So here's some interesting facts. According to this article: https://www.newsobserver.com/entertainment/tv/article233435017.html, a total of 6.5 MILLION customers across the U.S. among all AT&T TV services are affected by this retransmission dispute. It's also interesting to note that in the same article, it is pictured that Uverse customers are picking up OTA antennas from a 2017 dispute that dropped Fox channels; I guess Uverse customers are out of luck this time though since only DirecTV customers get to have an antenna provided. I'm spending time each day searching Google hoping that one of the many sites discussing the dispute will have some sort of update. Unfortunately, they all predict the same thing; that is this dispute most likely won't be resolved anytime soon.
College and NFL Football is starting soon and to recap what has been "taken away" because of the inability to come to an agreement: NFL Network/NFL Red Zone, CBS Sports, CBS (local channel), and NBC (local channel). It will be interesting to see how AT&T lets this all play out. The way things seem to be going now, it seems that a reasonable assumption can be made that each time a contract ends with a channel, it will be taken off Uverse until there's nothing left. I guess that's one way to transition everyone to the new AT&T streaming TV service.
Where I live, only NBC has been pulled. I still have my local CBS channel as well as the Smithsonian channel. I am missing CBS Sports Network from my lineup. 1601 and 1643 are both sports multi view. How do I have some CBS channels but not all of them?
CBS and NBC do not own most stations. They are licensed through local affiliates. So your local channel is owned by the local station that licenses to be an affiliate of one of those major networks (CBS, NBC, FOX, etc.). So right now the big affiliate is Nexstar that is in negotiations. They own many local stations across the country and have pulled them. They cannot pull stations that are owned by a different affiliate or those owned by the network directly. Think of the affiliate as the middle man that has the agreement with DirecTV instead of CBS.
Now CBS does own a few stations themselves instead of going through a affiliate. So CBS recently went into negotiations and pulled local stations they directly own. The Smithsonian channel (570) is also owned by CBS so that has been pulled as well. You shouldn't be able to watch Smithsonian (other than anything you recorded before it was pulled) as that is not a local channel so is pulled from all of us. The guide will still show the schedule, but when you go to watch the channel it will have the message about CBS pulling the feed.
In the end it is simple negotiations. Agreement comes up between TV provider (U-Verse, DirecTV) and the channel owner (local affiliate or CBS directly depending). If a new agreement is not reached by the time the current one ends, then the channel owner can choose to remove the feed as is their right. So the channel will be returned when they come to a new agreement. The channel owner has the option to return the feed during negotiations as a sign of good faith, but more commonly they choose not to without a rate increase for the extension itself.
TV provider wants to not pay an arm and a leg for channels that are broadcast at no monthly cost over the airways and for some seem to have declining viewership. The channel owner wants more money for what they feel their service is worth. So each side is within their rights on the situation, though the end result is unpleasant for us customers. But the TV provider succeeding would be in our favor as that is to minimize any further rate increase. Realistically they probably cannot prevent a rate increase completely (or even reduce from the current rate), but better to minimize as much as they can then to just agree to a much higher rate that the channel owner wants. Because the more a TV provider's costs go up, the more our bills go up.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Included after every post) I am a customer, not an employee. This is a public forum. For official support call DirecTV 1-800-531-5000, DIRECTV STREAM 1-888-429-4023 www.directv.com
(AT&T has sold off their share in DirecTV)
Award for Community Excellence Achiever* *I am not a DIRECTV employee, and the views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.
@clh3618 wrote: What a ridiculous answer. You CAN remove NBC., CW, Smithsonian, some sport channels, many others, some which we pay extra for, and you say you CAN"T remove certain channels? Not true. And, all of them are still in the lineup of channels going up and down the channel selector. They just say, to call and pay for them if we want them, in ATT's words. Well, we already pay for most of them, but they have disappeared. You can't blame Nexstar for all of the problems. It is angering to have been with ATT for 45 or more years, and after purchasing DirecTV, we feel so betrayed. I have stood behind them for many years, but now I question my decisions. And, calling AMERICAN Telephone and Telegraph, is disgusting when we get folks in the Philipines and other places who do not answer our questions and say they can't put us through to America. It this Corporation now a Communist business? It appears so.
