EchoStar Dishes Out Rate Hike

[John Kotches]

Do we know what the cost increases were from the various components of the packages were?

Before we cry "greed" on Dish Networks part, perhaps we should find out what the cost increase was for them.

Cheers,

 

[GeorgeLV]

Link hence why we need a separate Sports pack for all these tacked on RSN's and sh*t.

That's why there's AT60 (no RSNs) and AT60 Plus (local RSNs + locals). Are you asking for an AT120 package without local RSNs?

 

[TNGTony]

For those interested, you can see how all the regular packages changed in price over the years HERE on the Echostar Knowledge Base

Notice how AT40 (Now AT60) stayed the same price $19.99 for 6 years! Then in the next 4 years went up by 50%! Or 150% of its initial price.

See ya
Tony

 

[Stargazer]

I'm not saying that Dish Network is being the greedy ones, just the facts. A lot of us know that it is the sports channels causing some of these raises. Dish Network hates to have to increase their rates but the companies demand more and more money. Why didnt they threaten to shut off ESPN?

At this rate the price of AT60 will be well .... perhaps there wont be an AT60 package by that time.

Dish may do away with AT60 in the future and replace it with the family pack for the same price or just a little less but have a bit fewer channels.

 

[GeorgeLV]

I'm not saying that Dish Network is being the greedy ones, just the facts. A lot of us know that it is the sports channels causing some of these raises. Dish Network hates to have to increase their rates but the companies demand more and more money. Why didnt they threaten to shut off ESPN?
At this rate the price of AT60 will be well .... perhaps there wont be an AT60 package by that time.
Dish may do away with AT60 in the future and replace it with the family pack for the same price or just a little less but have a bit fewer channels.

The first major provider that figures out how to kick ESPN our of their basic tier deserves a nobel prize in economics.

 

[jeffwtux]

It's 33% less...
4/6 = 2/3 of the rate hike
No, I'm not a marketing specialist, but I know how they think :devil:

The shaddy part about this is tha it's not a apples to apples comparison. Dish is comparing their rate increase as a % of what the AVERAGE customer pays(including movie channels etc.) to the rate increase of cable as a % of the basic cable package. That's where Dish is LYING.

 

[Stargazer]

Well I like ESPN a little more now that I got into watching poker and they show some of the tournaments but there are other channels that show some of that content as well.

 

[jeffwtux]

The first major provider that figures out how to kick ESPN our of their basic tier deserves a nobel prize in economics.

As a HUGE sports fan, I second that. The anti-competitive practices that ESPN has engaged in are far worse than anything Microsoft was doing in the 90s

 

[hpman247]

Huge sports fan here. If ESPN ever got taken off can you imagine the backlash. I understnad that everyone does not watch sports, but I dont watch Fox Movie Channel, AMC, Food TV, Discovery (except HD), and hardly any of those other general entertainment channels. Admittedly I do watch a few General Channels and therefore I cant declare that I want all of them removed. What, are we going to start packages by providers only or genred a-la-carte. Aint gonna happen.

The large corporations make it impossible for Dish to not increase the rates. they force channels into packages or either wont let Dish carry at all. There can't be a genred a-la-carte. Deal with it. Its not that much.

 

[jeffwtux]

The problem I see with the family pack is that unless they can get ESPN out of it, there's no point. If you get an ESPNless package, the cable/dbs market will start to realize the real market for ESPN. Right now, ESPN views it as a market where they can pay whatever the sports leagues want and pass it on to consumers who will never watch ESPN, and that's by far the #1 reason why players salaries are out of control.

 

[jeffwtux]

Huge sports fan here. If ESPN ever got taken off can you imagine the backlash. I understnad that everyone does not watch sports, but I dont watch Fox Movie Channel, AMC, Food TV, Discovery (except HD), and hardly any of those other general entertainment channels. Admittedly I do watch a few General Channels and therefore I cant declare that I want all of them removed. What, are we going to start packages by providers only or genred a-la-carte. Aint gonna happen.

The large corporations make it impossible for Dish to not increase the rates. they force channels into packages or either wont let Dish carry at all. There can't be a genred a-la-carte. Deal with it. Its not that much.

Fox Movie is only on AT180. You don't HAVE to buy it; AMC is on 120. FoodTV and Discovery COMBINED cost less than 1/3 of what ESPN charges and probably more people watch them too.

 

[jeffwtux]

Huge sports fan here. If ESPN ever got taken off can you imagine the backlash. I understnad that everyone does not watch sports, but I dont watch Fox Movie Channel, AMC, Food TV, Discovery (except HD), and hardly any of those other general entertainment channels. Admittedly I do watch a few General Channels and therefore I cant declare that I want all of them removed. What, are we going to start packages by providers only or genred a-la-carte. Aint gonna happen.

