HBO/Cinemax Takedown
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It would have been nice if we had some warning, was in the middle of a movie and bam, off it went. Of course it's to be expected as Disney is just about the greediest company on the planet and have an inflated view of their worth!
GoT? I will be mad tomorrow night. I can't watch "Real Time". If I had kids, I would be really mad Saturday morning, as there would be no new "Sesame Street" for them.
For Univision, I could use an antenna. That's not possible with HBO. I assume HBO Go is also gone for Dish subscribers or will be soon. This has me furious. I better get a massive discount on my bill.
This isn't like the removal of Fox News or CNN a few years back. This is beyond dumb. It's not like they don't pass the cost on to consumers anyway.
For Univision, I could use an antenna. That's not possible with HBO. I assume HBO Go is also gone for Dish subscribers or will be soon. This has me furious. I better get a massive discount on my bill.
This isn't like the removal of Fox News or CNN a few years back. This is beyond dumb. It's not like they don't pass the cost on to consumers anyway.
They have to come back. They drop millions of customers and market share. That's never a good business decision.
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This is HUGE HBO trying to grab us Dish subs by the balls!!! Good thing GOT isn't on until January if needed I'll download the episodes from "other sources". That's about the only program atm that I'm interested. I could care less about Cinemax.
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Disney has nothing to do with HBO. It is owned by Time-Warner who is now owned by AT&T. Same idea though...
How do you get into a dispute with a premium pay station? This is really getting old, I'm not a cord cutter because I want to sit down on the couch and watch TV without jumping through a bunch of hoops. It might be time to rethink this and cut the cord.
Dish is wasting my time and money.
Dish is wasting my time and money.
Not to worry. I can't imagine this dispute taking too long to resolve.
More like a Fight between Dish & AT&T, who now owns Directv, HBO etc.. just like they bought the distributor for the USA rights of Italian TV stations owned by RAI, and taking hem away from Dish, AT&T's game is to make Dish have much less channel offerings than Directv. This is scary because AT&T wants to control everything.
Can’t miss Bill Maher on Friday. Hmm not good.
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Has a there ever been a dispute with a premium pay service?
I watched the announcement on 301 and, wow, out of the goodness of their heart they're giving us hdnet movies on channel 300 for free. Wow! A remap of channel 130. Some benefit. You'd think that at the least they could get a semi-believable talking head.
Truly pathetic.
I watched the announcement on 301 and, wow, out of the goodness of their heart they're giving us hdnet movies on channel 300 for free. Wow! A remap of channel 130. Some benefit. You'd think that at the least they could get a semi-believable talking head.
Truly pathetic.
Has a there ever been a dispute with a premium pay service?
I watched the announcement on 301 and, wow, out of the goodness of their heart they're giving us hdnet movies on channel 300 for free. Wow! A remap of channel 130. Some benefit. You'd think that at the least they could get a semi-believable talking head.
Truly pathetic.
That's what I can't figure out. I get a low tier channel or local. A premium? You just raise the rate and if less subscribe that's the channel's issue.
Hmmm, good thing I dropped HBO last month when the $10/mo. promotion expired...
This explains why that "for life" promotion expired in October, and there has been no mention of HBO or Cinemax on the website for a couple of months now.
Good morning you guys here is a article you might want to read this morning HBO Goes Dark For First Time In Its History Due to Standoff with Dish
First HBO Blackout Ever; Harms Competition and Consumers; AT&T Unfairly Targets Rural Americans on DISH
ENGLEWOOD, Colo., October 31, 2018 – DISH and Sling TV announced today that AT&T has made the unprecedented move to pull HBO and Cinemax content from DISH and Sling TV subscribers, after making untenable demands designed specifically to harm customers, particularly those in rural areas, as well as damage competing pay-tv providers.
Despite an opposing antitrust lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), AT&T acquired Time Warner, including HBO and Cinemax, earlier this year. There were no guidelines set in place to ensure that AT&T “played fair” for HBO and Cinemax subscribers, regardless of their pay-TV provider.
“Plain and simple, the merger created for AT&T immense power over consumers,” said Andy LeCuyer, DISH senior vice president of Programming. “It seems AT&T is implementing a new strategy to shut off its recently acquired content from other distributors. This may be the first of many HBO blackouts for consumers across the country. AT&T no longer has incentive to come to an agreement on behalf of consumer choice; instead, it’s been given the power to grab more money or steal away customers.”
On August 6, the DOJ appealed the Court’s decision to allow the merger.
AT&T’s first HBO blackout ever is exceptionally harmful to rural Americans who don’t have the same broadband access as customers living in large cities. Customers with sufficient internet service can substitute HBO Now, the direct-to-consumer streaming offering from HBO. The majority of DISH’s HBO subscriber base is located in rural areas with limited broadband access and likely won’t be able to watch HBO or Cinemax without a satellite connection.
“AT&T’s actions are a deliberate slap in the face to rural Americans,” said LeCuyer. “And furthermore, they are anticompetitive. AT&T, a company worth more than $200 billion, is intentionally punishing those who don’t have big-city broadband access, in an attempt to push customers to the only other satellite provider, its own DirecTV.”
“DISH was founded in 1980 as a company serving rural America,” added LeCuyer. “We’ve been named the top pay-TV company in customer satisfaction by J.D. Power because we put our customers first. We’re fighting back against AT&T on behalf of consumers in small towns across this country who want to be served, not used.”