It is true that DirecTV cannot remove individual channels from a package. This is not the same situation as what is going on with your locals or Smithsonian channel.
Agreement comes up between TV provider and channel owner. At this point the channel owner may choose to remove their feed during negotiations until a new agreement is reached. So Nexstar (local affiliate) pulled the channels they own during negotiations. As those negotiations continued, it just so happened that CBS's agreement came up and they pulled the stations they own directly which includes Smithsonian. They will not return their channels until a new agreement is reached, or that TV provider pays a higher rate for the extension itself.
TV provider cannot choose themselves to remove individual channels from the package because their agreement with the channel owner is that those are the packages the channel is in. Channel owners package their channels to the TV providers. This is why 99% of channels on DirecTV cannot be al-a-carte, they are in packages or small optional add-on packs.
AT&T has more services then just within country, so does deal with more outsourcing then when it was just DirecTV. When you call you get the next agent available, regardless of where they are located. It is true they cannot guarantee a transfer to a agent in-country, a specific state, a specific gender, specifically born in country, etc. You get the next one available is how it has always worked, even before AT&T got DirecTV. Yes you call a toll free American number to the company, internal transfers do not cause you long distance charges because of this. It just doesn't require that all departments are within country. And it is just by Telephone, don't know what you mean by Telegraph as you are not communicating with them by Morse code.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Included after every post) I am a customer, not an employee. This is a public forum. For official support call DirecTV 1-800-531-5000, DIRECTV STREAM 1-888-429-4023 www.directv.com
(AT&T has sold off their share in DirecTV)
Award for Community Excellence Achiever* *I am not a DIRECTV employee, and the views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.
Then what does AT & T now stand for? I can remember for a long time back, and apparently you are not born before WWII and we were. Initials were not the norm in earlier years, so the words were spelled out. When programming has disappeared from our EXTRA PACK, we complain. When a regularly watched channel, as NBC Channel 3, and it's sister station, Channel 36 for us, yes, we complain. We feel we have the right. I am so happy when I am fortunate enough, when I have a real problem, to have the representative who answers, say, their name and where they are located. Lately, it's been Utah or Arizona, but the time I got the most and quickest action, was when I reached someone in Kansas City. That was a dream. I don't like for any company to claim to be American, and not be such. No answer you can give can change that feeling. Never. -Can't understand them. We really do have lots of serious problems with our TV since the new boxes were installed. That's when most of the channels disappeared. That is when we were told if we didn't have a channel, it would no longer be on screen--not true, still not true. Except, even though we are paying extra for most of them, the writing asks us to call and BUY them. We already DO pay for them. This hesitation, on all channels is an unwelcome lack of words and phrases. Very annoying. Sometimes it is vital to the end of a show. Again, annoying and frustrating. And, as I have related many times, we are 84 and 85 years old. Carolyn H
Wow, I really misread that statement. I have been so used to the initials as the brand name now that I don't think of the full name anymore. True I am not close to a century in years, but I do recall their full name. Though I wonder if they will ever rebrand as the telegraph has been surpassed by telephone and internet.
As companies expand out and serve customers from all over, they don't stay purely the identity of one country. The technology age does bring people from other countries closer together then it was during the days of WWII or earlier. I am all for country pride, even serving myself, but I draw the line at "if you are not born in my country you are a lesser person" type of mentality. But technology evolves faster than human perceptions.
But regardless of where the agent is located, even if they were originally born out of country and move here or other similar situations, they still should provide the same quality of customer service on the information provided. If the agent provides misinformation then they should be held responsible accordingly, no matter if they are in country or not.
