Maybe not for you. This time around, it literally took me a 10 minute phone call. All I had to do was start the conversation with their rep off with, "So, I'm looking to cancel as I've received a very good deal from u-verse." I can't help it if other people don't know what they can and can't do. I'm merely pointing out that it's a simple process. If you call your company and they aren't willing to work with you, should you be their customer anyway...especially with many more choices than you had in the past? The fact of the matter is, if you're under a contract right now and they add CSN tomorrow, your rate is not going up tomorrow. It's up to you to get yourself a better deal when it's time to renew.
Okay, ten minutes is not true. It took me more than a half hour to call and go through their whole wave of prompts, waiting queues, and transfers. Secondly, who has a half hour to negotiate pricing for every item that you purchase? Cable TV isn't a car loan or a mortgage. The fact of the matter is that cable TV pricing has gone up significantly and adding RSN's adds to the costs incurred which adds to prices we pay. You're naïve in thinking your cable pricing never goes up. I mean that's just silly.
Cable isn't every item, and you usually only call once a year or 6 months. If you want to overpay for your service, that is your choice. If $10-$20/month isn't worth your time, you have more valuable time than most, and probably shouldn't be complaining about your cable bill going up.
Half an hour? Do you struggle with telephones? I just called in and the time on my phone says it took 4:59 for the entire call. I got $5 off my HBO for 6 months and a $7 bill credit for the next 6 months as courtesy simply by telling them I'm unhappy that I'm paying so much and wanted to cancel all my premiums. Edit: According to my phone the last time I called and complained was 4-6 and I got Starz free for 6 months. Time of call 2:13 So two phone calls took me a total of 7 minutes and 12 seconds.
Well, I for one was mad as hell, but I didn't at that time have a BBS on which to b**** about it. Frankly, I *still* think it sucks. I grew up watching my Astros on 26 KRIV (before it was "Fox") and then on Channel 20 (before it was "UPN"). Also, I could catch THREE games on Saturday! Two on CBS and one on NBC. Those were the days! Nowadays, you have to have cable to see your Rockets or Astros, and on weekends over the air all you get is golf or bunch of damn rednecks turning left. It freaking sucks. /rant
I agree. From where I sit, I can see a transition starting to take place where content such as TV/movies/sports will be increasing delivered not by cable or satellite but from the Internet via set top boxes like Apple TV or Roku or smart TVs that are Internet aware. As this transition takes place, your scenario of ala-carte pricing is poised to become more and more the norm. What CSN is attempting to do is jump onto the RSN bandwagon where teams are increasingly trying to milk extra revenue from the provider's subscriber base by getting their RSNs on the base tier. In the article I quoted, they point to this as the prime driving force behind larger and larger pay TV bills which, in turn, is what's driving consumers to seek other more cost effective solutions like Internet-based TV or ala-carte pricing.
This is likely to EVENTUALLY happen. But no time soon, IMO. There are too many people around the country who don't have access to TRULY highspeed Internet service. And most that do, get it from the CABLE provider along with TV. Until old copper lines/DSL get converted to Fiber or something else - The US TV model won't be changing.
Disgree - the model is already changing. More and more people are cancelling cable services and just using the combo of network streaming sites (ABC.com, etc), Hulu, Netflix, etc. Total cable subscribers peaked in 2009 and fell for the first time ever in 2010. The trend of people cutting out cable is still small, but it's already in motion - and will only grow as broadband grows faster and more sites offering streaming shows. And some networks are already exploring direct sell channels. For example, HBO is now exploring offering HBO-Go Streaming for a monthly fee without a cable subscription of any sort. HBO is a little unique in that they already are a pay network, but if the model works, more and more networks will consider it. If nothing else, they will consider it as an alternative to put pressure on providers to pay the rates they want. Like I said, it's not going to happen overnight, but we're on an inevitable collision path with some type of ala-carte model that also slashes the number of stations out there. It's just where the economics of the whole thing make the most sense. Not sure how far along we'll be in 5 years, but I'm pretty certain the trend will have started in some definitive form by then.
