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DirecTV Subscribers Unite!

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MegaWoody

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I sent the attached email to DirecTV via their subscriber site "customer feedback" page.

"I want to be able to watch college football games either Pay-Per-View or through a Game Plan package. The college season has already started, but DirecTV still hasn't announced Game Plan availability or pricing.

This issue is important enough to me that I will change providers if DirecTV doesn't resolve this soon.

Thank you for your attention."

Others might want to do the same. Just go to DirecTV.com and have you account number handy. Then log-in and let them know you want resolution of their pissing match with ESPN asap.
 
It's listed on their schedule on channel 774 for September 4th, but you can't order it yet either way, Pay-Per-View or via Game Plan. They haven't completed their negotiations with ESPN. So they are posting it as if they're going to carry it -- and I surely hope they will -- but you can't sign up for it because the Game Plan package is not priced yet.

That's why I'm urging DirecTV subscribers to contact them. I don't care if I have to buy the whole package or can get it game by game, frankly. I just want to know for sure that Buckeye games will appear on my screen. If they won't, I'm outa here.

Don't be lulled into complacency by the fact that it appears on their program guide. If you try to actually order it, you'll find you can't.

This is a national issue, not a local one. In fact, being in Maryland, I stand a better chance of getting all the games. If one of the games isn't a sell-out, there are black-out restrictions in the game cities. (Not that that's a big worry in Columbus -- but it could be in Bloomington or Evanston.)
 
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It's been on my statement for the past several months, as I'm automatically signed up. With no charge, but it's on my statement. This is my 3rd year of Gameplan. They'll have it. Gameplan is the reason most people get directv. It would be the reason most people would dump them in favor of Dishnetwork if they just all the sudden dropped it.

From my online view:

bullet Programming Service

ESPN GamePlan: 2004 Season
NFL Sunday Ticket 2004
TOTAL CHOICE PLUS with Locals
SPORTS

I don't know what else to say at this point.
 
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slickman, GamePlan being on your bill statement means squat right now, since negotiations haven't been completed. The only thing that being automatically signed up means is that you don't have to re-order it every year. I could sign up for a magazine subscription and get a statement saying I'm signed up, but that doesn't guarantee that they'll print and mail me the magazine. I hope you're right, though, that ESPN finalizes negotiations with all satellite and cable companies ASAP.
 
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Mili's right, Slickman. Game Plan showed up on your statement because the DirecTV billing computer's on autopilot. It didn't show you a price, because they don't have a contract with ESPN yet. They want to sell it to you, but so far they can't.

I'm on autopilot too, for the NFL Game Day package, so I know how it works. Trust me, if you call and tell them you want to order Game Plan, you'll get the same "We're not sure we'll have it yet, so we can't confirm your order" answer all the rest of us have got.

Looks like we all ought to contact our various providers, cable and satellite, to put some pressure on. We've only got 6 days!
 
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Id also like to see Time Warner step up to the plate and pick up espnHD i mean serious i got the tv and the box and like 12 other HD channels but espn, do i really wanna watch baseball and nascar on HD, no i want football. I called and bitched to them last night and seems all i got was a polite response from a supervisor.
 
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Yeah, I understand that they don't have it yet. Hence, the reason we haven't seen 5 million commercials for it thus far this year. I'm sure ESPN is playing hardball, but I bet DirecTV is also playing hardball because they have such an expansive subscriber base.

They'll get it. I don't care what I have to pay. DirecTV is just trying to keep consumers- or more likely- make more money for themselves. Not getting ESPN GamePlan would be like a slow suicide for DirecTV as a business and I don't think that Rupert Murdoch is so stupid.
 
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**edit** if you have the regular sports pak on DirecTV you can pick it up, probably, on MSG Network. It's being televised on that sports station out of NY as well.


AS OF NOW: THESE GUYS DON'T HAVE IT

As of March 31, 2004, DIRECTV U.S. had approximately 12.6 million subscribers, of which approximately 11.1 million were owned and operated subscribers and approximately 1.5 million were subscribers who received DIRECTV service from members and affiliates of the NRTC.

AS OF NOW: THESE GUYS DO HAVE IT

EchoStar Communications Corporation is a publicly traded company (NASDAQ: DISH). Widely recognized in the communications industry for its research and development activities, EchoStar provides Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) television products and services through its DISH NetworkTM to over 8 million customers nationwide.


Wal-Mart Mathematics would lead us to believe that: (A) DTV can get a better deal (B) They'll most likely just screw us, the end users in this deal, and charge us the same amount as DishNetwork is charging their subscribers.

Regarding TimeWarner, I'm certain that Richard Parsons is just trying to fatten TWX's bottom line. If they offered it in the past, they'll probably continue to offer it.

Disney, who owns ESPN, has been a bunch of bitches about their ESPN content lately which is one reason why Comcast was bidding for Disney several months ago. They were getting tired of having their fees jacked up every year. There needs to be an ESPN Futures contract that companies should get a chance to lock in on as far as future price hikes go.

ESPN is probably Disney's most profitable entity. ABC's shows are mostly horrible. They had something until Jack Tripper bought the farm, so they can't seem to catch a programming break. Monday Night Football is their big winner. NewsCorp (FOX) owns 82% of DTV which is part of the reason, I'm sure, that negotiations are contentious with the other media players like TWX, as well. Eisner is probably being faced with the dilemma of acquiring a new private, corporate jet as gate receipts from Euro Disney Paris are way down or somethng.
:p
 
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