I understand the guide showing the shows and schedule still, as otherwise when channel is back that would cause some difficulty until the guide repopulated. But the message on the channel should be clear, simply stating the owner has pulled the feed while they negotiate the return. Wonder if they could continue receiving the guide info, but override it with a simple channel negotiation message in the guide we see, or if that would be more hassle than it is worth.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Included after every post) I am a customer, not an employee. This is a public forum. For official support call DirecTV 1-800-531-5000, DIRECTV STREAM 1-888-429-4023 www.directv.com
(AT&T has sold off their share in DirecTV)
Award for Community Excellence Achiever* *I am not a DIRECTV employee, and the views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.
Do you think they will get this problem resolved before football season. I wait all year for football and if we don't get it I don't know what I will watch. Very disappointed!
I have little or no prejudices. In working the 2000 Census, all but 1 of my bosses from K.C. in the first round, were black, except one who was from Chili. I absolutely loved each and every one of them. They even came out fo my Central KS town and ate with me one Friday in about 2001. We are a nation of immigrants. Both of our paternal grandparents immigrated from Denmark and Germany. So, I am white, with a little Cherokee blood, plus at least 75% German. However, when I can't understand, nor do they understand me, and nothing gets accomplished, it is frustrating. I have actually been on phone calls for a minor problem, for 4 hours. Now, I am retired--a long time ago--but, after that long, and nothing is done, what can I say. I have actually, two times to be exact, had an office in the Philipines, tell me they can't get me back to America, but give me an 800 number to call and each time it is a number for elderly supplies, which goes on and on for hours if I stayed on the line. And, when I hear laughter and sneering in the background, I really wonder who the heck I am talking to, if ATT or not. I did report this happening to me after each encounter. I was a businesswoman who prepared my own letters/bills and made my own phone calls for years, so I do try not to get irritated, but sometimes---------- My bills are laying out on my desk and when I get the energy, I will actually make a phone call regarding the hesitation on the TV. That bothers us a lot, and the missing channels since the black boxes were exchanged. This has nothing to do with the recent Nexstar problem, as far as we know anyway. Thanks for listening. Carolyn H
hat are we paying the big bucks for if we can't get the channels we like. We got them when we purchased Direct TV. They should at least lower our bills!
I agree being clearly understood should be a requirement of the job. Though I have spoken with many people across the country myself and there are cultures within that I have difficulty understanding (such as the "deep south"). Sometimes I actually find the outsourced agents easier to understand. Case by case basis for everyone, I get that.
Correct they do not have an option to have a guaranteed transfer to an American call center. That would be like requesting transfer to a specific state. To avoid abuse, mainly from those that are (darn those foreigners, they shouldn't exist, I am in Murica!), they have no way to accommodate such a transfer request.
Regarding channels being removed that is two cause. Yes one is Nexstar, an affiliate that owns many local stations. The other is CBS. The network CBS owns a few stations directly and they own the Smithsonian channel. If the channels you are having a problem with are not Nexstar owned, or directly owned by CBS, then more info would be needed. What model boxes, which channels, what happens when you try to use them, etc. Though I would start a fresh thread, with a subject that is more technical issue related so that it doesn't get lost in the mega-threads regarding the loss of Nexstar and CBS owned channels.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Included after every post) I am a customer, not an employee. This is a public forum. For official support call DirecTV 1-800-531-5000, DIRECTV STREAM 1-888-429-4023 www.directv.com
(AT&T has sold off their share in DirecTV)
Award for Community Excellence Achiever* *I am not a DIRECTV employee, and the views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.
Lack of local TV coverage in certain of areas during disasters that arise could become life or death situations. Adding this media to control by utility commissions would stop these petty outages. Keep digging your own graves.