The large corporations make it impossible for Dish to not increase the rates. they force channels into packages or either wont let Dish carry at all. There can't be a genred a-la-carte. Deal with it. Its not that much.

and nobody is talking about an a-la-carte pricing system, just an ESPNless package.

 

[hpman247]

Fox Movie is only on AT180. You don't HAVE to buy it; AMC is on 120. FoodTV and Discovery COMBINED cost less than 1/3 of what ESPN charges and probably more people watch them too.

Basically you're only saying that ESPN should be taken out of AT60. Well, as I dont have AT60. I just looked up what's in it.

What I don't watch
Lifetime
A&E
Sci-fi
VH1
Disney
ABC Fam
TLC
Court TV
CSPAN
Healthy Living

To name a few.

It would be interesting to have these statictics and compare them. I will do some research at the university when I get back and see what I can dig up.

 

[jeffwtux]

All of those combined might cost 2/3(probably less) of what ESPN will be charging in 2006. AS A HUGE SPORTSFAN, I can say that Disney/ESPN is by far my #1 corporate enemy right now.

 

[hpman247]

The problem I see with the family pack is that unless they can get ESPN out of it, there's no point. If you get an ESPNless package, the cable/dbs market will start to realize the real market for ESPN. Right now, ESPN views it as a market where they can pay whatever the sports leagues want and pass it on to consumers who will never watch ESPN, and that's by far the #1 reason why players salaries are out of control.

Ok then well how about a Package that takes out all the Discovery programming. All the Music programming. You cant ask for one without asking for all. Not everyone watches the same things. Some Sports fans might not want to view anything but sports. Another sports fan might want to watch ESPN and Food Network because there is a special Bobby Flay segment. Who knows. The main thing is that the prices arent bad and having your ESPNless package makes me want to take away lifetime, HGTV, and ETV. Everyone cant have it their way. Even though I dont look at hardly any of those channels I don't complain about them every time a price hike happens.

And as for the players salaries, all I can say is don't get me started on that!

 

[jeffwtux]

Ok then well how about a Package that takes out all the Discovery programming. All the Music programming. You cant ask for one without asking for all. Not everyone watches the same things. Some Sports fans might not want to view anything but sports. Another sports fan might want to watch ESPN and Food Network because there is a special Bobby Flay segment. Who knows. The main thing is that the prices arent bad and having your ESPNless package makes me want to take away lifetime, HGTV, and ETV. Everyone cant have it their way. Even though I dont look at hardly any of those channels I don't complain about them every time a price hike happens.
And as for the players salaries, all I can say is don't get me started on that!

ESPN costs more than half of the other AT60 channels COMBINED. They doubled their carriage rates. You can't compare Food to ESPN because ESPN costs 10 times as much, SERIOUSLY, 10 TIMES.

 

[GeorgeLV]

Ok then well how about a Package that takes out all the Discovery programming. All the Music programming. You cant ask for one without asking for all. Not everyone watches the same things. Some Sports fans might not want to view anything but sports. Another sports fan might want to watch ESPN and Food Network because there is a special Bobby Flay segment. Who knows. The main thing is that the prices arent bad and having your ESPNless package makes me want to take away lifetime, HGTV, and ETV. Everyone cant have it their way. Even though I dont look at hardly any of those channels I don't complain about them every time a price hike happens.
And as for the players salaries, all I can say is don't get me started on that!

But ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNews makes up at least 20% of the AT60 price, but are only 5% of the programming.

 

[hpman247]

All of those combined might cost 2/3(probably less) of what ESPN will be charging in 2006. AS A HUGE SPORTSFAN, I can say that Disney/ESPN is by far my #1 corporate enemy right now.

Love them to death. Love that "probably" word btw. I like facts. And I don't blame Disney, I'd milk my customers too.

Didnt like that analogy. EDIT

 

[jeffwtux]

And if you are outraged about players salaries, then you are outraged about ESPN. ESPN IS THE #1 REASON BY FAR FOR the escalation in players salarie, BY FAR. Ticket revenue hasn't increased NEARLY to the level that ESPN's carriage rates have, and ticket sales are a PURE FREE MARKET. I don't care if it costs $500 to take your family to a baseball game. It's still a free market. ESPN isn't a free market at all. Nothing outrages me more on this planet than companies circumventing the free market. The NBA TV deal, the MNF deal both circumvented the free market.

 

[hpman247]

Ohh no. I think players deserve what they get, but I'll keep quite on this as it will only P me off debating it.