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Post by jrijr on Jul 21, 2014 5:54:30 GMT -5
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Post by patriciaanne on Jul 21, 2014 7:56:31 GMT -5
That's good news. I left DirectTV because of them dropping INSP and moved to Dish. I made sure they knew that's why I was leaving, too. Good news for all those still on DirectTV, though.
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Post by carol on Jul 21, 2014 12:51:38 GMT -5
HOOOOORRRRRRRAAAAAAYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I didn't get the email until a few minutes ago but I found it was back scanning the program guide this morning. I guess they got enough complaints and enough people jumping ship that they brought it back.
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Post by coriscapnskip on Jul 21, 2014 16:35:48 GMT -5
Will wonders never cease! INSP is back on DirecTV! I can scarcely express my unspeakable surprise and delight! Perhaps hope exists in the world after all!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2014 0:42:52 GMT -5
Now, if only DirecTV would broadcast the HD version of INSP.
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Post by JeriJet on Jul 25, 2014 6:47:48 GMT -5
I sadly doubt that my cable system will ever provide INSP.... I'm probably one of the few who may have emailed them about it.... I'll never understand.... However, they do occasionally air an INSP special on our one and only "religion" station -- only by accident did I notice a day of The Waltons movies.... not my favorite !!
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Post by River on Jul 25, 2014 7:53:48 GMT -5
After many years as a loyal customer, I discontinued my DIRECTV service almost 1 year ago. I now only have over the air channels and Netflix. I do have all of the dvd's of the Walton's so I can watch anytime and I also have an active library card and a library with a great selection of dvd's. Glad INSP and DIRECTV came to a resolution. I really wish that I could just subscribe to the channels I watch and pay only for what I want. I hated to spend so much money on channels I did not watch. In fact, I had to block channels because I did not want my kids exposed to what was on those channels.
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Post by JeriJet on Jul 25, 2014 10:21:36 GMT -5
Couldn't live without my cable tv -- there's such a wealth of good programming, which is non-existent on network tv.... Most of the time it's hard to decide between shows available....
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Post by Sussie of Teckelhut Acres on Jul 25, 2014 19:18:13 GMT -5
That is interesting. I always thought they were on both because Dish and Direct are owned by the same company.
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Post by patriciaanne on Jul 25, 2014 20:08:10 GMT -5
That is interesting. I always thought they were on both because Dish and Direct are owned by the same company. Is that really true??? Then why all the commercials competing against one another? And why does DirecTV keep harassing me to come back to them? It is sooooo annoying!!!!! I feel like I joined a cult and can't get out.
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Post by Sussie of Teckelhut Acres on Jul 25, 2014 21:00:47 GMT -5
Back when we were with Dish (havent been for three years) they said it was happening. Must have not followed through because I found this bit of news posed March 31st, 2014....
Last week shares of DirecTV and Dish Network jumped on news that Dish CEO Charles Ergen had approached his DirecTV counterpart, Mike White, about the two companies merging. (Shares are still riding at 52-week highes.) Neither company has officially commented on the rumors but most pundits thinks both parties are seriously considering a merger.
This isn’t the first time the two companies have danced this dance. The two biggest satellite TV providers attempted to merge back in 2001. At the time, the two companies argued that the government should approve the marriage because Dish and DirecTV didn’t really compete against each other but against the cable guys and that separated, they offered weak competition.
The FCC did not buy any of the arguments. Then-chairman Michael Powell wrote in his statement rejecting the proposed merger:
The combination of EchoStar and DirecTV would have us replace a vibrant competitive market with a regulated monopoly. This flies in the face of three decades of communications policy that has sought ways to eliminate the need for regulation by fostering greater competition. I decline the invitation to turn our national communications policy back so many years.
A pretty stinging rebuke And yet …
“I don’t see how they can not go down this road again,” says Jimmy Schaeffler of The Carmel Group.
So what makes the companies (and clearly investors) think that things might be different this time around?
Changing Technology
The way we consume video has changed dramatically in the last 12 years. Back then we were limited to our TV services for at-home content. Today there are a plethora of Internet options like Netflix NFLX -0.83%, Hulu, YouTube and iTunes. You no longer even really need a video provider to watch all the TV you want. The satellite guys are competing as much with broadband providers as they are with cable companies (although often those two are one and the same).