This outage of CBS is ridiculous. When I signed on with directTV it was more expensive than Dish because I was promised local channels. Now in the past two months we lost PBS (WQED) in Pittsburgh (we did get it back but it was gone for a week) and now it has been weeks with no CBS (KDKA). This is really causing personal stress and turmoil for me as I have a child with autism who always watches the Price is Right and he has been unable to do so for weeks now. He also was upset when PBS was lost. As the agent who is supposed to provide a service you are not fulfilling your part of the contract. I am greatly disappointed in this and will advise my friends NOT TO CHOOSE DirectTV. 😡
Verysad
Tutor
•
5 Messages
6 years ago
0
c_brookhart
Scholar
•
210 Messages
6 years ago
So here's some interesting facts. According to this article: https://www.newsobserver.com/entertainment/tv/article233435017.html, a total of 6.5 MILLION customers across the U.S. among all AT&T TV services are affected by this retransmission dispute. It's also interesting to note that in the same article, it is pictured that Uverse customers are picking up OTA antennas from a 2017 dispute that dropped Fox channels; I guess Uverse customers are out of luck this time though since only DirecTV customers get to have an antenna provided. I'm spending time each day searching Google hoping that one of the many sites discussing the dispute will have some sort of update. Unfortunately, they all predict the same thing; that is this dispute most likely won't be resolved anytime soon.
College and NFL Football is starting soon and to recap what has been "taken away" because of the inability to come to an agreement: NFL Network/NFL Red Zone, CBS Sports, CBS (local channel), and NBC (local channel). It will be interesting to see how AT&T lets this all play out. The way things seem to be going now, it seems that a reasonable assumption can be made that each time a contract ends with a channel, it will be taken off Uverse until there's nothing left. I guess that's one way to transition everyone to the new AT&T streaming TV service.
0
Anonymous
1.9K Messages
6 years ago
“I guess that's one way to transition everyone to the new AT&T streaming TV service.”
If they honestly think people will go to any other of their garbages services I feel sorry for them.
Besides by time the shutdown actually occurred their would be nobody left.
0
0
Juniper
ACE - Expert
•
22.9K Messages
6 years ago
CBS and NBC do not own most stations. They are licensed through local affiliates. So your local channel is owned by the local station that licenses to be an affiliate of one of those major networks (CBS, NBC, FOX, etc.). So right now the big affiliate is Nexstar that is in negotiations. They own many local stations across the country and have pulled them. They cannot pull stations that are owned by a different affiliate or those owned by the network directly. Think of the affiliate as the middle man that has the agreement with DirecTV instead of CBS.
Now CBS does own a few stations themselves instead of going through a affiliate. So CBS recently went into negotiations and pulled local stations they directly own. The Smithsonian channel (570) is also owned by CBS so that has been pulled as well. You shouldn't be able to watch Smithsonian (other than anything you recorded before it was pulled) as that is not a local channel so is pulled from all of us. The guide will still show the schedule, but when you go to watch the channel it will have the message about CBS pulling the feed.
In the end it is simple negotiations. Agreement comes up between TV provider (U-Verse, DirecTV) and the channel owner (local affiliate or CBS directly depending). If a new agreement is not reached by the time the current one ends, then the channel owner can choose to remove the feed as is their right. So the channel will be returned when they come to a new agreement. The channel owner has the option to return the feed during negotiations as a sign of good faith, but more commonly they choose not to without a rate increase for the extension itself.
TV provider wants to not pay an arm and a leg for channels that are broadcast at no monthly cost over the airways and for some seem to have declining viewership. The channel owner wants more money for what they feel their service is worth. So each side is within their rights on the situation, though the end result is unpleasant for us customers. But the TV provider succeeding would be in our favor as that is to minimize any further rate increase. Realistically they probably cannot prevent a rate increase completely (or even reduce from the current rate), but better to minimize as much as they can then to just agree to a much higher rate that the channel owner wants. Because the more a TV provider's costs go up, the more our bills go up.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Included after every post)
I am a customer, not an employee. This is a public forum.
For official support call DirecTV 1-800-531-5000, DIRECTV STREAM 1-888-429-4023
www.directv.com
(AT&T has sold off their share in DirecTV)
*I am not a DIRECTV employee, and the views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.
0
0
Juniper
ACE - Expert
•
22.9K Messages
6 years ago
It is true that DirecTV cannot remove individual channels from a package. This is not the same situation as what is going on with your locals or Smithsonian channel.
