Nexstar Dispute

I see that ESPN and Disney settled with Charter.  Happened because people started a class action lawsuit against Charter because they were paying for channels no longer available.  I think Direct TV customers need to do the same.  I will be switching next week.  Had to get a free trial of Fubo just to watch the Packers this Sunday.  Trial will last through next weeks game and then I will make the switch.

@EminiusEplus 

Whether you get 20, 5, or 1 local channel (regardless what specific network it is) you are getting what you pay for. The packages include locals in general, not a guaranteed set of channels.

Base package cost only adjusts annually. They do not adjust cost mid-year because a channel owner creates waves. However if you log onto your account you might be able to take advantage of a one-time courtesy credit for the situation. When the prices adjust (usually in January with notice in December) that takes into account all prior negotiations (not just Nexstar).

Go where works for you. Just understand that this can happen with any provider you go with.

The "fine print" in the Disney/ESPN settlement with Charter is the dropping of some Disney and other network channels from the package(s).  I assume that was done to keep the prices about the same.

I don't have enough insight into the entire list of 159 channels that Nexstar owns, so I won't speculate as to whether or not a similar "drop some channels to keep the revised prices reasonable" outcome will be forthcoming between DirecTV and Nexstar.

@PCBPCBPCB  I’m not familiar with that one, but there are a number of OTA  DVR devices with different capabilities and costs (TiVo, HDHomeRun, Tablo, and others).   (I went to their website, and it looks dicey - it’s hard to tell exactly what they offer, what it costs, etc.)

I do have a (real!) question. I’m not that serious a sports fan - I’ll watch some games, but only live. If I miss one, I’m happy with reading recaps and seeing highlights. I wonder at your comment “Most of us are watching a recording”. Is that true - that hardcore sports watchers really don’t watch live?  I guess there is something to that, because the sheer number of complaints about problems recording sports indicates the desire is common, but it seems odd to me. 

@Phil_m The rep you spoke to likely didn’t know you might be affected by the Nexstar issue. Nexstar is the largest single owner of local stations, but that doesn’t mean everyone, or even most people, have a Nexstar station.  The FCC rules limit a single owner to stations that reach at most 39% of households, so actually most people won’t have a Nexstar station. (I’m in a top 20 DMA, and I don’t.)  Perhaps the rep could have researched it (checked your location against a list of impacted stations) but that’s probably asking a bit much - though it would have been good if they at least were less confident about it or warned that some locations would have issues. 

I can only speak for my household, but we watch a lot of our favorite teams taped to avoid “heart attacks”. When we do watch live, we often also tape to rewatch later (if we win)….ESPN+ helps a lot with getting access to games we miss.  
We aren’t leaving DIRECTV anytime soon. We can survive without ABC. It would help if DIRECTV treated frustrated customers respectfully during our tantrums (and yes they are often hissy fits). Being treated condescendingly, in a snarky manner , as if we’re idiots, doesn’t make anyone more likely to stay. Concrete options to view our missing channels are appreciated. 

@nashman320 

Yes anyone who calls and speaks to someone at DirecTV should be treated respectfully. They would understandably be annoyed having to field the same discussion over and over without having power to do anything or have new info to provide, but they should conduct themselves in a professional manner.

Though I personally wouldn't hold it against any of them if they reacted naturally to anyone who did throw a tantrum or hissy fit. Everyone has their breaking part.

We all hope the situation will come to a solid resolution before long. Then how long until the next channel owner starts this all over again.

In my continued effort to beat a dead horse, I’ve been a cable customer for 35+ years. I’m addicted to tv. I cannot remember ever losing a primary channel (ABC/NBC/CBS) for over 2 months. 2-3 weeks - maybe. My main hope during this is for other companies to see the value in compromising sooner rather than later. 

Well you are not the only one addicted. There are many out there who don't know what to do with themselves without their TV (be it their accustom channel or the entirety of it). A phenomenon I have witnessed often with 'western' themed channels.

I hope it resolves soon as well so we can all get on with our lives. I grew up on regular antenna with some 'small' exposure to pay TV until I ended up getting my own service. And that was because I was not getting enough enjoyment out of locals. So I can take them or leave them, not a deciding factor for me on service options. And I'll still go outside, read a book, or find something on the computer to do instead of TV.

