DirecTV vs. Versus

[jdw397s]

Well, no one blinked. Versus has officially gone dark on DirecTV. The NHL's US cable home, along with its 5 or so Blues games, is gone. Of course, the bright side is that this keeps me from having to see Engblom's mullet.

[Robb_K]

[quote="jdw397s"]Well, no one blinked. Versus has officially gone dark on DirecTV. The NHL's US cable home, along with its 5 or so Blues games, is gone. Of course, the bright side is that this keeps me from having to see Engblom's mullet.[/quote]

They had a similar disagreement before. They got a deal done after 2 of the 20 college football game package were lost. I don't see the impass going on more than 2 more weeks. They can't afford to lose more than a couple of those football games. By October, everything will be back to normal.

[philco_3]

And I'm sure if it doesn't come back on the NHL Network will pick up those games. Especially the Premium Games in Europe.

[brynec]

There is a petition to sign on this page http://versus1.viewerlink.tv/ContactInfo.asp please sign even if you dont have DirecTV

This is what Eklund wrote...
Every now and again we in the hockey world need to help each other out. I am a firm believer in this as many of you know. Well, now is one of those times. Direct TV, as of today, has decided to drop Versus from their line-up, effectively shutting out millions of hockey fans from being able to watch the game they love.

This is important stuff, and fortunately I am told there is still time. Sources tell me that the sides are not too far apart and a fan outcry could "absolutely tip the scales." We intend to do all we can.

Versus has become a vital lifeline for hockey fans in America. Direct TV is telling its subscribers that it doesn't matter since they still carry the Center Ice Package. Well the bottom line is, the Center Ice Package doesn't show ANY of the games on Versus. Local TV doesn't carry any of your team's games that are on Versus.

[cprice12]

Here is what both sides are saying on their websites...whose side are YOU on?

Here is what Versus is saying:

http://www.versus.com/nw/article/view/8 ... column.tpl

Dear VERSUS Viewers:

If you are a DirecTV customer, you are most likely aware that VERSUS’ contract with the satellite provider expired on August 31. Throughout our discussions, VERSUS made fair and reasonable offers to DirecTV – simply asking them to carry the network at a comparable level of distribution as they had for several years, at the same market price that other operators are currently paying. Yet, despite our good-faith negotiations, DirecTV chose to remove VERSUS from its programming lineup and deny millions of passionate sports fans access to our comprehensive coverage of the sports they love.

DirecTV has also been trying to cloud the real issue in its comments to the press about this situation. What DirecTV has conveniently neglected to mention is that they demanded a deal that would place VERSUS on a tier, removing the channel from more than six million subscribers who were getting it at no additional cost. DirecTV would then force those subscribers to pay an additional fee to get access to VERSUS. We hope to resolve this soon, but DirecTV’s current offer of taking VERSUS away from sports fans only to charge them more is simply unacceptable and we refuse to submit to such an unreasonable demand.

DirecTV has openly insulted our passionate sports fans and viewers by calling VERSUS “an infomercial network.” It is absolutely shocking that the self-proclaimed “leader in sports” would call the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Lance Armstrong’s remarkable comeback in this year’s Tour de France, top-ranked college football, IndyCar Series racing, World Extreme Cagefighting and PBR events “paid programming.” Furthermore, they have belittled hunters and anglers, our vast and loyal field sports fans, by dismissing your programming entirely.

We started hearing from a large number of sports fans the second VERSUS was taken off the air, demanding that DirecTV return the network to its lineup. This overwhelming support that VERSUS continues to receive from our passionate fans is why VERSUS is one of the fastest growing sports cable networks in the country.

Thankfully, you do have options and can sign up for another video provider, one that cares about sports fans. We want to make sure you don’t miss out on any of our upcoming programming, including college football featuring nationally ranked teams such as Texas, BYU, TCU and Kansas just to name a few plus the start of the NHL season, the conclusion of the IndyCar Series season, several live WEC and PBR events and much, much more.

We thank you for your tremendous support over the past few days and want nothing more than to resolve this issue quickly and amicably.

