Cord cutting revisited

[CreightonWarrior]

Only if YTTV goes without ESPN for "an extended period," whatever that means. They never defined it.

you have to think they figure it out today, it's too big of an outage to for customer retention. That being said, if it went 6 days they'd probably be like "oh shoot, an extended period means 7 days!" 

[mu_hilltopper]

Attention consumers:  When your carrier can't reach an agreement with some network and it goes off the air .. rejoyce.   That network is asking for too much money, and your carrier is fighting them. 

The only protest you should lodge is against the networks, trying to take more money out of your pocket.

[bluebodega]

Attention consumers:  When your carrier can't reach an agreement with some network and it goes off the air .. rejoyce.   That network is asking for too much money, and your carrier is fighting them. 

The only protest you should lodge is against the networks, trying to take more money out of your pocket.

I support that theory in general except for the fact that this carrier has dropped several networks while continuing to raise prices as though they still carried those networks.

YTTV in this example isn't passing savings on to consumers. If YTTV lowered their price a significant amount for not having sports regionals, tennis channel, MLB Network, others, etc... then that would make more sense. They won't. I understand that. And that makes them part of the problem too.

Years ago YTTV raised their prices because they added sports regionals. They quickly dropped them. And the price never went down. it continued to rise rapidly. Any time YTTV wants to pass that savings on to the consumer would be a good tine to start. YTTV has raised their prices 137% in 7 years.

[Pakuni]

Attention consumers:  When your carrier can't reach an agreement with some network and it goes off the air .. rejoyce.   That network is asking for too much money, and your carrier is fighting them. 

The only protest you should lodge is against the networks, trying to take more money out of your pocket.

Normally I'd agree, but Google/Alphabet isn't really looking out for their customers here. If they cared, they'd just absorb all or some of the added costs in light of, as bluebodega notes, significant price hikes in recent years that haven't been accompanied by significant product enhancements. Other than getting to watch four things at once - very cool on a college football/hoops Saturday - the YTTV I have now isn't any different/better than the one I signed up for five years ago.

What I imagine might be happening here is that Disney is trying to force YTTV to hike its prices, or add an additional and costly sports tier, in hopes it drives some subscribers to Hulu Live and/or the new ESPN app. If there's a villain here, it's definitely the mouse, but that doesn't make Google the good guy.

[Mr. Nielsen]

The next couple Saturdays I am pretty busy so no real need for ESPN and their college football coverage. If not resolved by the Packers / Eagles MNF game, I will need to figure something out.
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The biggest ESPN games are on ABC, with the new SEC deal. I have an antenna. This might be done by Saturday.

[MU82]

Checked out a few options for the Marquette-Indiana game if this thing isn't settled by Nov. 9.

Fubo and DirecTV both have 5-day free trials, and Sling has a $4.99 day pass.

Fortunately I can watch the ESPN+ (or whatever it's called) games on Hulu.

[mu_hilltopper]

I support that theory in general except for the fact that this carrier has dropped several networks while continuing to raise prices as though they still carried those networks.

YTTV in this example isn't passing savings on to consumers.

These disputes aren't over price decreases, they're over how high the price *increase* is. 

I asked a couple LLMs, and besides several network disputes/removals, every channel (except for today's Disney/ABC dispute) have been reinstated.  YTTV has never dropped a channel permanently, and therefore YTTV wouldn't be reducing prices due to a reduction in service.

(This isn't a shock.  Every network caves eventually.  Their product is perishable and some (huge) money, and ad viewers are better than zero.)

I wouldn't suggest that anyone is "good" in this process.  Networks want to raise prices.  Carriers want to sell their product at a competitive price, with increases that don't lose them customers. 

[bluebodega]

Checked out a few options for the Marquette-Indiana game if this thing isn't settled by Nov. 9.

Fubo and DirecTV both have 5-day free trials, and Sling has a $4.99 day pass.

Fortunately I can watch the ESPN+ (or whatever it's called) games on Hulu.

I was told about DirecTV free trial as well. A friend likes it. No issues. They are also offering a first month discount beyond the trial.

