Universal Sports was on DirecTV for the month of September, but now it's gone. Apparently they only ran it for one month.
Anyone know if they plan to continue carrying it?
Universal Sports was on DirecTV for the month of September, but now it's gone. Apparently they only ran it for one month.
Anyone know if they plan to continue carrying it?
I called them and requested a refund for removing both and they claim I'm still paying for the same # of channels, yet 19 of those are HSC channels.
They are not bringing back Versus or Universal sports.
I can almost understand why they (DirecTV) took VS off the air, but why the hell would they broadcast Universal Sports for only (1) month?
Why did they take versus off? I did not understand.
Directv did their usual lame cries of unfair!!! and outrageous!!! about what Comcast wanted to charge them to renew their Versus contract. I guessed that airing Universal Sports was Directv strategy to get Comcast to lower their price which didn't seem to work.
DirectTV serves as a common carrier like Fox, ESPN, etc. offering satellite channels for rent. Companies like Universal Sports try DirectTV, etc. to expand their viewership base. Apparently there wasn't enough interest in the niche sports and Universal pulled the plug. That's business.
I wouldn't think Universal would care as long as DTV pays the bill.
It depends. Sometimes the small content providers like Universal Sports try new carriers. Other times the carriers seek out new programming and sign niche content providers. The state of internet technology that Universal Sports uses severely limits the number of viewers at each gateway (aka IP router). Universal has to explore different technologoes to expand viewership. Many pro sports leagues have started their own TV channels that compete in the same space as Universal. The serious dilemma that Universal Sports and other sports channels face is that equipment manufacturers and telecommunications carriers have failed to deliver on promises of IPTV / Internet Video. Combined with the recession, these ventures are scrambling to stay afloat.
I wonder how long the over-the-air broadcasts of the channel are gonna last.
Professor Michael Bowles wrote:
Apparently there wasn't enough interest in the niche sports and Universal pulled the plug. That's business.
And they (US) can decide this in by broadcasting for 1 month? Doesn't make sense to me. I don't think there was a real effort to test US on DTV. They didn't advertise it. Hell, I stumbled upon it.
Seems to me that DTV put US on in an effort to get VS (Comcast) to bend at the negotiating table.
I'm disappointed because I think US has great content.
Running Bear wrote:
Professor Michael Bowles wrote:Apparently there wasn't enough interest in the niche sports and Universal pulled the plug. That's business.
And they (US) can decide this in by broadcasting for 1 month? Doesn't make sense to me. I don't think there was a real effort to test US on DTV. They didn't advertise it. Hell, I stumbled upon it.
Seems to me that DTV put US on in an effort to get VS (Comcast) to bend at the negotiating table.
I'm disappointed because I think US has great content.
I agree on the lack of advertising. I have directtv and didn't even know i had US.
I found Universal by accident on DTV because it was right next VS (603 & 604). I think it was a ploy to win some hearts because they dropped VS. Now (not so coincidentally) they are running a promo for free NHL Center ICE for a month. Interesting that hockey is the other major draw on VS. Maybe they think by giving something similar free for a month people will forget about it and learn to live without it. Someone in DTV management is making some poor decisions.
If DTV doesn't add VS back in time for hockey playoffs and Tour de France, I'm switching to Dish.
I might switch to Dish in June. I still think it's all to get comcast to lower the price for versus, but it drives me up the wall. It's like they have teens full of drama running the company.
Does Dish have US or VS?
My contract w/ DTV is over and am looking to upgrade to HD, Am thinking about Dish.
Although I think much of the programming pullback we see is due in part to the economy. Everybody is cutting back. I think also there is technology out there like TV over the internet that is ready but nobody has the money invest in it yet. When the economy turns I expect to see newer programming and broadcast options.