Agreement comes up between TV provider and channel owner. At this point the channel owner may choose to remove their feed during negotiations until a new agreement is reached. So Nexstar (local affiliate) pulled the channels they own during negotiations. As those negotiations continued, it just so happened that CBS's agreement came up and they pulled the stations they own directly which includes Smithsonian. They will not return their channels until a new agreement is reached, or that TV provider pays a higher rate for the extension itself.
TV provider cannot choose themselves to remove individual channels from the package because their agreement with the channel owner is that those are the packages the channel is in. Channel owners package their channels to the TV providers. This is why 99% of channels on DirecTV cannot be al-a-carte, they are in packages or small optional add-on packs.
AT&T has more services then just within country, so does deal with more outsourcing then when it was just DirecTV. When you call you get the next agent available, regardless of where they are located. It is true they cannot guarantee a transfer to a agent in-country, a specific state, a specific gender, specifically born in country, etc. You get the next one available is how it has always worked, even before AT&T got DirecTV. Yes you call a toll free American number to the company, internal transfers do not cause you long distance charges because of this. It just doesn't require that all departments are within country. And it is just by Telephone, don't know what you mean by Telegraph as you are not communicating with them by Morse code.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Included after every post)
I am a customer, not an employee. This is a public forum.
For official support call DirecTV 1-800-531-5000, DIRECTV STREAM 1-888-429-4023
www.directv.com
(AT&T has sold off their share in DirecTV)
*I am not a DIRECTV employee, and the views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.
0
0
clh3618
Teacher
•
17 Messages
6 years ago
back, and apparently you are not born before WWII and we were.
Initials were not the norm in earlier years, so the words were spelled
out.
When programming has disappeared from our EXTRA PACK, we complain. When
a regularly watched channel, as NBC Channel 3, and it's sister station,
Channel 36 for us, yes, we complain. We feel we have the right. I am
so happy when I am fortunate enough, when I have a real problem, to have
the representative who answers, say, their name and where they are
located. Lately, it's been Utah or Arizona, but the time I got the most
and quickest action, was when I reached someone in Kansas City. That
was a dream. I don't like for any company to claim to be American, and
not be such. No answer you can give can change that feeling. Never.
-Can't understand them.
We really do have lots of serious problems with our TV since the new
boxes were installed. That's when most of the channels disappeared.
That is when we were told if we didn't have a channel, it would no
longer be on screen--not true, still not true.
Except, even though we are paying extra for most of them, the writing
asks us to call and BUY them. We already DO pay for them.
This hesitation, on all channels is an unwelcome lack of words and
phrases. Very annoying. Sometimes it is vital to the end of a show.
Again, annoying and frustrating.
And, as I have related many times, we are 84 and 85 years old.
Carolyn H
0
0
Juniper
ACE - Expert
•
22.9K Messages
6 years ago
Wow, I really misread that statement. I have been so used to the initials as the brand name now that I don't think of the full name anymore. True I am not close to a century in years, but I do recall their full name. Though I wonder if they will ever rebrand as the telegraph has been surpassed by telephone and internet.
As companies expand out and serve customers from all over, they don't stay purely the identity of one country. The technology age does bring people from other countries closer together then it was during the days of WWII or earlier. I am all for country pride, even serving myself, but I draw the line at "if you are not born in my country you are a lesser person" type of mentality. But technology evolves faster than human perceptions.
But regardless of where the agent is located, even if they were originally born out of country and move here or other similar situations, they still should provide the same quality of customer service on the information provided. If the agent provides misinformation then they should be held responsible accordingly, no matter if they are in country or not.
I understand the guide showing the shows and schedule still, as otherwise when channel is back that would cause some difficulty until the guide repopulated. But the message on the channel should be clear, simply stating the owner has pulled the feed while they negotiate the return. Wonder if they could continue receiving the guide info, but override it with a simple channel negotiation message in the guide we see, or if that would be more hassle than it is worth.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Included after every post)
I am a customer, not an employee. This is a public forum.
For official support call DirecTV 1-800-531-5000, DIRECTV STREAM 1-888-429-4023
www.directv.com
(AT&T has sold off their share in DirecTV)
*I am not a DIRECTV employee, and the views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.