Sincerely,

Jamie Davis
President of VERSUS

-----------------------------

Here is what DirecTV is saying:

http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/ar ... d=P6220002

Versus on DIRECTV

Unfortunately, Versus is no longer available on DIRECTV. Comcast, the largest cable company in the U.S. and our largest competitor, owns the channel and has forced us to pull it down. Here is the situation.

DIRECTV was already paying Comcast more than any other non-Comcast distributor to air Versus — and now Comcast is demanding an overall rate hike of 20% on top of that. Comcast also forces DIRECTV to make Versus available to a much larger portion of our customer base at our own expense than they require from other TV providers — most notably, DISH Network. We simply cannot accept these unfair and outrageous terms. All we're asking from Comcast is equal treatment.

Comcast and Versus are currently engaged in a noisy publicity campaign to distract attention from the fact that they are trying to take advantage of DIRECTV and our customers. The bottom line is this, if we were to accept their unreasonable demands, we would have no choice but to pass on the increase in cost to our valued customers. We do not want this to happen, especially in these difficult economic times. That's why we're standing firm in our negotiations with Comcast.

Regardless, we will continue to work in good faith with Comcast to try to reach a fair and just settlement. Our commitment to deliver the best TV service for the best price is and has always been our first priority. We truly appreciate your patience and understanding during this time.

DIRECTV still leads the industry in sports programming, whether or not we have Versus in our channel lineup. For college football, NHL hockey and other sports, here's just a brief list of what's available on DIRECTV:

# •College football: Available on Big Ten Network, CBS College Sports, ESPN, ESPNU, ESPN GamePlan, The Mtn., local channels and your RSN.
# •NHL: Available on NHL Network, NHL Center Ice, and your RSN.
# •Mixed Martial Arts: Available on HDNet, Spike TV, and UFC on DIRECTV Pay Per View.
# •Auto Racing: IRL available on ABC, Formula 1 on Fox and Speed.
# •Bull riding: Available on ESPN2 and the Houston Rodeo on DIRECTV Pay Per View
# Hunting and fishing: Available on ESPN2, The Sportsman Channel, The Outdoor Channel, and Pursuit TV.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at versus@directv.com

[kodos]

This thread vs. the one that already exists.

I'd also like to add that this is one of the few times I'm glad to have Charter... even though we only get their super s**tty SD feed of VS.

[cprice12]

This thread vs. the one that already exists.

I'd also like to add that this is one of the few times I'm glad to have Charter... even though we only get their super s**tty SD feed of VS.

There you go...merged.
I didn't see the one from before...seeing as it was on page 3.

[sseagle]

I'm still on Directv's side here... it sucks, but I guess i can miss 5 games, we miss more than that most years anyway

[theohall]

I'm still on Directv's side here... it sucks, but I guess i can miss 5 games, we miss more than that most years anyway

Last year all of the games on Vs were available online through atdhe for free.

[northwest dave]

I called Directv to see what they could do for me. I've been a longtime subscriber (10+ years) and finally ready for an HD Receiver. Here's what I got:

- CenterIce free this year
- HD fee ($10) waived for the year
- HD/DVR receiver for free
- Installation of HD satellite and setup fee waived.

Not bad. I was nice but insistent. Lady was nice and sportsfan.

I finally get to see hockey in HD...and the Cardinals playoffs!

[philco_3]

centerice packageis worth it right there.

[cprice12]

So I called DirecTV to complain about no Versus and no NHL.
Others have gotten free Center Ice because of this...so I wanted in.

I mentioned that other people I know have gotten free Center Ice because they are unhappy with the VS situation.
But they refused to give me free Center Ice. I asked to speak to a manager, and he said he couldn't do that and that nobody has gotten free Center Ice from DirecTV because of the VS thing.

Hmmm....

He said the best he could do is give me Center Ice at 50% off. Which I said wasn't good enough. I shouldn't have to pay another $80 to watch the NHL when I should already be watching the NHL on VS under my current plan at it's current price. I shouldn't have to pay more to get something I should already be getting. I said the reason I signed up with DirecTV two months ago was because of VersusHD and the NHL. And so far I have missed the season opener for the league last night and I will miss the season opener for the Blues tonight if I don't go out and watch it (which I am). I'm not getting what I paid for.

