@Orby corp: Cheap channels like Buzzr, France 24, & NHK World

[Amiga]

@Orby Corporate
Please consider adding the cheap seat channels like Buzzr (need my Match Game fix) and international news channels like France 24 and NHK World. I'm under the assumption carrying these international news channels wouldn't put a dent in your programming budget.

 

[harshness]

Just because something is available FTA or over the Internet doesn't mean it is free to retransmit. Most of it isn't.

Licensing often involves giving exclusive rights to someone for retransmission in a particular region. Notice how you can't subscribe to BBC in the US but must endure BBC America instead?

Orby doesn't have unlimited bandwidth so they have to consider the value to all of their customers of what they add.

 

[Amiga]

BBC probably isn't offered because BBC America takes contractual precedence since it's part of AMC Networks. As far as Buzzr, it's FremantleMedia North America's only channel, and it's offered on Dish and now Pluto. I'll make a huge assumption that Buzzr costs very little to carry. Buzzr would more than likely be offered in SD, if bandwidth is a concern. I'm sure Orby could acquire an international news channel, like Al Jazeera, for basically nothing.

 

[cannonz]

Buzzr is OTA sub go to their site to see if in your area, I love Match Game too. GSN Game Show Network is the cable/sat version.

 

[Amiga]

Buzzr is not merely delivered as an OTA subchannel, its also on satellite and available through a stream. GSN / Game Show Network is Buzzr's competition owned by Sony and AT&T. The Weather Channel (think GSN) cost Dish too much, so they now have WeatherNation (think Buzzr). If you're rural or in a smaller market, you ain't getting Buzzr through an antenna.

 

[NYDutch]

Buzzr is not merely delivered as an OTA subchannel, its also on satellite and available through a stream. GSN / Game Show Network is Buzzr's competition owned by Sony and AT&T. The Weather Channel (think GSN) cost Dish too much, so they now have WeatherNation (think Buzzr). If you're rural or in a smaller market, you ain't getting Buzzr through an antenna.

Dish carries the Weather Channel on channel 214. Weather Nation is on 215...

 

[Radioguy41]

People complain about the high cost of cable/satellite and then when a service comes along offering a limited pallet at a reasonable cost the first thing some people want them to do is add back in the limited appeal channels they removed to keep the costs down. There are no free rides with any of these services, they all cost something so adding any will increase Orby's costs and your monthly bill. Maybe you don't mind an increase but I'll bet there are lots of folks who aren't willing to pay extra for channels they don't watch. Wait, doesn't that sound like the number 1 complaint about cable/satellite right now?

 

[KE4EST]

People complain about the high cost of cable/satellite and then when a service comes along offering a limited pallet at a reasonable cost the first thing some people want them to do is add back in the limited appeal channels they removed to keep the costs down. There are no free rides with any of these services, they all cost something so adding any will increase Orby's costs and your monthly bill. Maybe you don't mind an increase but I'll bet there are lots of folks who aren't willing to pay extra for channels they don't watch. Wait, doesn't that sound like the number 1 complaint about cable/satellite right now?

This was almost exactly the post I was gonna make.

 

[dishdude]

No one is signing up for Orby to watch Al Jazeera. Waste of bandwidth.

 

[cannonz]

Apparently you have to live in big cities like Opp Alabama to get OTA subs.

 

[cucasat]

Just got my OrbyTV recently. It has BBC World News, CNN International, and CNN Espanol.

 

[cannonz]

I would assume CNN pays them to carry their channels like they do at airports etc.

 

[harshness]

I would assume CNN pays them to carry their channels like they do at airports etc.

Why would you assume that? Do you live in an airport or other place where there are thousands walking past your TV every day?

CNN may not be the most expensive channel, but you can bet your bottom dollar that they want their pound of flesh.

 

[JSheridan]

Why would you assume that? Do you live in an airport or other place where there are thousands walking past your TV every day?

CNN may not be the most expensive channel, but you can bet your bottom dollar that they want their pound of flesh.

Especially now that they're owned by AT&T.

 

[comfortably_numb]

Apparently you have to live in big cities like Opp Alabama to get OTA subs.

Huh?

 

[harshness]

Apparently you have to live in big cities like Opp Alabama to get OTA subs.

There is no such requirement. That said, Orby is perhaps targeted to subscribers that have serviceable OTA access and no broadband Internet. Absent some way of getting local broadcast channels, it is a hard sell as most of the competitors offer locals at some level.

 

[DJdish]

France 24 streams on YouTube (in English and all their other languages)

 

[harshness]

France 24 streams on YouTube (in English and all their other languages)

Orby is ostensibly for people who can't stream (for whatever reason) so that France 24 is available OTT doesn't help most Orby customers.

 

[cannonz]

Huh?

The OP said good luck getting Buzzr in rural small market, I had just got back from visit there, they have Buzzr and all the other subs.

 

[Ypsiguy]

The OP said good luck getting Buzzr in rural small market, I had just got back from visit there, they have Buzzr and all the other subs.

Within 20 years, 70 pct of the population is going to be living in the urban centers. The digital subchannel owners definitely follow demographics, therefore they will target the urban TV stations first and foremost.
I live in one of those areas and literally now have "basic cable" as free OTA signals. About 30 usable channels, minus the shopping, religious and kids stuff.