[bluebodega]

These disputes aren't over price decreases, they're over how high the price *increase* is. 

I asked a couple LLMs, and besides several network disputes/removals, every channel (except for today's Disney/ABC dispute) have been reinstated.  YTTV has never dropped a channel permanently, and therefore YTTV wouldn't be reducing prices due to a reduction in service.

(This isn't a shock.  Every network caves eventually.  Their product is perishable and some (huge) money, and ad viewers are better than zero.)

I wouldn't suggest that anyone is "good" in this process.  Networks want to raise prices.  Carriers want to sell their product at a competitive price, with increases that don't lose them customers. 

For the $8/mo price, YTTV has not carried sports regionals, TC, MLB Network, and some other channels for many years.

[dgies9156]

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Disney/Google dispute is the importance of the YTTV delivery channel. The technological development that makes this possible ultimately can and will doom over-the-air broadcast television.

In effect, over-the-air television is the 21st century version of the afternoon newspaper. Or, heck, all newspapers. Broadcast's technology is outdated, local programming is very weak and generally limited to a program laughingly called "news." The combination of an programming aggregator like YTTV along with app subscriptions is far more convenient.

Plus: they all are unregulated. In fact, one of the issues in media boardrooms should be, "how long should we go before we just terminate our affiliate relationships and put our programs on either an app or an aggregator?

Another question: how long before YTTV, AT&T, Comcast, Dish and other aggregators themselves become highly obsolete.

[The Sultan]

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Disney/Google dispute is the importance of the YTTV delivery channel. The technological development that makes this possible ultimately can and will doom over-the-air broadcast television.

In effect, over-the-air television is the 21st century version of the afternoon newspaper. Or, heck, all newspapers. Broadcast's technology is outdated, local programming is very weak and generally limited to a program laughingly called "news." The combination of an programming aggregator like YTTV along with app subscriptions is far more convenient.

Plus: they all are unregulated. In fact, one of the issues in media boardrooms should be, "how long should we go before we just terminate our affiliate relationships and put our programs on either an app or an aggregator?

Another question: how long before YTTV, AT&T, Comcast, Dish and other aggregators themselves become highly obsolete.

You could have written this post 10-15 years ago.

[dgies9156]

You could have written this post 10-15 years ago.

Probably but with the development off ultra-fast internet, it's far more likely today than ever before.

[The Sultan]

Probably but with the development off ultra-fast internet, it's far more likely today than ever before.

You could have written this post 10-15 years ago.

[reinko]

Anyone know, since this is an "ESPN+" broadcast game, with a YTTV subscription, will I be able to watch tonight? (I have the ESPN+, Hulu, Disney+ bundle)

[Jay Bee]

Anyone know, since this is an "ESPN+" broadcast game, with a YTTV subscription, will I be able to watch tonight? (I have the ESPN+, Hulu, Disney+ bundle)

You're talking about completely different things. YTTV will get you nothing. If you have the right ESPN/HULU/DISNEY bundle, you should be good. #pray

[reinko]

You're talking about completely different things. YTTV will get you nothing. If you have the right ESPN/HULU/DISNEY bundle, you should be good. #pray

Well actually, they are related.  YTTV no longer has ESPN/ABC broadcasts, even with the ESPN+ subscription, I can't watch ESPN/ESPN2/ABC broadcasts...Thus, I was curious that as a YTTV subscriber and a ESPN+ subscriber, would THAT allow me access an ESPN+ broadcast game (since I have to login with YTTV credentials on ESPN+).

But thanks, I guess?

[Jay Bee]

Well actually, they are related.  YTTV no longer has ESPN/ABC broadcasts, even with the ESPN+ subscription, I can't watch ESPN/ESPN2/ABC broadcasts...Thus, I was curious that as a YTTV subscriber and a ESPN+ subscriber, would THAT allow me access an ESPN+ broadcast game (since I have to login with YTTV credentials on ESPN+).