If I were to cancel my contract and switch to a different provider that carried VS, I would have to pay DirecTV $200. I didn't think it was fair that DirecTV can change their channel lineup and remove a key channel for me after I signed a contract and not have to compensate me since I would have to compensate them if I wanted out of the contract. I'm kind of left holding the bag.

They offered me $10 off my package for 6 months, or $10 off the sports package for 6 months (lots of soccer I hear). I told them that doesnn't solve my "no hockey" issue.

I asked that they escalate the issue to a higher authority....they are going to call me back.
If they don't call me back in a couple hours, I'll be calling them again. We'll see how this goes.



Has anyone else besides NWD gotten free Center Ice by complaining?

[VictorManthing]

Man, that's a bummer. I'm feeling lucky right now since I dropped cable america and picked up DISH a couple weeks ago. I'm DVR'ing the game this afternoon and I'll watch it when I get home from work. Still wish I had Uverse though :/

[Carl Racki]

So I called DirecTV to complain about no Versus and no NHL.
Others have gotten free Center Ice because of this...so I wanted in.

I mentioned that other people I know have gotten free Center Ice because they are unhappy with the VS situation.
But they refused to give me free Center Ice. I asked to speak to a manager, and he said he couldn't do that and that nobody has gotten free Center Ice from DirecTV because of the VS thing.

Hmmm....

He said the best he could do is give me Center Ice at 50% off. Which I said wasn't good enough. I shouldn't have to pay another $80 to watch the NHL when I should already be watching the NHL on VS under my current plan at it's current price. I shouldn't have to pay more to get something I should already be getting. I said the reason I signed up with DirecTV two months ago was because of VersusHD and the NHL. And so far I have missed the season opener for the league last night and I will miss the season opener for the Blues tonight if I don't go out and watch it (which I am). I'm not getting what I paid for.

If I were to cancel my contract and switch to a different provider that carried VS, I would have to pay DirecTV $200. I didn't think it was fair that DirecTV can change their channel lineup and remove a key channel for me after I signed a contract and not have to compensate me since I would have to compensate them if I wanted out of the contract. I'm kind of left holding the bag.

They offered me $10 off my package for 6 months, or $10 off the sports package for 6 months (lots of soccer I hear). I told them that doesnn't solve my "no hockey" issue.

I asked that they escalate the issue to a higher authority....they are going to call me back.
If they don't call me back in a couple hours, I'll be calling them again. We'll see how this goes.



Has anyone else besides NWD gotten free Center Ice by complaining?

Yes, Curt, same scenario I faced yesterday afternoon with them. They offered me the same thing. I thought it was because I forgot to pay my bill last month and they haven't gotten my payment yet, but now I see that is not the case. They offered me the exact same deal. I think it means they are closer to a deal with VS and don't want to give out any more free stuff. We should have called them earlier.

[cprice12]

So I called DirecTV to complain about no Versus and no NHL.
Others have gotten free Center Ice because of this...so I wanted in.

I mentioned that other people I know have gotten free Center Ice because they are unhappy with the VS situation.
But they refused to give me free Center Ice. I asked to speak to a manager, and he said he couldn't do that and that nobody has gotten free Center Ice from DirecTV because of the VS thing.

Hmmm....

He said the best he could do is give me Center Ice at 50% off. Which I said wasn't good enough. I shouldn't have to pay another $80 to watch the NHL when I should already be watching the NHL on VS under my current plan at it's current price. I shouldn't have to pay more to get something I should already be getting. I said the reason I signed up with DirecTV two months ago was because of VersusHD and the NHL. And so far I have missed the season opener for the league last night and I will miss the season opener for the Blues tonight if I don't go out and watch it (which I am). I'm not getting what I paid for.

If I were to cancel my contract and switch to a different provider that carried VS, I would have to pay DirecTV $200. I didn't think it was fair that DirecTV can change their channel lineup and remove a key channel for me after I signed a contract and not have to compensate me since I would have to compensate them if I wanted out of the contract. I'm kind of left holding the bag.

