DIRECTV dropping OANN?

I have been a Directv customer for over 20 years. That ends now with their dropping OAN. 

The Washington times recently released a very factual article which illustrates the grave danger this country is in with giants like AT&T / DIRECTV silencing news outlets they don’t agree with like OANN.  

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/jan/31/the-lefts-assault-on-(Edited per community guidelines)-news-network-one/

It will be interesting if that factual link gets censored LOL.  

Juniper

Thanks for your reply. Yes, this is a free country and this is an open forum. I can't speak for the rest of the folks here. I'm only able to speak for me and my family. We really like DirecTV even though it's a little more expensive than we would like to pay but c'est la vie. This is what we chose. 

We don't really want to go somewhere else but we're being forced into it.

It's true, DirecTV has no obligation to keep us or OAN but to throw away so many loyal customers just for a letter from two little known members of Congress I think is a financial blunder on the part of DirecTV.

I realize you don't care for OAN but then I'm sure I don't like some programming that you enjoy. That's fine. It's none of my business. 

I'm paying for many channels that I never watch and I knew that long before I ever paid a dime. I never asked DirecTV to drop any channels. I just skip over the ones I don't like.

By the looks of it you've been here a while and according to your profile you've helped solve issues for DirecTV customers. If you're in the forum to help (and you can see I'm new here) maybe let us know where to go to resolve this issue. If you're only here to tell us to "deal with it" it doesn't do any of us any good. 

OAN contract is being cancelled by DTV but also Uverse. I expect Newsmax to follow next as it was by CincinatiTV recently. There is an attack on freedom of speech that will affect other programs and content of all programs. CCP owns various media companys in Hollywood and controls movie script content of new movies and edits content of existing movies.

@Catskills_Dan 

I respect you greatly value OANN. It is not that I "don't care for OANN" but it is not a priority channel for me so doesn't hold a lot of sway for my choice of TV provider. So, I am more middle ground when it comes to the channel.

Yes, it is DirecTV's choice not to support OANN any more with a new carriage agreement. Whether that is a "blunder" or a business manageable decision, is yet to be seen. Time will answer this one.

Understood that this encourages you to find alternatives. But I wouldn't say you are "forced" to go somewhere else, as that is still your choice in the end. This is a bad situation for many, but just want to keep it in perspective.

We all have some channels we watch little or not at all. Networks package the channels to TV providers which require them to package to us. Think Disney, Viacom, etc. that have many channels under their ownership. With OANN they did not have several channels to hold leverage so DirecTV was able to cut ties easier than they would others.

In general, I am in the forum to help from a customer perspective (as I got help years ago). My prior response was rather curt in response to your telling others to not listen to myself and another poster by saying we "are not here to help". I took that to mean as in not helping to get OANN to stay on DirecTV. Whether my understanding on that statement was correct or not, I could have responded better. For that I apologize.

Calling DirecTV and requesting it noted on your account that you are planning to leave of the loss of OANN is an option. It may not have as much influence as those who actually cancel (now or supposedly upon OANN leaving), but it may give them info for the early trend. Just make sure to do so politely and not bash the agent as they are just fielding the calls. For some who claim agents view them as "crazy" for canceling over this, well those agents are humans too with their own likes. Some might agree with you, others not, and some don't really care one way or the other.

For those that have issue more with the reasoning behind the decision, so feeling that DirecTV overstepped their bounds as business (even though they have the rights to decide the way they did), perhaps a BBB complaint could be considered. But I would only do that if you solidly feel that BBB is warranted as that is not an avenue to just complain and vent with a tantrum that some in the forum have done.

I would also encourage you to check OANN's website as they list what other providers, they currently have an agreement with. So that way you know your alternatives.

Thank you for making a post that voices your grievance, but that respects others instead of devolving into vulgar insults, boarding on conspiracy theories, or wildly throws around "patriotic" terms for the apparent use of inciting a frenzy. I just want to mention it as too often there are posts that get so out of hand because the poster just lets their emotions run away with them and exaggerate the situation. And thank you for your recent post giving me the chance to participate in healthy discussion instead of just having to defend my right to be in this thread without solidly agreeing with the position of the majority of those in it.

