EDIT: also see post #14 in this thread, with Directv online explanation of current situation with Pac12.

Son has Directv and wrote to ask about Pac12 Network:

Response Via Email(Cer Edward - ) - 09/07/2012 11:07 AM
Dear Mr. xxxxxx

Thank you for writing. We recognize how important this channel is for you, and I understand this is one of your standards in keeping your DIRECTV account.

DIRECTV has been in discussions with the Pac 12 Network for several months, working toward an agreement that will be fair for both those customers who want to receive Pac 12 programming and those who do not, so we can continue providing our customers with the best programming at the most reasonable cost.

On the other hand, the vast majority of Pac 12 football games featuring the most popular teams with national title implications remain available to all DIRECTV customers through the ESPN family of networks and ABC Sports, FOX Sports and FSN, FX, CBS Sports and CBS Sports Network, NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network and several other regional services.

In addition, whenever we add channels to our lineup, we release a statement to the press, so keep an eye on the news to find out about the newest channels or visit our web site at www.directv.com/pr.

Again, thank you for writing, Mr. XXXXXX. We really appreciate your feedback, and we will always work hard to provide our customers an unparalleled TV experience at the most reasonable value.

Again, thank you for writing.

Sincerely,

Edward E. -
DIRECTV Customer Service

P.S. Have a question? Anytime, any topic, instant answers - support.directv.com The Answer Center provides you helpful information, 24/7, all at your fingertips.

Customer By Web Form () - 09/07/2012 10:44 AM
Are you planning on getting the Pac-12 Network? If not, I may switch to another provider that has Pac-12 Network. This is a big deal, as you can see, the Cal Athletic Director has switched and posted a public video about this:

Even Dish Network will be getting it. Comcast already has it.

I wonder how many of you are like me in staying a DTV customer until the week of the $C game before seriously considering another provider. I was very happy with DTV's coverage of Cal fb and bb games the past two years and am sad to see it all fall apart so quickly. Switching to another provider involves learning new equipment and new channel numbers as well as losing DTV's bonus sports coverage and foreign language satellite channels. Only a DTV deal in the next 10 days will prevent having to make the big decision. :headbang

tenplay;841941809 said:

---

I wonder how many of you are like me in staying a DTV customer until the week of the $C game before seriously considering another provider. I was very happy with DTV's coverage of Cal fb and bb games the past two years and am sad to see it all fall apart so quickly. Switching to another provider involves learning new equipment and new channel numbers as well as losing DTV's bonus sports coverage and foreign language satellite channels. Only a DTV deal in the next 10 days will prevent having to make the big decision. :headbang

---

I'm in a slightly different position. I'm an ATT Uverse customer and am waiting on DTV to make a switch to them or, as a backup, Comcast. But, I don't know if I can wait until the week before the SC game, I worry the installation times might be longer than a few days...

Ha ha ha! A Direct TV salesman accosted me at Costco this am. Was it ever fun to tell him to pound sand! Told him to tell his boss I didn't need Direct TV without Pac-12 coverage. Mouth dropped open.

Mama Bear;841941836 said:

---

Ha ha ha! A Direct TV salesman accosted me at Costco this am. Was it ever fun to tell him to pound sand! Told him to tell his boss I didn't need Direct TV without Pac-12 coverage. Mouth dropped open.

---

I epecially resent Direct TV's condesending line that "the vast majority of Pac12 football games featuring the most popular teams with national title implications remain available to all Direct TV customers through the ESPN family of networks and ABC sports" blah, blah, blah.
I guess they don't know or care that not all of us want to see The University of Spoiled Children at play. With the way Direct TV has stalled, I would have a hard time switching from Charter to them anyhow.
Thanks!

tenplay;841941809 said:

---

I wonder how many of you are like me in staying a DTV customer until the week of the $C game before seriously considering another provider. I was very happy with DTV's coverage of Cal fb and bb games the past two years and am sad to see it all fall apart so quickly. Switching to another provider involves learning new equipment and new channel numbers as well as losing DTV's bonus sports coverage and foreign language satellite channels. Only a DTV deal in the next 10 days will prevent having to make the big decision. :headbang

---

I am in the same boat.
DTV is so superior to Comcast, I will wait it out.

Another alternative is to call Directv, threaten to cancel, get some free promos + discounts on your bill, then turn around and use that money to get the absolute cheapest package with comcast that you can that gets you pac12 network. That would guarantee you games without switching services, and likely end up costing you less overall than a complete switch to comcast.

~MrGPAC

JerrBear;841941888 said:

---

I epecially resent Direct TV's condesending line that "the vast majority of Pac12 football games featuring the most popular teams with national title implications remain available to all Direct TV customers through the ESPN family of networks and ABC sports" blah, blah, blah.
I guess they don't know or care that not all of us want to see The University of Spoiled Children at play. With the way Direct TV has stalled, I would have a hard time switching from Charter to them anyhow.
Thanks!

---

That is the main reason I posted this. I agree with you JerrBear, and wanted to see what others thought about this letter (and that paragraph).