But thanks, I guess?

u r sounding confuzed

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Well actually, they are related.  YTTV no longer has ESPN/ABC broadcasts, even with the ESPN+ subscription, I can't watch ESPN/ESPN2/ABC broadcasts...Thus, I was curious that as a YTTV subscriber and a ESPN+ subscriber, would THAT allow me access an ESPN+ broadcast game (since I have to login with YTTV credentials on ESPN+).

But thanks, I guess?

Access through the ESPN+ app not through Youtube.

[Jay Bee]

Just signed up for ESPN Select. Was quick & easy; watched a lil of the #muWbb game. May take a nap now to prep for the game tonight.

[The Sultan]

You know, the fact that this dispute between Google and Disney continues to go on is really maddening.  Two companies who made eight figures in profit last year are fighting it out and preventing people from watching college football, NFL, the kick off of college basketball, etc. It's too bad that both sides of the aisle are bought and paid for because I think politicians could rally people around this as an issue. Because this really is the sh*t that drives people nuts.

[CreightonWarrior]

Still haven't hit our $20 credit threshold though. Better figure it out by Monday.

[Pakuni]

I'll be interested in seeing the MNF overnights and whether that forces either side to budge. Can't imagine one of Disney's most important partners will be happy if there's a notable viewership decline for its marquee product, especially when Dallas is playing.

Awful Announcing thinks Disney is losing $5 million a day just in carriage fees while this goes on. Not massive for a company that made $91 billion last year, but not nothing either.

[dgies9156]

You know, the fact that this dispute between Google and Disney continues to go on is really maddening.  Two companies who made eight figures in profit last year are fighting it out and preventing people from watching college football, NFL, the kick off of college basketball, etc. It's too bad that both sides of the aisle are bought and paid for because I think politicians could rally people around this as an issue. Because this really is the sh*t that drives people nuts.

Nobody is "preventing us" from watching sports. We just can't watch what we want how we want to watch it.

This is not a political issue. Neither Disney programming nor Google distribution  are regulated by the FCC. Disney's ABC Owned and Operated stations are regulated, but that's an old-school technology that will largely be gone in the years ahead.

A right to view college and professional sports in a manner to which you have become accustom is neither found in our Constitution nor in the Communications Act. Ditto for my wife's desire to watch Jeopardy (which is carried by our local ABC affiliate). Perhaps if enough people become aggravated, maybe new laws governing carriage will force the hands of major programming providers and distributors. Given the current regulatory thrust in government, this is unlikely.

In the meantime, hunt around. You may not get Tennessee vs. Oklahoma, or Georgia and Florida, but there were some good games available on YTTV last Saturday.

[The Sultan]

Nobody is "preventing us" from watching sports. We just can't watch what we want how we want to watch it.

This is not a political issue. Neither Disney programming nor Google distribution  are regulated by the FCC. Disney's ABC Owned and Operated stations are regulated, but that's an old-school technology that will largely be gone in the years ahead.

A right to view college and professional sports in a manner to which you have become accustom is neither found in our Constitution nor in the Communications Act. Ditto for my wife's desire to watch Jeopardy (which is carried by our local ABC affiliate).

Yes, I know all of this.

Perhaps if enough people become aggravated, maybe new laws governing carriage will force the hands of major programming providers and distributors. Given the current regulatory thrust in government, this is unlikely.

This is basically what I am saying. I don't think even regulations would be necessary though. Just a bunch of political pressure because this is the type of stuff that people grow weary of.

In the meantime, hunt around. You may not get Tennessee vs. Oklahoma, or Georgia and Florida, but there were some good games available on YTTV last Saturday.

I am fully aware.

[muwarrior69]

I have had DIRECTV since the early nineties. Switched because our local cable provided had really poor reception and they carried all the New York locals if you wanted to pay for the extra channels.  Then about 10 years ago they dropped all the New York stations based on my zipcode. If I lived a mile further north down the road I would be in the New York dma, but since I am a mile further south I am forced into the Philadelphia dma and only get Philly local channels. We are New York sports fans. It would be nice if they allowed you to pick your local dma, but they don't. Even the streaming services offer local but it depends on your zipcode.