The market for HBO has changed since DISH last signed a carriage deal in 2015: HBO set the market price at $15 per month with its launch of the direct-to-consumer HBO Now service; and AT&T has announced plans to launch a new direct-to-consumer HBO service next year.
“Usually when there is a programming dispute, we don’t see eye to eye on rates; but HBO has already set the going rate, so now they’re seeking to extract money a different way,” said LeCuyer.
AT&T is demanding DISH pay for a guaranteed number of subscribers, regardless of how many consumers actually want to subscribe to HBO.
“AT&T is stacking the deck with free-for-life offerings to wireless customers and slashed prices on streaming services, effectively trying to force DISH to subsidize HBO on AT&T’s platforms,” said LeCuyer. “This is the exact anticompetitive behavior that critics of the AT&T-Time Warner merger warned us about. Every pay-TV company should be concerned.”
DISH remains committed to finding a way to serve its customers. DISH would welcome binding, baseball-style arbitration to determine the fair market value of HBO and Cinemax. During the arbitration process, AT&T would be required to restore its channels to DISH customers.
“Rather than trying to force consumers onto their platforms, we suggest that AT&T try to achieve its financial goals through simple economics: if consumers want your product, they’ll pay for it. We hope AT&T will reconsider its demands and help us reach a swift, fair resolution,” added LeCuyer.
DISH and eligible Sling TV customers will be credited on their bill for time they do not receive HBO or Cinemax. DISH is also offering customers a free preview of HDNET Movies which showcases the best in box office hits and award-winning films, uncut and commercial free.
- For the first time ever, AT&T, the new owner of HBO, blocks pay-TV customers from HBO and Cinemax channels
- AT&T-DirecTV-Time Warner mega merger has allowed the giant conglomerate to relentlessly exert power and influence over competing pay-tv providers and consumers
- Anticompetitive: AT&T seemingly intends to cut ties with competing distributors; attempts to force DISH to pay for customers who do not get HBO, in turn funding AT&T to give away HBO free-for-life to its own customers
- DISH welcomes binding, baseball-style arbitration to reach a fair market-based deal and restore channels for the benefit of consumers
ENGLEWOOD, Colo., October 31, 2018 – DISH and Sling TV announced today that AT&T has made the unprecedented move to pull HBO and Cinemax content from DISH and Sling TV subscribers, after making untenable demands designed specifically to harm customers, particularly those in rural areas, as well as damage competing pay-tv providers.
Despite an opposing antitrust lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), AT&T acquired Time Warner, including HBO and Cinemax, earlier this year. There were no guidelines set in place to ensure that AT&T “played fair” for HBO and Cinemax subscribers, regardless of their pay-TV provider.
“Plain and simple, the merger created for AT&T immense power over consumers,” said Andy LeCuyer, DISH senior vice president of Programming. “It seems AT&T is implementing a new strategy to shut off its recently acquired content from other distributors. This may be the first of many HBO blackouts for consumers across the country. AT&T no longer has incentive to come to an agreement on behalf of consumer choice; instead, it’s been given the power to grab more money or steal away customers.”
On August 6, the DOJ appealed the Court’s decision to allow the merger.
AT&T’s first HBO blackout ever is exceptionally harmful to rural Americans who don’t have the same broadband access as customers living in large cities. Customers with sufficient internet service can substitute HBO Now, the direct-to-consumer streaming offering from HBO. The majority of DISH’s HBO subscriber base is located in rural areas with limited broadband access and likely won’t be able to watch HBO or Cinemax without a satellite connection.
“AT&T’s actions are a deliberate slap in the face to rural Americans,” said LeCuyer. “And furthermore, they are anticompetitive. AT&T, a company worth more than $200 billion, is intentionally punishing those who don’t have big-city broadband access, in an attempt to push customers to the only other satellite provider, its own DirecTV.”
“DISH was founded in 1980 as a company serving rural America,” added LeCuyer. “We’ve been named the top pay-TV company in customer satisfaction by J.D. Power because we put our customers first. We’re fighting back against AT&T on behalf of consumers in small towns across this country who want to be served, not used.”
The market for HBO has changed since DISH last signed a carriage deal in 2015: HBO set the market price at $15 per month with its launch of the direct-to-consumer HBO Now service; and AT&T has announced plans to launch a new direct-to-consumer HBO service next year.
“Usually when there is a programming dispute, we don’t see eye to eye on rates; but HBO has already set the going rate, so now they’re seeking to extract money a different way,” said LeCuyer.
AT&T is demanding DISH pay for a guaranteed number of subscribers, regardless of how many consumers actually want to subscribe to HBO.
“AT&T is stacking the deck with free-for-life offerings to wireless customers and slashed prices on streaming services, effectively trying to force DISH to subsidize HBO on AT&T’s platforms,” said LeCuyer. “This is the exact anticompetitive behavior that critics of the AT&T-Time Warner merger warned us about. Every pay-TV company should be concerned.”
DISH remains committed to finding a way to serve its customers. DISH would welcome binding, baseball-style arbitration to determine the fair market value of HBO and Cinemax. During the arbitration process, AT&T would be required to restore its channels to DISH customers.
“Rather than trying to force consumers onto their platforms, we suggest that AT&T try to achieve its financial goals through simple economics: if consumers want your product, they’ll pay for it. We hope AT&T will reconsider its demands and help us reach a swift, fair resolution,” added LeCuyer.
DISH and eligible Sling TV customers will be credited on their bill for time they do not receive HBO or Cinemax. DISH is also offering customers a free preview of HDNET Movies which showcases the best in box office hits and award-winning films, uncut and commercial free.
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