It seems to me that D* is consciously aiming for the HD subscriber which is the man. I think DISH is playing more of a numbers game with channels like Fishing-HD. Yea the Lifetime channels are big but I bet NO ONE on this forum watches them (I have them locked and hidden myself). Not having Lifetime-HD or the LMN-HD is not a deal breaker since the wife can still watch it in SD. But try telling an HD enthusiast man he has to watch his favorite shows in SD when its available in HD. Yea we want all the channels in HD; even the channels for the wife or girlfriend, but not as much as we want the channels for ourselves. :up
I don't think there is a mass exodus going on from D* to E* to get Lifetime-HD.
This could all just be my scewd view of things but it could explain the D* sub numbers compared to E*'s.
We're not referring to Lifetime (though I have occasionally caught a mainstream flick on there). The only channels DirecTV has that Dish doesn't are FX, Speed, the Viacoms, and some RSNs.
Some channels DirecTV (and in many cases, Dish) is missing:
Travel HD
More premiums in HD (there are a lot)
AMC HD
IFC HD
ESPNU HD
G4 HD
E! HD
Outdoor Channel HD
MavTV HD
To me, DirecTV aims for the SPORTS subscriber, which is frequently the man, but not always. My life personally does not revolve around sports.
DirecTV has better numners because
in some ways they are a better provider. But not everything comes up roses at DirecTV, either.