Direct TV and their continuing "dropped channel negotiations"

DTV doesn't drop channels the channel owners will remove their feed if DTV doesn't cave in and pay what they are asking to renew the contract thereby raising your bill more then what DTV planed on.

DirecTV is not dropping WSBTV. That is not the situation.

What is happening is the carriage agreement between DirecTV and Cox Media (the owner of WSBTV) has come up. The local affiliate owner is using this "scare tactic" to leverage customers against the TV provider to further raise costs. Only the channel owner may remove the feed as they own the broadcast rights.

We as customers can not give in to the demands of the local affiliates by using a regular antenna for the free broadcast. May even get additional channels in range. Hopefully the channel doesn't go off, but if it does it is usually only temporary while a new deal is hashed out.

If WSBTV is truly the "ONLY" channel you watch, why have pay TV at all? Even if you are in a bad reception area for locals, you could lower your package all the way down the the Family package putting you in the double digits of cost.

Looks like 2017 was the last time they went through this with that exact channel, so about a 4 year agreement. Just that time again.

@Juniper no reason to lie, it is “truly” the ONLY channel I watch.  However, I do have a husband who watches or should I say flips channels. From Good Morning America to Nightline my tv (and yes I have my own tv) stays on channel 2 (ABC)

Only if the channel owner pulls the channel. No one here knows what they will do.

Sure but it is DTV’s responsibility to maintain the channel lineup we pay for.  This happened a few months ago on the NBC affiliate and I was unable to see a few NCAA games or SNL for several weeks.  I understand there are alternative methods of receiving local stations but I pay for DTV to deliver.

We’re disappointed Cox Media Group has put you into the middle, and just know we want to keep these stations in your lineup. Yet the law grants Cox control over who is allowed to receive these channels. We continue to work with Cox to avoid any unnecessary disruption.

ATTHelp - thanks for your response but just know that I hold ATT/Direct TV responsible for delivering this channel especially for an event like the Superbowl during a Pandemic when gatherings at say a Comcast customer's house is ill advised.  Blaming it on Cox is an empty argument.  There are 2 parties to any agreement.  Please get this fixed before Sunday.

Read the TOS channels and programming are subject to change at anytime.  You pay DTV for the service not for specific channels.

DTV/AT&T is not shutting down anything, it is the station owner that decides to remove their feed because DTV will not cave in to their price to renew the contract.

And here we go again 🤦🤦🤦🤦

Super Bowl LV will be broadcast on CBS.  CBS is a free Over The Air network.  Unless you have specific environmental issues, you should be able to pick up CBS with an OTA antenna.

@ 76thPhoolispizzed 

Ok come back to reality. AT&T/DirecTV are not "closing down" anything. The Super Bowl is not being "blacked out" on your local. So please get your head "out of the sand" and grasp what actually is happening.

Carriage agreement came up between TV provider and local affiliate. The local affiliate threatens to pull their feed unless TV provider agrees to the higher rates they want. That is not a blackout of an individual event. That is the channel owner holding out for more money/higher bill for us customers. TV provider (AT&T/DirecTV) is trying to minimize any cost increases. Ideally they would avoid, but everything goes up over the years (look at gas prices over the last few decades).

Unfortunately some channels manage to time their agreements around key events (Super Bowl this time) or shows (AMC a while back did similar in the middle of season for The Walking Dead). This way they get more leverage.

So why don't you yell at your local for not waiting until after the Super Bowl to do this (or even not do this at all)? Just make sure you go in with the facts instead of bad assumptions.

This argument goes both ways - whoever wants more or less in their contract should hold the line this year. Subscribers are customers of BOTH  ATT and the local affiliate, and neither one should forget that.
The original poster is correct -  doesn’t seem fair no matter which one - local or ATT - is creating the issue.  (Edited per community guidelines) it up like all of us have had to do for the last year (other than politicians - who never miss a paycheck)

off my soapbox 

 The local channels want more money DTV can cave and pay them what they want and raise the price higher or continue talking and lower the cost with a smaller increase.

No one here knows anything about the negotiations.

Please educate yourself. Directv did not remove your channel, the channel owner removed it. This happens to every tv provider when the contract is up for renewal. This happens to Dish and xfinity just as often. In my home market, Dish customers have lost channels more often than any other provider.

Plucked from a another forum post:

rant]

Every year these threads appear.  And every year I keep wishing the carriers (cable companies and ATT) would hold their ground until the local's realize they are losing eyes for their advertising.   People blame the carriers for their "greed" and not supplying "their channels" that "they are paying for". 

First, they are not "your channels".  ATT can do anything they want to the channel lineup as per these terms of service 8. INTERRUPTIONS, LIMITATIONS, AND MODIFICATIONS TO SERVICE

Service may be temporarily interrupted or otherwise limited for a variety of reasons; some beyond the control of AT&T. AT&T reserves the right to refuse credit allowances for interruptions of Service. AT&T also reserves the right to modify or discontinue, temporarily or permanently, at any time and from time to time, the Services (or any function or feature of the Services or any part thereof) without liability. You acknowledge that AT&T may establish general practices and limits concerning use of the Services, including without limitation, the limits set forth in the attached Schedule 1 and Schedule 2.

.  You are paying for a TV service, not specific individual channels.