Patriots are needed in this country…. far from a vulgar term, insult, or conspiracy theory.  High ranking Left woke cancel culture figures are on record for canceling con…ser…vative voices.  It’s far from an conspiracy theory. 

Nice to see finally Juniper expressing he sees both sides rather than constantly defending AT&T / DirectTV.  Good job @Catskills_Dan . 

Juniper. 

I came to this forum thinking I would find a DirecTV representative and thus get answers to what was sprung upon me one night on OAN by Dan Ball that DirecTV would be dropping OANN from its lineup. As a (Edited per community guidelines) I have a very limited number of news outlets that I trust. One America News Network is one of them. I knew about the letter from Representatives Ashoo and McNerney months ago but to see that those two small voices could so influence the largest satellite tv provider took me by surprise. 

I have a feeling that many of the other people that came here did so with somewhat the same reason in mind. 

When you come to something a bit unfamiliar, looking for answers, and get told, it's done, deal with it, it's not what you're looking for. 

I'm just saying this as an explanation not a reprimand, please understand. That's the reason for my previous comment. For that, I too apologize. 

I wasn't saying that "patriot" was vulgar. One of the other posters responded with some rather juvenile insults on Monday, but I don't see that in the list, so I assume it has been removed. However, I do feel some throw around words like "patriot" far too often and in more unpleasant contexts, so feel it devalues it. Not sharing a point of view does not make someone less of a patriot as some seem to imply.

Seeing both sides does not change my mind that it is unlikely DirecTV will change their mind or that it was their right to make the decision. That is not defending, but stating a fact. I have pointed that out as well as options people have, to try and keep a realistic perspective. But I find that complaining about "woke", "left", etc. in so much abundance is more buzz words than substance (in my opinion).

Juniper - thank you for driving home the idea that DIRECTV has already made up its mind about censoring OAN. I was hanging on in part because I thought they had made the announcement early to give customers a chance to respond and that they might change their mind, but since you're on here all day every day I'm assuming you're working for them, or are contracted to them, or something - the name "Juniper" is a bit of a giveaway, since "Juniper Network" technology is a big part of the telecom industry.

Anyway - my family had a meeting a few weeks and decided to move forward with looking for an alternative, and we found it. We signed up a few days ago and are trying it out, so far its working. If all goes according to plan I'll be cancelling DIRECTTV sometime in the next week.

Thanks again for helping push me out the door sooner, I'm getting more channels for less money and couldn't be happier! And I'm still going to have OAN, as well as a lot more.

There's nothing more boring that one single set of news channels that all repeat each other with the same non-news nonsense. I really don't care who called who a bad name, or what "might" happen or "could" be. I want to stay informed about actual events and serious issues.  OAN is one of the few who still report actual news. But DIRECTTV clearly is eliminating that and just focusing on the stupid "news". No thanks.

Good luck and thanks again.

SOH- Amen! I will be dropping Directv the VERY DAY they remove OANN because they have left me no “choice”. Maybe doing it that day will make an impact! Get them where it hurts… $$! Spread the word. 

@SOH 

DirecTV has not "Censored" OANN. They have chosen not to continue carrying and paying for it so will not renew the agreement. Actual censorship would be if they kept the channel, but censored out certain programs or content within those programs. But not being in business together anymore is not censorship.

I do not work for AT&T/DirecTV. My user name Juniper is in no way a "giveaway" as you claim. I simply found something that I felt rolled off the tongue well and liked the sound of it. So my user name was nothing to do with the telecom industry but originated from flora. Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae.

I did not push you out the door. That is your own decision and be it good or bad the outcome is solely on you.

SOH, I love your post. My sentiments exactly!! 

My family is looking for alternatives too. Which providers did you end up going with? 

What happened to the old saying: "The customer is always right"

Seriously?

No one from management is looking at these posts? Then why was I "(Edited per community guidelines)" for calling myself a "c..servative" ?

That's now a wash your mouth out with Granny's lye soap bad word?

If managment can see this then why can't they see what's going on here?