That means the companies would be able to argue that they are weaklings competing in an increasingly crowded field. In 2001 subscriber rates at the satellite companies were still growing fast. Today they are stagnant. The argument that together, the satellite companies could provide a viable competitor to the growing power of the cable companies suddenly looks more viable.
Comcast CMCSA -1.34% Time Warner TWX +1.17%
No one doubts that the floated rumors have a lot to do with the proposed Comcast Time Warner merger. If the FCC allows Comcast to gobble up Time Warner Cable, the new company will have 30 million customers and a cable monopoly in some of the biggest markets in the country. That makes it much harder to argue that a merged Dish DirecTV poses a monopoly threat. To the contrary, it makes a bigger, stronger satellite company look like a stronger competitor against Comcast, especially if as part of the merger the FCC imposes price limitations on a merged satellite company, especially in rural areas where cable isn’t available. A merged Comcast Time Warner Cable would also point to a more permissive attitude toward media mergers at the FCC. The government organization might have a hard time arguing against a satellite merger after approving a big cable merger.
Sirius XM
As Schaeffler of The Carmel Group points out, the last time Dish and DirecTV tried to merge was before satellite radio providers Sirius and XM won approval from the FCC to become one company. In 2008 the FCC approved the merger saying it would actually give consumers more choices and flexibility. At the time, the satellite radio industry looked a bit like the satellite video industry does today. The two companies were competing in a small market against plenty of competitors like terrestrial radio, iPods and online radio services. If the FCC decides once again that the satellite business act as vital competitor in the market, and there is a national interest to keeping that competitors alive, it could approve the merger.
Spectrum
Dish is sitting on 56 megahertz of spectrum. The company has spend $5 billion investing in wireless spectrum. In a recent conference call, Ergen said the company could have spent that money to acquire an additional 5 million subscribers but, he added: “We don’t think those extra 5 million customers would have the value strategically or from a shareholder value perspective.”
It’s unclear right now what Ergen intends to do with the spectrum. He could sell it off or use it to entice a telecom to buy Dish. But he could also use it as the basis for a wireless build out. Dish recently made an interesting deal with Disney that gives the satellite company the right to offer Disney channels, including ABC and ESPN, online. The rights mean that Dish could, theoretically, one day offer Disney stations as a standalone subscription service to customers who don’t even have Dish.
Dish becoming what’s known as an over-the-top play is a very compelling possibility. The company already has standing relationships with all of the big content players and an over-the-top offering would be a serious competitor to a merged Comcast Time Warner. The power of a new, national, over -the-top offering becomes much more powerful when instead of Dish’s 14 million subscribers you have a Dish and DirecTV’s combined 34 million subscribers to market the service to.
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Post by patriciaanne on Jul 26, 2014 10:37:49 GMT -5
Hmmm...that's interesting. Personally, I don't think the Comcast/TW OR the Dish/DirecTV merger should be allowed. If you look at various industries, I think there's far LESS competition in general in many areas than there was many years ago. And that's not a good thing.
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Post by ForeverWaltons on Jul 26, 2014 11:17:23 GMT -5
Hmmm...that's interesting. Personally, I don't think the Comcast/TW OR the Dish/DirecTV merger should be allowed. If you look at various industries, I think there's far LESS competition in general in many areas than there was many years ago. And that's not a good thing.
I agree...less competition is not good for the consumer. When the consumer only has one or two choices between any given thing...they basically have your head on the chopping block. You then only have two choices, put up with the high price and/or poor customer service or totally do without said service.
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Post by patriciaanne on Jul 27, 2014 10:27:52 GMT -5
Hmmm...that's interesting. Personally, I don't think the Comcast/TW OR the Dish/DirecTV merger should be allowed. If you look at various industries, I think there's far LESS competition in general in many areas than there was many years ago. And that's not a good thing.
I agree...less competition is not good for the consumer. When the consumer only has one or two choices between any given thing...they basically have your head on the chopping block. You then only have two choices, put up with the high price and/or poor customer service or totally do without said service.
You must have healthy competition for a free market system. It provides the consumers with choice, drives up quality and drives DOWN price. And it provides more employment opportunities. It's a pretty nifty system all the way around.
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Post by River on Jul 29, 2014 23:09:06 GMT -5
Couldn't live without my cable tv -- there's such a wealth of good programming, which is non-existent on network tv.... Most of the time it's hard to decide between shows available.... It was a matter of Needs versus Wants. I need to eat, I don't need cable. It is amazing what you can do without. Thank goodness I have a library with a great DVD section with all of the latest shows.
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