fox sports dispute

[NYDutch]

What’s the extra cost? .10?

If only that were true... Sinclair not only wants a large increase, they're also trying to force bundle other channels in the deal whether the carrier wants them or not. Keep in mind, those increases are not a "one and done" deal, there are annual increases that go with it that pushes the costs up every year even when the contract is not up for renewal. Consider the Dish/Fox negotiations for instance. Have you seen the video of the Fox top executives laughing about driving up TV bills, and their plan to increase retrans revenue by 1 billion dollars from 1.6 billion to 2.6 billion within 3 years, all while FOX’s ratings are dropping each year? That's the attitude the carriers are up against in trying to hold the line on retrans fee increases. You think Charlie doesn't care about your costs? Do you think the providers do???

 

[ChadT41]

If the costs are passed on, then how is it that Charlie is doing this for his own pocket? Explain that rationale? Unless you mean you know that customers wouldn’t like it and cancel in larger numbers, which would affect his pocket... but it would also mean he was doing this for the customers.

 

[Claude Greiner]

I hope the Sinclair execs are choking on their latte's as I sit here watching the Fox Sports Detroit feed of the Detroit/Toronto NHL game on the NHL network channel on Dish...

I owe the Sinclair execs a free refill on that latte

 

[NYDutch]

I owe the Sinclair execs a free refill on that latte

Good! That'll give them even more to choke on...

 

[Claude Greiner]

If the costs are passed on, then how is it that Charlie is doing this for his own pocket? Explain that rationale? Unless you mean you know that customers wouldn’t like it and cancel in larger numbers, which would affect his pocket... but it would also mean he was doing this for the customers.

Very simple. Price increases are in even dollar increments.

Charlie is bickering over Pennies, nickels and dimes.

If he saves a quarter per sub per month, over 8 million subs that’s 2 million Dollars per month.

 

[ncted]

Very simple. Price increases are in even dollar increments.

Charlie is bickering over Pennies, nickels and dimes.

If he saves a quarter per sub per month, over 8 million subs that’s 2 million Dollars per month.

Just curious. If customers are paying pennies per channel, how are the increases in whole dollars?

 

[pattykay]

Just curious. If customers are paying pennies per channel, how are the increases in whole dollars?

Pennies per channel x 100 channels = whole dollars

 

[pattykay]

Very simple. Price increases are in even dollar increments.

This time, enough regional sports networks from enough regions of the country are missing, that I could see Dish finally doing something similar to what Directv did with their Regional Sports Fee. Therefore, while the base package prices will still change in whole dollar increments, the RSN's (for those regions that still have them) will be broken out as a separate fee, that does not necessarily have to be a whole dollar amount. (Just look at the state surcharges on our Dish bills in states where Dish feels the tax rate is excessive.) This means that the actual impact of the price increase on the bill next year will not be in a whole dollar increment, but rather something closer to what the RSN's are actually charging, plus a certain small percentage for Dish's profit margin, of course.

 

[pattykay]

Cheapskate billionaire Charlie. Tired of this sh*t

He didn't become a billionaire by writing a bunch of checks.

 

[ChadT41]

He didn't become a billionaire by writing a bunch of checks.

Well, sorta...

 

[PortlandChris]

DISH is trying to uproot the RSN model and push the sports channels either to a sports pack or a higher tier. I would agree the RSN model is broken...shaking down all subscribers for a $5 monthly fee to an RSN they may or may not watch is no longer a sustainable model.

This effort is only successful if other providers jump in and support DISH and do the same thing. Time will tell.

This time, enough regional sports networks from enough regions of the country are missing, that I could see Dish finally doing something similar to what Directv did with their Regional Sports Fee. Therefore, while the base package prices will still change in whole dollar increments, the RSN's (for those regions that still have them) will be broken out as a separate fee, that does not necessarily have to be a whole dollar amount. (Just look at the state surcharges on our Dish bills in states where Dish feels the tax rate is excessive.) This means that the actual impact of the price increase on the bill next year will not be in a whole dollar increment, but rather something closer to what the RSN's are actually charging, plus a certain small percentage for Dish's profit margin, of course.

 

[PortlandChris]

I don't think that is the issue. Fox does need to be put in their place. My issue and concern is DISH is making a killing on these disputes....charging full rates and then not having to pay Fox or Fox RSNs...imagine collecting your full salary, but working part time and referring your boss to some fine print in some contract that says there is no guarantee on the caliber of work provided on any given day.

So when Dish offers a "true-up" extension to keep the channels on while negotiations continue and the other party refuses, Dish is the bad guy? Dish doesn't drop channels arbitrarily. They carry them as long as they're legally allowed to. If Dish gave in to every increase that came along without fighting for a better deal it would be your bank account taking the hit, not Charlie's.

 

[NYDutch]

I don't think that is the issue. Fox does need to be put in their place. My issue and concern is DISH is making a killing on these disputes....charging full rates and then not having to pay Fox or Fox RSNs...imagine collecting your full salary, but working part time and referring your boss to some fine print in some contract that says there is no guarantee on the caliber of work provided on any given day.

Presumably both parties to the contract read it before they signed it. If not...

 

[glynnp]

Presumably both parties to the contract read it before they signed it. If not...

Yeah, like Congress does

oops...

 

[NYDutch]

Yeah, like Congress does

oops...

Not reading a contract before signing it does not relieve you of its provisions, even if you're a member of Congress...

 

[zippyfrog]

I don't think that is the issue. Fox does need to be put in their place. My issue and concern is DISH is making a killing on these disputes....charging full rates and then not having to pay Fox or Fox RSNs...imagine collecting your full salary, but working part time and referring your boss to some fine print in some contract that says there is no guarantee on the caliber of work provided on any given day.

That is the part that I wonder about. Does Dish drop channels to save some money for a couple of months to increase profits during a time they are losing subscribers? Right now all 4 disputes listed on dishpromise.com are all related to sports content in some way.

 

[pattykay]

I don't think that is the issue. Fox does need to be put in their place. My issue and concern is DISH is making a killing on these disputes....charging full rates and then not having to pay Fox or Fox RSNs...imagine collecting your full salary, but working part time and referring your boss to some fine print in some contract that says there is no guarantee on the caliber of work provided on any given day.

...just like professional athletes do.

 

[pattykay]

That is the part that I wonder about. Does Dish drop channels to save some money for a couple of months to increase profits during a time they are losing subscribers? Right now all 4 disputes listed on dishpromise.com are all related to sports content in some way.

I think the return of the Fox Sports Net guide information that leaked earlier this week is very telling on that point. As I pointed out at the time, the guide info for Sportstime Ohio (which only carries Cleveland Indians games) did not return, even though the rest of the FSN's had guide info. Since it is close to the end of the baseball season, I think that this (lack of Sportstime Ohio guide info) was not a mistake, and demonstrates that Dish was planning on not bringing that channel back right away, possibly waiting until right before the start of the next MLB season to bring it back, and saving the cost of that channel in the meantime. This may have been a deal-breaker for Sinclair.

 

[kingsxman]

I'm ready to pull the trigger this week and move to Comcast for a year. Is there any chance that this dispute will be resolved before the NBA season starts in less than a month? Whats the latest?

 

[ChadT41]

I'm ready to pull the trigger this week and move to Comcast for a year. Is there any chance that this dispute will be resolved before the NBA season starts in less than a month? Whats the latest?

There is a chance... it could be resolved in 5 minutes, or never.