Looks like the FCC may finally grow a pair. At least there's some hope, finally.
FCC seeking to close programming access loophole - Yahoo! News
FCC seeking to close programming access loophole - Yahoo! News
FCC seeking to close programming access loophole
- Thread starter robjlevin
- Start date
- Latest activity Latest activity:
- Replies 41
- Views 9K
- Status
Lets hope this happens. I wouldnt mind more HD sports under NHLCI and MLBEI. Living in Minnesota I am lucky to have all the teams on Fox Sports North except the Vikes. I enjoy watching the Philles but Comcast childish games on withholding the signal.
No. That's a commercial deal between two separate organizations. What the FCC wants to stop is a service provider owning channels and then refusing to make them available to other service providers. Essentially the FCC wants the two parts of the company to operate at "arms length" from each other so that the channels are available to anyone, and on the same commercial terms.Question: Would this force Directv and the NFL to make Sunday Ticket available to any provider?
I am a DirecTV customer in the Philadelphia area. You have no idea how happy I am to hear that finally the FCC is taking notice. I want the evil greedy Comcast Corporation is brought down to their knees in this squabble. I am not getting my hopes up too much because Comcast will probably find a way to swindle the panel and keep their little "Gem" inside the house when it should be allowed to come out and play.
I understand it, I just think Comcast would be dumber than a stick if they didn't at least approach the subject of the NFL exclusive deal preventing them from competing...if I were in charge damn straight I would...if I have to give up my toys they have to give up theirs...
I understand it, I just think Comcast would be dumber than a stick if they didn't at least approach the subject of the NFL exclusive deal preventing them from competing...if I were in charge damn straight I would...if I have to give up my toys they have to give up theirs...
If you really understood it, you'd understand that the two are totally unrelated. DirecTV BUYS the Sunday Ticket programming. Comcast OWNS CSN programming and refuses to sell it to DTV while selling it to other providers.
They'd have more weight in this fight if they weren't selling the programming to other companies.
The Sunday Ticket also contains NO LOCAL GAMES. The RSNs in question here Show ONLY LOCAL GAMES.
Finally, Comcast has a great deal to lose by fighting this. Their anti competitive stance is also anti consumer and if they expect the sale of NBC to go through they're going to have to prove that they can own the programming and distribute it fairly.
You don't think that Comcast isn't BUYING all those rights from all those teams they have RSN's for? Comcast doesn't OWN all those teams....
What I am getting at is if the FCC can force Comcast to resell its programming, they can force the NFL/Directv to make Sunday Ticket available, at a standard price, to any provider who has the scratch, just like they are trying to make Comcast sell programming IT has paid for. The fact that they are from different sources, as correct as you are, matters not a whit to the average consumer, which I consider myself as. All we see is that the FCC is trying to make Comcast sell its original programming to all takers, and Directv is holding exclusive rights to programming that Comcast, Dish Network, Charter, TimeWarner,Cox, etc., would LOVE to be able to offer its customers, but can't, because Directv OWNS the rights to it. The fact that the programming comes from different sources does not matter to the average Joe.
Still a different situation. Comcast is withholding LOCAL programming and controls the channels.
Directv is only delivering the channels...they don't own a thing.
Back in the '50s the movie studios also owned theaters. They refused to sell the movies to competing independent theaters in a effort to stifle the competition. This is very much the same thing. Congress put an end to that. They also forced the breakup of ATT because they had too much control.
As a comparison to ST, it would be like a movie studio today selling a movie's exclusive rights to AMC. AMC doesn't own anything but the right to show the movie.
And you're wrong. While the end result may be that a cable company can't show you the ST, it's because they were the low bidder. Comcast is refusing to sell LOCAL programming for any price.
Directv is only delivering the channels...they don't own a thing.
Back in the '50s the movie studios also owned theaters. They refused to sell the movies to competing independent theaters in a effort to stifle the competition. This is very much the same thing. Congress put an end to that. They also forced the breakup of ATT because they had too much control.
