What to do ;(

Direct TV is dropping Speed and much of the Fox line-up on November 1st 2011, do to an overwhelming cost increase asked for by Fox.

Options: 1) switch to cable... and pay 300% of what I pay over @ Direct TV because I have to purchase the entire Concast sports package (bullchit)

2) Your ideas

3) even more of your ideas?

4) is it available online for free? Or an online service for low cost?

SAY WHAT?

I've not heard of this.

Open a sportsbar - make purchasing the whole lineup worth it...

Is Dish Network an option? Only thing is you need the bigger channel pack to get those.

option 1a)

neon4891 wrote: Is Dish Network an option? Only thing is you need the bigger channel pack to get those.

I use att.

Usually when they say they are dropping channels, its a tactic to get that channel to make a deal. Hold it until they do it unless you're under contract.

It ain't gonna happen. You've drunk the Kool-Aid that Fox/Direct is putting out to help them in their price negotiations.

I'm over it. I hate cable anyhow. I've been meaning to drop it anyhow, and this is just another nail in the coffin, if it's anywhere near true.

Current DirecTV subscriber here.

It kind of sounds like some hype. Like they probably do this any time some contract is set to expire, or the terms are likely to change. I cannot honestly believe that DTV would just straight up drop all those channels, they would be shooting themselves in the foot.

Worst case scenario I think would be they would still be available but part of a package you have to pay to subscribe to. Still kind of bullE36 M3 if that happens though.

We picked DirecTV over Dish at first, mostly because of the channel lineup, and pricing. I dont remember the details but I think the costs to rent the boxes was substantially cheaper as well. I LOVE the service compared to any cable provider I have had in the past. Enough that I would keep it and only subscribe to cable internet service in the future if/when it becomes available.

If I have to pay a little extra for a package with FX and Speed channel, the only 2 channels I really care about them dropping.....I have a feeling I am probably just going to suck it up and do it. I dont think it will drive up the price of service to the point to where it becomes a better deal to bother switching to Dish network.

If you have to switch, DishNetwork.

I agree with the above though, wait and see if the channels actually disappear and stay gone. DishNetwork went through the same 'crisis' with different channels last year, I think.

Nothing changed.

Direct TV customer. Only option I have. Live too far out for cable and dish network's HD satelite is too low and the wrong heading in the sky for a dish to clear the trees in my yard. Overall, I have been happy with directv.

This has happened in the past with other channels, some of our local channels as well. They always came back.

I've yet to see a pay tv service (cable, satellite, etc.) that didn't screw with it's customers on a regular basis....

DTV subscriber here. It's a negotiating tactic, but if they do drop Speed that'll be a material change in the terms of the contract and we'd be able to drop DTV without paying the early cancellation penalty. I can probably live without them for long enough to go back as a "new" subscriber and get another package of freebies and discounted service.

I have farmer vision, farmer five, etc... If they threaten to drop another channel I wouldn't notice. I do wish speed was available online.

pigeon wrote: DTV subscriber here. It's a negotiating tactic, but if they do drop Speed that'll be a material change in the terms of the contract and we'd be able to drop DTV without paying the early cancellation penalty. I can probably live without them for long enough to go back as a "new" subscriber and get another package of freebies and discounted service.

Or do what i'll do and sign up in my name, then the wife's, repeat ad nauseum. The sad thing is DirecTV is the only "cable" provider I will pay for. Screw Comcast, and screw Dish.

mndsm wrote:

pigeon wrote: DTV subscriber here. It's a negotiating tactic, but if they do drop Speed that'll be a material change in the terms of the contract and we'd be able to drop DTV without paying the early cancellation penalty. I can probably live without them for long enough to go back as a "new" subscriber and get another package of freebies and discounted service.

Or do what i'll do and sign up in my name, then the wife's, repeat ad nauseum. The sad thing is DirecTV is the only "cable" provider I will pay for. Screw Comcast, and screw Dish.

Don't they say you're not a new subscriber because it's the same address? I'm guessing not, the order takers have little incentive to police that when they're being paid to get new signups...

some years back our local cable station notified everyone that they would be loosing fox in whatever month... my wife had a few shows on fox that we "couldn't miss"

so we changed... come the time limit and they had worked out a deal with fox... happend again 2 years later... and now it's another 2 years latter and they finally have actually killed fox on the lineup...

so it might happen... it might now... but I dumpped cable about 2 months ago (i think) and with hulu/netflix streaming I haven't missed it... what we want to see can be gotten with a little work and we're saving a big chunk of cash...

charter got in a pissing contest with ESPN many yrs ago... end result, we lost (I guess permanently ) ESPN News and ESPN Classic.... never to be heard from since

Versus was out for almost a year on DirecTV a little while back, coming back just in time for the IndyCar season, so this could very easily drag out for a while. Luckily, this is happening in the racing off season, so the only thing we will miss is the last two (irrelevant) F1 races.

We really need a company where we can pick only the channels we want & pay accordingly, a la carte. Forget about the 890 other channels that you'll never watch.

MA$$hole wrote: We really need a company where we can pick only the channels we want & pay accordingly, a la carte. Forget about the 890 other channels that you'll never watch.

^ this

but like that's gonna happen

Nope, because they realize shmoes will pay 100$ for 3 channels they'll watch and 800 they won't instead of 2 channels they'll watch for 75$. I'm going to be the most angry if Natgeo goes, honestly. Speed rarely interests me any more, and FX shows two things- Sons of Anarchy and Marvel superhero movies. I can get both online.

Do what I did, drop the Direct TV and turn the thing off.

We dropped Direct TV several months ago. We use a little Netflix for the kids, but other than that I really don't miss it. I did have some withdrawals initially, but now I'm just glad it gone.

A la carte cable would be great... but it won't happen untill internet becomes a MUCH larger threat to the cable companies... as it stands now internet TV options just aren't on the radar unless you are somewhat of a geek... sure they might use it as a supplement or a way to not do work while at the office... but it's not as easy as clicking the remote and flipping though the channels :(

DTV subscriber - would go the Netflix route if there was a way to Watch F1.