They offered me $10 off my package for 6 months, or $10 off the sports package for 6 months (lots of soccer I hear). I told them that doesnn't solve my "no hockey" issue.

I asked that they escalate the issue to a higher authority....they are going to call me back.
If they don't call me back in a couple hours, I'll be calling them again. We'll see how this goes.



Has anyone else besides NWD gotten free Center Ice by complaining?

Yes, Curt, same scenario I faced yesterday afternoon with them. They offered me the same thing. I thought it was because I forgot to pay my bill last month and they haven't gotten my payment yet, but now I see that is not the case. They offered me the exact same deal. I think it means they are closer to a deal with VS and don't want to give out any more free stuff. We should have called them earlier.

Maybe. But that shouldn't matter. They owe us compensation in the form of free stuff.
Comcast may be the bastards in this, and I feel for DirecTV if they are getting hosed...but that's not my problem. I just want to watch hockey. I signed up with DirecTV specifically for that reason, and they took their only hockey station off the air AFTER I signed up.
Paying $80 more to watch hockey isn't that much money, but that's really not the point.
If others are getting it for free because of the VS thing, then I want it for free too.

[BF44]

Has anyone else besides NWD gotten free Center Ice by complaining?

I did. All I really did was call, sk for Customer Retention, say "I'm a hockey fan, so I suppose you know where this converstation is going"

Gal on the phone laughed and offered me Free CI on the spot.....

[northwest dave]

OMFG!!!!!

So after finally deciding to take the plunge into HD and getting a sweet deal from Diretv. The installer came this morning and cannot locate the franking signal needed for HD through the trees. Apparently HD signals are 3 satellites and are splayed out rather than one digital signal I get now.

Why the (Frank) are the directv satellites at 31 degrees? I live in the (Franking) northwest...you know, the part of the country with tall trees.

I'm so pissed. I've been with DTV for 11 years. And now I'm going to take it up the ass with comcast if I want HD. AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[abc789987]

OMFG!!!!!

So after finally deciding to take the plunge into HD and getting a sweet deal from Diretv. The installer came this morning and cannot locate the franking signal needed for HD through the trees. Apparently HD signals are 3 satellites and are splayed out rather than one digital signal I get now.

Why the (Frank) are the directv satellites at 31 degrees? I live in the (Frank) northwest...you know, the part of the country with tall trees.

I'm so pissed. I've been with DTV for 11 years. And now I'm going to take it up the ass with comcast if I want HD. AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i think this is the reason of some forest fires.

[cprice12]

Ahhhhh.... what a day.
The Blues sweep the two game series from the Wings in Sweden, and I got free Center Ice this year!!!

I called back and said, "cancel service" at their voice activated system.
They sent me to customer retention.
All I said was, "well, I'm a huge hockey fan, so I guess you know why I am calling."
DirecTV: "Versus?"
Me: "Yup. I'm not happy at all."
DirecTV: "What I can do is offer you free Center Ice this year."
Me: "I like it. Sounds good. Thank you."

The call took like 10 minutes.
The guy I talked to was a hockey fan as well. I didn't even ask for Center Ice...he offered it up right away.

Kick ass.

It's all in who you talk to I guess.

[BF44]

Ahhhhh.... what a day.
The Blues sweep the two game series from the Wings in Sweden, and I got free Center Ice this year!!!

I called back and said, "cancel service" at their voice activated system.
They sent me to customer retention.
All I said was, "well, I'm a huge hockey fan, so I guess you know why I am calling."
DirecTV: "Versus?"
Me: "Yup. I'm not happy at all."
DirecTV: "What I can do is offer you free Center Ice this year."
Me: "I like it. Sounds good. Thank you."

The call took like 10 minutes.
The guy I talked to was a hockey fan as well. I didn't even ask for Center Ice...he offered it up right away.

Kick ass.

It's all in who you talk to I guess.

In the end, they're gonna lose more money in free Center Ice than they would have if they'd have just come to an agreement with Versus....