

Her are what some other cable channels are now receiving from provbiders per subscriber per month:
ESPN $2.96
Disney Channel $1 (commercial free)
TNT $ 0.89
Fox News Channel $ 0.75
USA $ 0.60
CNN $ 0.44
Discovery $ 0.25
MTV $0.25
TBS $0.25
A&E $ 0.22
NFL Network $ 0.21 (Jupiter Research 10/06) (bust appafrently asking for $ 0.75)
National Geographic $ 0.20
MSNBC $ 0.15
Court TV $ 0.11
Hallmark Channel $ 0.11
Main Source: Kagan Research 10/06

Fox News at $.75? What a friggin' rip-off! They should be paying each sub $75 per month at least to be on the system!

 

[lou_do]

He is apparently referring to 2009, when repirtedly MLB will be charging 30 cents pre sub for The Baseball Channel.

Her are what some other cable channels are now receiving from provbiders per subscriber per month:
ESPN $2.96
Disney Channel $1 (commercial free)
TNT $ 0.89
Fox News Channel $ 0.75
USA $ 0.60
CNN $ 0.44
Discovery $ 0.25
MTV $0.25
TBS $0.25
A&E $ 0.22
NFL Network $ 0.21 (Jupiter Research 10/06) (bust appafrently asking for $ 0.75)
National Geographic $ 0.20
MSNBC $ 0.15
Court TV $ 0.11
Hallmark Channel $ 0.11
Main Source: Kagan Research 10/06

Got ya, but, I am sure that each one of us could come up with a list of the channels we all pay for that we never watch or could care less about and say the same thing that was said about sports. I could say I don't want to pay $1.00 a month for Disney, because I don't have any kids at home and I never watch it. I could give you a whole list of my blocked stations but we all have to give and take a little, when it comes to programing.

I know for a while they were talking about ala carte programing but when it all boiled down to it, you would be paying almost the same amount after choices, as if you took the whole package, because of ala carte prices being higher. Haven't heard much about that lately.

But, it is correct that if ANY satellite or cable system offers a sports package, that cost should be absorbed by the people who want that sports package, not everyone who has the service.

 

[CubsWin]

He is apparently referring to 2009, when repirtedly MLB will be charging 30 cents pre sub for The Baseball Channel.

30 cents! Oh my! Somehow I have a feeling our rates will be going up several times that amount each year, with or without The Baseball Channel. E*'s negotation tactics are growing tiresome.

 

[Lucky]

Well, so long and farewell I will see everyone in the DirecTV forum. I am calling DirecTV next week and dumping Dish Network and getting my MLBEI (unless my other toughest negotiator company, Cablevision) adds MLBEI in the next week. Assuming they do not, I am dumping Dish and getting MLBEI from DirecTV.

 

[Robert NTSC Archivist]

I actually tested running a line from a DirecTV receiver (coaxial cable down to a Sony VHS machine) and then ran the out put into a converter and upped the signal to SVHS and into my DVD recorder while I watched the California Angels loose to the Oakland Athletics. There was a loss of quality until I switched over to Dish Network at 01:00 A.M. EASTERN Well the picture quality on Dish Network is much better but if I MUST subscribe to DirecTV I will after all DirecTV and Cable have made a deal why cant Dish.

 

[FlyingJ]

I actually tested running a line from a DirecTV receiver (coaxial cable down to a Sony VHS machine) and then ran the out put into a converter and upped the signal to SVHS and into my DVD recorder while I watched the California Angels loose to the Oakland Athletics. There was a loss of quality until I switched over to Dish Network at 01:00 A.M. EASTERN Well the picture quality on Dish Network is much better but if I MUST subscribe to DirecTV I will after all DirecTV and Cable have made a deal why cant Dish.

You did all of that and didn't expect a loss of pic quality?

 

[Robert NTSC Archivist]

Oh I did expect a loss of quality and will try and find a better run of the cable. what I meant to say was I did not expect that amount of quality drop for 15 to 20 feet. Then again running it threw a VHS machine probably did not help. It is only a stop gap measure if I decide I dont want to lease a receiver to add to the ones that I own.

Don't get me wrong the picture was fine for watching a ball game but simply lower than what I get from Dish.

 

[bonscott87]

I just dont understand how the owned / lease option would work if I added one DirecTV receiver. This is what is holding me back in a away

What's you're question about that?

Basically all the lease means is that if you no longer need that receiver or you cancel DirecTV they will want it back (assuming it's still a current receiver at that time).
Leased or owned you still pay the same $4.99 a month mirroring fee, it's just called a different thing depending on lease or owned. So the monthly costs are the same.

You will incur a 1 year commitment for standard receivers, 2 year on HD or DVRs. Doesn't sound like that is really an issue for you though.

PM or stop over in the DirecTV area if you have a specific question if it shouldn't be asked here in this thread.

 

[cosmo_kramer]

I apologize if this has already been posted:

• Over the past several weeks, DISH Network diligently tried to reach a fair agreement with Major League Baseball to keep the Extra Innings package on DISH Network without having to pass on huge cost increases to customers.
• DISH Network made many concessions and offered numerous solutions, including extending a current agreement until a resolution could be reached. Major League Baseball refused.
• The US Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing and invited DISH Network, Major League Baseball and other industry representatives to testify. The president of DISH Network testified on your behalf and said we needed a fair deal that kept your Extra Innings on DISH. At that hearing, Democratic and Republican leaders urged Major League Baseball to come to an agreement with us so that customers would not lose their Extra Innings games.
• Major League Baseball’s demands are blatantly anti-consumer – and they refuse to budge.

DISH Network remains interested in the Extra Innings package but we are not optimistic that Major League Baseball will propose a fair deal for our customers.

http://www.dishnetwork.com/redirects/promotion/extra_innings/index.shtml

 

[gjh3260]

I apologize if this has already been posted:


http://www.dishnetwork.com/redirects/promotion/extra_innings/index.shtml

so its one.....two..... three strikes Dish is out at the old ballgame........

 

[IceRunner]

I noticed that the one unactivated Extra Innings channel that was there has disappeared.