The problem is that Nexstar apparently doesn’t see a lot of value in compromising.  Not having a contract with DTV is costing them money, but they seem to be hoping that the pain it is costing DTV is greater and that DTV will fold and give them what they want, which would presumably set a precedent for their contract negotiations with other carriers.  In general, it appears station owners have increasingly been playing hardball, perhaps due to decreasing ad revenue, and there isn’t very much leverage available to push back on them.  And Nexstar is playing the hardest, probably believing (because of how many stations they own, so how many subscribers they can get riled up against the carrier - DTV in this case) that they have all the leverage.  And they might be right.  But because DTV doesn’t charge a differentiated broadcast station fee (which could let subscribers who get Nexstar stations be the only ones to pay for an agreement giving Nexstar the big payday they want), I and others who don’t get any Nexstar stations would also end up paying more (for others people’s locals), and that would tick us off.   So there won’t be any winners here except Nexstar. 

@fmorriso I’m surprised that Disney agreed to break up their bundle - that’s very much not how the content providers like to operate.  But if they did, OK. However the Disney situation and the Nexstar situation are very different, because the two own completely different types of “channels”.  Disney’s “channels” are content networks (ABC, FX, FXX, ESPN, Disney, etc., etc., etc.). They can choose to provide Charter only some of their networks, and all Charter subscribers will have access to the same ones.  So perhaps Charter subscribers would no longer get FX and FXX, but would still get the rest.  Nexstar’s “channels” are local broadcast stations that transmit other networks’ content (ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, CW).  They can’t drop some content - all they could do is say that some DTV subscribers wouldn’t (ever) get their local Fox or CBS (or whatever) channel back. That doesn’t solve anyone’s problem/desire - certainly not that of the DTV subscribers who don’t get their stations back, and not really either DTV’s or Nexstar’s.  (And for that reason I’d think there would be zero chance it would happen.)

@Juniper 

"The service in no way guarantees any specific channel. Package includes locals, but no promise about any local always or ever being there. Whether you get 20, 5, or even just 1 local, you get exactly what you pay for."

By that logic they could get rid of every channel  but one and you could still argue, you are getting whay you pay for. Pffft

Juniper, Looking through your posts are you sure you are not a Direct TV employee or an independent contractor that works for Direct TV? You certainly do defend Direct TV in your posts.  Just think you should be open about your connection.  Let's hope this dispute is fixed this week or Direct TV will lose a customer.  Not that the big corporate conglomerate will miss me, but guy has to do what a guy has to do.

@KBNUCK 

Getting rid of every channel but one certainly would be covered by that clause, however it is unrealistic as that would be a horrible value no matter who you are. So that wouldn't happen. But channels can come and go at any time.

Folks subscribe to services like DIRECTV expecting a consistent list of at least basic popular channels. They want what they signed up for regardless of the legal language that allows them to be dropped on a whim. Technically, legally they may come and go, but the ones being lost currently in the Nexstar dispute are mainstays like ABC/NBC. 

Follow up to my "fine print" post about the Disney/Charter dispute resolution:

from CNN:

The deal, however, did result in Charter dropping a number of lesser-watched channels from its lineup. Those channels are Baby TV, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Freeform, FXM, FXX, Nat Geo Wild and Nat Geo Mundo.

From ABC:

Monday's deal reduces the size of the Disney “bundle” from 27 to 19 networks, but still guarantees that Disney will be paid for a large percentage of those stations.

I will not be surprised if Nexstar and DirecTV settle their current dispute in a similar manner, with the usual "the devil is in the details" fine print.

@nashman320 They do, but they also expect (relatively) consistent pricing, and these 2 things conflict when the content providers - that DirecTV pay using our subscription fees - don’t see a reason to keep their charges consistent.  When that happens, something has to give - content goes away, prices go up (which they always did, but not as fast as they seem to now), or the content providers have to moderate their demanded increases.  This last seems the best (except to them), but there’s often little leverage that can be brought to bear against them except the threat of dropping their channels. But as you note, that basically doesn’t work in the case of most local broadcast stations - especially the ones that carry sports - because the viewers really want them and the station owners are good at taking advantage of that. 

@fmorriso - As I said earlier, that doesn’t work. Nexstar isn’t a content provider and doesn’t have a bundle of networks they can pare down. They own individual stations scattered around the country.  Keeping a station in city A and getting rid of a station in city B might save DirecTV some money, but doesn’t help the viewers in city B at all.  In fact, their subscription cost will probably go up even though they lost a local. That isn’t going to fly with them.