0
0
Albuquerquemi
Teacher
•
10 Messages
6 years ago
0
0
Albuquerquemi
Teacher
•
10 Messages
6 years ago
0
0
clh3618
Teacher
•
17 Messages
6 years ago
of my bosses from K.C. in the first round, were black, except one who
was from Chili. I absolutely loved each and every one of them. They
even came out fo my Central KS town and ate with me one Friday in about
2001. We are a nation of immigrants. Both of our paternal
grandparents immigrated from Denmark and Germany. So, I am white, with
a little Cherokee blood, plus at least 75% German.
However, when I can't understand, nor do they understand me, and nothing
gets accomplished, it is frustrating. I have actually been on phone
calls for a minor problem, for 4 hours. Now, I am retired--a long time
ago--but, after that long, and nothing is done, what can I say. I have
actually, two times to be exact, had an office in the Philipines, tell
me they can't get me back to America, but give me an 800 number to call
and each time it is a number for elderly supplies, which goes on and on
for hours if I stayed on the line. And, when I hear laughter and
sneering in the background, I really wonder who the heck I am talking
to, if ATT or not. I did report this happening to me after each
encounter.
I was a businesswoman who prepared my own letters/bills and made my own
phone calls for years, so I do try not to get irritated, but
sometimes----------
My bills are laying out on my desk and when I get the energy, I will
actually make a phone call regarding the hesitation on the TV. That
bothers us a lot, and the missing channels since the black boxes were
exchanged. This has nothing to do with the recent Nexstar problem, as
far as we know anyway.
Thanks for listening.
Carolyn H
0
0
Albuquerquemi
Teacher
•
10 Messages
6 years ago
0
0
Juniper
ACE - Expert
•
22.9K Messages
6 years ago
@clh3618
I agree being clearly understood should be a requirement of the job. Though I have spoken with many people across the country myself and there are cultures within that I have difficulty understanding (such as the "deep south"). Sometimes I actually find the outsourced agents easier to understand. Case by case basis for everyone, I get that.
Correct they do not have an option to have a guaranteed transfer to an American call center. That would be like requesting transfer to a specific state. To avoid abuse, mainly from those that are (darn those foreigners, they shouldn't exist, I am in Murica!), they have no way to accommodate such a transfer request.
Regarding channels being removed that is two cause. Yes one is Nexstar, an affiliate that owns many local stations. The other is CBS. The network CBS owns a few stations directly and they own the Smithsonian channel. If the channels you are having a problem with are not Nexstar owned, or directly owned by CBS, then more info would be needed. What model boxes, which channels, what happens when you try to use them, etc. Though I would start a fresh thread, with a subject that is more technical issue related so that it doesn't get lost in the mega-threads regarding the loss of Nexstar and CBS owned channels.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Included after every post)
I am a customer, not an employee. This is a public forum.
For official support call DirecTV 1-800-531-5000, DIRECTV STREAM 1-888-429-4023
www.directv.com
(AT&T has sold off their share in DirecTV)
*I am not a DIRECTV employee, and the views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.
0
0
iennov
Tutor
•
2 Messages
6 years ago
As much as we pay for your service we should never never never have this kind of problem. I will be looking for another service.
0
t33t34b25
Mentor
•
22 Messages
6 years ago
Adding this media to control by utility commissions would stop these petty outages. Keep digging your own graves.
0
GreenT
Contributor
•
1 Message
6 years ago
This outage of CBS is ridiculous. When I signed on with directTV it was more expensive than Dish because I was promised local channels. Now in the past two months we lost PBS (WQED) in Pittsburgh (we did get it back but it was gone for a week) and now it has been weeks with no CBS (KDKA). This is really causing personal stress and turmoil for me as I have a child with autism who always watches the Price is Right and he has been unable to do so for weeks now. He also was upset when PBS was lost. As the agent who is supposed to provide a service you are not fulfilling your part of the contract. I am greatly disappointed in this and will advise my friends NOT TO CHOOSE DirectTV. 😡
0