As a comparison to ST, it would be like a movie studio today selling a movie's exclusive rights to AMC. AMC doesn't own anything but the right to show the movie.
And you're wrong. While the end result may be that a cable company can't show you the ST, it's because they were the low bidder. Comcast is refusing to sell LOCAL programming for any price.
That is the BIGGEST thing that could EVER happen for me!!!!! Would LOVE to get all the SD4 games BACK!!!!! Wished this could happen before next season comes about!!!!!!
I understand it, I just think Comcast would be dumber than a stick if they didn't at least approach the subject of the NFL exclusive deal preventing them from competing...if I were in charge damn straight I would...if I have to give up my toys they have to give up theirs...
You forget that Comcast HAD a chance to be in on the ST deal in the beginning and turned it down.
Since then, D* has a exclusive agreement with the NFL, but the negotiations were open to all in the beginning.
Sorry Stogie, I think that Rob is on to something here,
D* buys the product, the NFL offered to sell it to everyone interested when it started and no one was interested. (of course they had NO IDEA how big it would turn out to be).
Comcast Owns the product and refuses to let others buy into it.
The NFL sells the product to D* which buys it.
It would be up to the NFL to change that, but I think they feel that D* has been faithful and coopertive all along with the ST that they won't do that.
Don't fall for the old Comcrap diversion argument. They always throw out the Sunday Ticket issue and try to equate that as rationale for witholding Comcrap Philly. They have tried this argument for years.
Two entirely different birds here, as some have pointed out. Jimbo and others are exactly right. The difference in the two situations is that Comcrap lost out in bidding for a product that they could bid on (Sunday Ticket), but Comcrap won't even allow D* to pay a reasonable fee for carriage of their product (Comcrap Philly). Comcrap is scared to death that if they release their product, thousands of subscribers would flee to D*.
Comcrap has had Crazy Arlen in their backpocket for years and years, and that's a lot to do with why they get to get away with withholding Comcrap Philly. Hopefully momentum is finally changing on this whole issue, and Comcrap will be forced to allow D* and others to pay a reasonable carriage fee to rebroadcast Philly's programming. And, why they are at it, hopefully the same will finally occur w/Comcrap-owned Versus, now that they have lost 9 mil subscribers this month due to the end of the free previews on E* and various cable subscribers.
Two entirely different birds here, as some have pointed out. Jimbo and others are exactly right. The difference in the two situations is that Comcrap lost out in bidding for a product that they could bid on (Sunday Ticket), but Comcrap won't even allow D* to pay a reasonable fee for carriage of their product (Comcrap Philly). Comcrap is scared to death that if they release their product, thousands of subscribers would flee to D*.
Comcrap has had Crazy Arlen in their backpocket for years and years, and that's a lot to do with why they get to get away with withholding Comcrap Philly. Hopefully momentum is finally changing on this whole issue, and Comcrap will be forced to allow D* and others to pay a reasonable carriage fee to rebroadcast Philly's programming. And, why they are at it, hopefully the same will finally occur w/Comcrap-owned Versus, now that they have lost 9 mil subscribers this month due to the end of the free previews on E* and various cable subscribers.
Ok Ok OK all I really like to know is, will I get to see verus back on D* The spring classics (pro bicicyle racing) starts soon will I see this... Or do I need to drop D*
Just a stab in the DARK, but will you see VS on D* again, YES ....
I would also GUESS that it may be around April ...... not that the Hockey playoffs have that much pull, but it IS VS ticket to everyday sports.
True JIMBO I am not sure if I will stay with D* I may be moving soon I may leave D* for a while if they get there act together.. I will get it again D* is now i n my wifes name I will use mine next time......
At issue here is that the original negotiations with DIRECTV made it so that they could maintain their exclusive status without any further open bidding process. DIRECTV attempted to negotiate a similar deal with MLB and the critters stepped in. As it is, they still managed to weasel a permanent exclusive on their partnership in the MLB network.
- Status