Well, if it is something that could start to shift during the next 10 years, that would certainly fall within the window of the deal they are trying to cut here and would be more reason for the providers not to tie themselves up in a long term contract that they could lose millions and millions and millions
True, this model is the future - But, it's the distant future at best. HBO, is a leader in that arena, IMO, because they just have SOOO much content that people want to see. There's really no reason for other premium channels to follow suit. Thier orginal content is nowhere close to the calibur of HBO's. And the movies that they offer are already being streamed on Netflix, Vudu, Hule, etc... And there is a trend of people cutting cable, but I'm sure that can be directly attributed to the economy and not streaming tech. For most, streaming has been more of a convenient compliment to cable - Not a replacement, not yet anyway. If there's any industry that should be worried about it's death in the near future due to streaming, it's that of the DVD/Blue-ray.
Agree, especially with the last part. Physical media will be dead in the very near future. I'd be surprised if 5 years from now that movies are still being released on DVD. It's been happening with music for a while. Does anybody actually buy CD's anymore? They'll be dead even sooner.
Astros owner Crane worries about CSNH's financial pinch As Comcast SportsNet Houston approaches its ninth month without full distribution, the Astros/Rockets/NBC Sports Group partnership is low on funds and faces "tough decisions" about its future, Astros owner Jim Crane said Friday. Crane said the network does not face irreparable financial damage and will remain on the air, but the partners might have to make financial decisions if NBC is unable to increase revenue by closing carriage deals with national carriers such as DirecTV, Dish Network and AT&T U-verse or regional carriers such as Suddenlink and Time Warner Cable. "Without coverage, the network is not making money and so without the other (carriers) signing up and paying, there are things that can happen as the entity draws down on its credit," Crane said. "As that goes on, we run out of money, and we are going to have to make some tough decisions. "There are mechanisms for that in the plan. We're not going to go bust or anything, but basically it becomes more difficult for everybody to operate if we don't get coverage." He said all options are on the table for the network owned by the Astros (46.4 percent), Rockets (30.9 percent) and NBC (22.7 percent). "There are rights fees involved, there is equity involved, there is long-term viability, overhead costs, and all of those things are in play," Crane said. "It is what it is. It's a business deal, and we've got to get it to a point where it makes good sense for everybody and move forward." Meeting with mayor Crane and Rockets CEO Tad Brown are scheduled to meet Monday with Mayor Annise Parker and with representatives of Suddenlink, which services Kingwood, Humble and several cable systems across Texas and the five-state area serviced by CSN Houston, on carriage talks for the network. CSN Houston is available in about 40 percent of Houston's 2.2 million TV households, and an offer to providers for a free-view period through the end of May was picked up by only a few local carriers in the Houston area. Crane will assume the Astros' position on the four-member CSN Houston board that was held by George Postolos, who resigned Monday as Astros president and CEO. Crane acknowledged that carriage pickup rates for CSN Houston, which launched in October, "certainly hasn't gone like we wanted it to." "We want to get fans to see the games," he said. "What they have to understand is there's big economics here, and it's not only for this year or next year. It's a long-term deal. "If we cut a bad deal moving forward, it will have significant impact for us competing against the Rangers and Angels and Mariners. So we are really focused to get the games on as soon as we can, but we also are focused on the long-term credibility and viability financially against our competitors, and the TV deal is a big part of that." West tough in TV, too The American League West could be one of the most competitive divisions in baseball in that regard. The Rangers and Angels have deals with Fox Sports Net that include equity interests in their respective regional sports networks - Fox Sports Southwest and Fox Sports West - and the Mariners announced plans to form an RSN partnership with their carrier Root Sports, owned by DirecTV. Rights fees are in play, as are future equity exchanges. Brown had no comment on Crane's remarks but added the Rockets "completely agree with Jim that the single most important issue we both face is and remains securing network carriage for our fans." Matt Hutchings, CSN Houston's president and general manager, referred questions to NBC Sports Group officials. Officials had no comment, but all signs point toward NBC's long-term support for CSN Houston's success. _______________ <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Astros">#Astros</a>' Crane told @<a href="https://twitter.com/dfbarron">dfbarron</a> an investor cash-call is possible because of CSN Houston's initial financial struggles.</p>— Brian T. Smith (@ChronAstros) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChronAstros/status/335604865411735552">May 18, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Confirms what I thought about this negotiation from the beginning...the Rockets and Astros aren't steering the ship. They're pro sports teams...not media moguls. CSN/NBC is carrying the ball in negotiations of this deal which is to them just a battle in a larger war. And now the Rockets and Astros are left to figure out what to do...partcularly the highly leveraged ownership of the Astros. Trust me...Jim Crane needs a deal here more than you and I need to watch CSN on Uverse.
