Disney's New Deal With Dish & Current Directv Negotiation

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dalyew

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Mar 16, 2012
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Coral Springs, Florida
Saw this on the Internet today:
http://m.cnet.com/news/directv-reportedly-in-talks-with-disney-for-internet-deal/57619979

Can anyone clarify what this means for us current satellite customers? I'm fairly tech savvy but a little puzzled as to what greater plans these 3 entities are pursuing. I haven't heard much analysis about the Dish deal & wasn't even aware that Directv was in negotiations with Disney over the same matter until I heard it on a podcast tonight.

I know there are some well informed forum members here so I hope you guys can help inform the less knowledgeable like myself.
 
short version

Directv contract with ESPN is due end of year we've heard

basically the new contract (well at least what dish supposedly signed for) included the following that is not on satellite
SEC Network (launches in August)
Longhorn Network (Univ of Texas based RSN)
ESPN3 ability (streaming)
ESPN Goal Line and Buzzer Beater (think NFL Red Zone but for college football and basketball....basically whiparound coverage)

there may be more but that is a cliff notes version
 
short version

Directv contract with ESPN is due end of year we've heard

basically the new contract (well at least what dish supposedly signed for) included the following that is not on satellite
SEC Network (launches in August)
Longhorn Network (Univ of Texas based RSN)
ESPN3 ability (streaming)
ESPN Goal Line and Buzzer Beater (think NFL Red Zone but for college football and basketball....basically whiparound coverage)

there may be more but that is a cliff notes version

Technically, watchESPN is what the deal will cover. You can already watch ESPN3 with D* with many ISPs. Notably, Time Warner/Brighthouse does not allow ESPN3 access to their Internet-only customers, though. But, yeah, basically what Tank said!

GL/BB is as you describe. Sadly, I have only seen ESPN-family programming on there (the ESPNs, ABC, those smaller groups that they distribute only like Raycom/ACC Network) and so if there are big games on Fox, CBS, or NBC, etc - they don't whip around to those. I hope I am wrong about that.
 
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Technically, watchESPN is what the deal will cover. You can already watch ESPN3 with D* with many ISPs. Notably, Time Warner/Brighthouse does not allow ESPN3 access to their Internet-only customers, though. But, yeah, basically what Tank said!

GL/BB is as you describe. Sadly, I have only seen ESPN-family programming on there (the ESPNs, ABC, those smaller groups that they distribute only like Raycom/ACC Network) and so if there are big games on Fox, CBS, or NBC, etc - they don't whip around to those. I hope I am wrong about that.

Seeing espn3 is ISP based, its not available to D*.

I have D* , but no espn3 ...
I can get espn3 thru my Internet provider though.
 
I have Uverse for internet only & it doesn't seem to give me access to espn3 but I suspect I maybe trying to view WATCH ESPN content which is not allowed unless you have tv subscription with them (so confusing)..... anyway, getting Watch ESPN with my Directv subscription would be cool by end of year but even better if it was by this Summer, just in time for the FIFA World Cup. But glad to see they're negotiating from now & not waiting for the end of the year.
 
Would be nice to get a deal done asap and get longhorn network on now and sec when it launches.
 
I have Uverse for internet only & it doesn't seem to give me access to espn3 but I suspect I maybe trying to view WATCH ESPN content which is not allowed unless you have tv subscription with them (so confusing)..... anyway, getting Watch ESPN with my Directv subscription would be cool by end of year but even better if it was by this Summer, just in time for the FIFA World Cup. But glad to see they're negotiating from now & not waiting for the end of the year.

watchESPN is not the same as ESPN3, but you need the watchESPN app to watch ESPN3 content. ESPN3 will be labeled as such. Sometimes, it says "Exclusive" or something like that, too. Those are the only games that AT&T Internet customers can access with Directv TV. The ESPN shows and games that appear on TV are not viewable unless you have U-Verse TV. Basically, this: If you can watch it on TV*, you can NOT access it online with Directv + AT&T. (*ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, ESPNDep, ESPNclassic, ABC, and the packages in the 700s. GL/BB are also not watchable.)

There is a decent amount of content on ESPN3. I did not have access to either watchESPN or ESPN3 when I had TWC internet.
 
groundbreaking deal Disney and Dish:

1. Disney, ruthless media company, has accepted Auto-hop as part of life, but with it active after the 3 day window when the ads are no use anyway. In xchange Disney drops all court challeges relating to PAT & Autohop.
2. Disney is first to allow is channels to be part of Over The Top service, spefically Dish's long planned streaming TV service that Apple, Intel, and a host of others have not been able to get commitments.
3. The return of HD for all ESPN, DISNEY, ABC FAM, etc. channels that had originally been offered by Dish in HD.
4. Retransmission rights to all Dinsey ABC Network O&O's. This is related to point 1 above.
5. ESPN classic to be on line only, Dish secures rights to Longhorn and other ESPN family channels when the go on air.
6. Dish secured rights to ALL Disney owned channels on Dish to be available on line to its subscribers.

This is an example of compromises on both sides and both Disney and Dish get what they want while giving a bit. It is rumored that the lack of hostility duriny this long negotiation and came to some novel concessions was due to Charlie Ergan and Bob Ivar speaking to each other a number of times during the very long process. This is actually goid news for all pay-TV subscribers because it sets a model or template for Digital Rights and over the top streaming services that many are trying to start as a lower cost alternative, and it improves chances that DirecTV (rumored to have their own proprietary Auto-hop waitng in the wings) and others can implement their own commercial skiiping feature.
 
If nothing else changes this negotiation and re-up should at least bring Directv the watch ESPN for streaming viewing, integrating into the Directv apps. I'm sure ESPNs push will be for carriage of their new channels, things like goalline and Longhorn, etc.

I'm sure after the big check Dish wrote there will be some pressure for Directv to go beyond the status-quo.
 
Don't forget the changes in delivery at the provider end that this lead to as well. Now Disney content will be received at Dish's end via fiber. That's a slight change. Remember the days that satellite companies supposedly couldn't get certain channels because they weren't delivered via satellite?
 
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