Second in this case it's the locals who are the greedy ones here asking for ever more and more money every year for something most anyone can get for free with an antenna (assuming the locals are in range - check here).  And then later everyone complains of their ever increasing bills when the one of the reasons for that increase is the "Broadcast TV Surcharge".  So guess who's actually paying for the locals for their greed ?we the customer

If the carriers stonewalled these locals maybe they would "blink" and put an end to this annual blackmail.  But it never happens and it's just wishful thinking on my part.  In reality the carriers and the locals eventually come to an "agreement" where the locals get less than they asked for (they probably asked for twice as much as they need anyhow if they truly need any more in the first place).  We end paying for the bill.  And it's always the carriers that are to blame.  There's a lot to blame and greed to put on the carriers, but this annual negotiation crap is not one of them.

[end of rant]

Log into your account online.  If the offer is not there then call CS.

Log into your account online.  If the offer is not there then call CS.

AT&T did not agree to provide you a fixed list of channels.  AT&T is providing you a package that the contents change from time to time.  AT&T negotiates carriage agreements with the owners of the channels every few years and sometimes content drops, sometimes AT&T adds new channels.

WFTV is owned by Cox Media Group who had decided that AT&T's monetary offer to carry its stations on U-verse isn't good enough.  Cox therefore has pulled consent for AT&T to show them so that viewers, like you, will complain to AT&T.  To be fair, please contact Cox (or your channel) as well, to tell them you want to see their content.

Switching to another provider won't insulate you from retransmit agreements.  All Pay TV providers have to do this. 

Agreed! It isn’t Cox that has put customers in the middle. It’s ATT

Agreed! It isn’t Cox that has put customers in the middle. It’s ATT

How do you figure that?

AT&T cannot show the channel unless Cox says it can.

@JefferMC how hard do you think at&t will fight for those channels since they want to abandon u-verse? only time will tell

Plucked from a another forum post:

rant]

Every year these threads appear.  And every year I keep wishing the carriers (cable companies and ATT) would hold their ground until the local's realize they are losing eyes for their advertising.   People blame the carriers for their "greed" and not supplying "their channels" that "they are paying for". 

First, they are not "your channels".  ATT can do anything they want to the channel lineup as per these terms of service 8. INTERRUPTIONS, LIMITATIONS, AND MODIFICATIONS TO SERVICE

Service may be temporarily interrupted or otherwise limited for a variety of reasons; some beyond the control of AT&T. AT&T reserves the right to refuse credit allowances for interruptions of Service. AT&T also reserves the right to modify or discontinue, temporarily or permanently, at any time and from time to time, the Services (or any function or feature of the Services or any part thereof) without liability. You acknowledge that AT&T may establish general practices and limits concerning use of the Services, including without limitation, the limits set forth in the attached Schedule 1 and Schedule 2.

.  You are paying for a TV service, not specific individual channels.

Second in this case it's the locals who are the greedy ones here asking for ever more and more money every year for something most anyone can get for free with an antenna (assuming the locals are in range - check here).  And then later everyone complains of their ever increasing bills when the one of the reasons for that increase is the "Broadcast TV Surcharge".  So guess who's actually paying for the locals for their greed ?we the customer

If the carriers stonewalled these locals maybe they would "blink" and put an end to this annual blackmail.  But it never happens and it's just wishful thinking on my part.  In reality the carriers and the locals eventually come to an "agreement" where the locals get less than they asked for (they probably asked for twice as much as they need anyhow if they truly need any more in the first place).  We end paying for the bill.  And it's always the carriers that are to blame.  There's a lot to blame and greed to put on the carriers, but this annual negotiation crap is not one of them.

[end of rant]

Gosh, I wish customers would educate themselves. Directv did not remove your channel  2, the channel owner removed it. This happens to every tv provider when the contract is up for renewal. If you think xfinity doesn’t lose channels too, you would be wrong.

Plucked from a another forum post:

rant]

Every year these threads appear.  And every year I keep wishing the carriers (cable companies and ATT) would hold their ground until the local's realize they are losing eyes for their advertising.   People blame the carriers for their "greed" and not supplying "their channels" that "they are paying for". 

First, they are not "your channels".  ATT can do anything they want to the channel lineup as per these terms of service 8. INTERRUPTIONS, LIMITATIONS, AND MODIFICATIONS TO SERVICE

Service may be temporarily interrupted or otherwise limited for a variety of reasons; some beyond the control of AT&T. AT&T reserves the right to refuse credit allowances for interruptions of Service. AT&T also reserves the right to modify or discontinue, temporarily or permanently, at any time and from time to time, the Services (or any function or feature of the Services or any part thereof) without liability. You acknowledge that AT&T may establish general practices and limits concerning use of the Services, including without limitation, the limits set forth in the attached Schedule 1 and Schedule 2.

.  You are paying for a TV service, not specific individual channels.

Second in this case it's the locals who are the greedy ones here asking for ever more and more money every year for something most anyone can get for free with an antenna (assuming the locals are in range - check here).  And then later everyone complains of their ever increasing bills when the one of the reasons for that increase is the "Broadcast TV Surcharge".  So guess who's actually paying for the locals for their greed ?we the customer

If the carriers stonewalled these locals maybe they would "blink" and put an end to this annual blackmail.  But it never happens and it's just wishful thinking on my part.  In reality the carriers and the locals eventually come to an "agreement" where the locals get less than they asked for (they probably asked for twice as much as they need anyhow if they truly need any more in the first place).  We end paying for the bill.  And it's always the carriers that are to blame.  There's a lot to blame and greed to put on the carriers, but this annual negotiation crap is not one of them.

[end of rant]

no prepaid doesnt refund and is not transferable, you should have waited to move services after using up the at&t balance