I've scheduled my install with comcast for friday, 9/21. I originally had it scheduled for the thursday before Nevada, but got tix to nevada, and decided to wait until the absolute drop-dead date to have comcast come out. If DTV does get the P12 network, it will be more national in scope, meaning the possibility of getting all 7 regionals through the sports pack (instead of 1 regional in HD and national in SD - ugh!). DirecTV also has sunday ticket, which I would like to keep. So I'm allowing them till that week.

And DTV's "vast majority of games" crap is total nonsense, because much of the schedule for the rest of the season is not decided yet, and the P12 network has first choice of game on a rotating basis with ESPN and FOX. So they have no idea what network will show many of those games.

That being said, because they worked with Cable companies, the pac-12 came up with a decidedly cable-friendly structure, one that doesn't work as well with a national carrier with limited channel capacity. And even the cable company route hasn't worked out great yet for the P12, as many of those cable partners aren't carrying the Pac12 network on *any* tier outside the Pac-12 footprint (which is total garbage and not something the Pac12 should have allowed from their partners).

DrDanger;841941894 said:

---

I am in the same boat.
DTV is so superior to Comcast, I will wait it out.

---

.. it's alot easier for bay area residents to resist switching, able to be there in person to home games.

At SC is the first big crunch, unless family situations allow for travel particulars.

#GoBears!

Even if I wanted to drop Direct-TV, which I don't, Comcast is not even available here in Pasadena. We can only get Charter which is awful. Direct-tv's product is just superior to anything else out there. My guts says they get a deal done before the SC game or Direct waits it out. Once they get past football season they can go without the Pac-12 until next year. I have to believe the conference needs this deal more than Direct-tv does which is why they have not closed. Whenever direct is in danger of losing a major network supplier they will take it to the last minute and get a deal done. For those who don't follow this stuff Direct-tv hung Viacom and its MTV Networks out to dry for ten days this year.

That's called playing HARDBALL.

...and not going to keep both forever.

I just came across this Directv posting about the Pac12 negotiations. There is some Q&A there too.

http://support.directv.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3912/~/pac-12-network-update

ride525;841942081 said:

---

I just came across this Directv posting about the Pac12 negotiations. There is some Q&A there too.

http://support.directv.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3912/~/pac-12-network-update

---

Quote:

---

We have been in discussions for several months with Pac-12 Network and hope they will continue to work toward an agreement.

If Pac-12 Network would allow us to make their channel available only to those customers who want to pay for it, the network would already be available on DIRECTV. But, as it stands now, the price is much too high to accept their demand that we make it available to all customers, some of whom will have to take on this unnecessary cost for a channel they don't want.

We will continue to work with Pac-12 Network to resolve this for the benefit of both fans and non-fans alike. Until then, the majority of Pac-12 football games featuring the most popular teams with national title implications remain available to all DIRECTV customers through the ESPN family of networks and ABC Sports, FOX Sports and FSN, FX, CBS Sports and CBS Sports Network, NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network and several other regional services.


What games will I miss on Pac-12 Network?

Pac-12 Network has six non-conference games scheduled the second weekend of the new Pac 12 football season, several of which appear opposite one another on Saturday, Sept. 8. Only one of the conference's three top teams (Oregon) will play on Pac-12 Network in week two, and even then, the game will appear opposite the Pac 12's feature game of the week between Washington and third-ranked Louisiana State available to all DIRECTV customers on ESPN. For the second straight week, none of the games on the Pac-12 Network schedule feature nationally ranked opponents based on either the Associated Press or USA Today Coaches' Poll.


Will Pac-12 Networks have all the Pac 12 football action this season?

No. There are only 23 games left on the Pac-12 Network (after this Saturday), none of which feature nationally ranked opponents (based on either the current Associated Press or USA Today Coaches' Poll). The conference decided to sell rights to approximately 109 other games, including those between top-ranked opponents, to several other networks that DIRECTV already carries. Those networks include the ESPN family of networks and ABC Sports, FOX Sports and FSN, FX, CBS Sports and CBS Sports Network, NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network, and several other regional services. In many other cases, the ESPN3 online service or ESPN GamePlan will also have games.


How many games am I likely to miss?

Very few, yet DIRECTV will continue to work toward an agreement with Pac-12 Networks representatives. There are currently 48 different college football games scheduled between this Thursday and Saturday already available on national and regional networks available to most DIRECTV customers. That includes the best Pac 12 games like Utah vs Utah State (ESPN2), USC vs Syracuse (ABC & ESPN2), Wisconsin vs Oregon State (FX), Washington vs LSU (ESPN), Nebraska vs UCLA (FOX) and Illinois vs Arizona State (ESPN). There are another 18 games currently available the ESPN3 online programming service too.

---

#GoBears!

Thanks SiniCal.

Quote:

---

Will Pac-12 Networks have all the Pac 12 football action this season?

No. There are only 23 games left on the Pac-12 Network (after this Saturday), none of which feature nationally ranked opponents (based on either the current Associated Press or USA Today Coaches' Poll)

---

"...none of which feature nationally ranked opponents.." What about Cal-USC, USC is ranked #2? Or do they mean BOTH opponents are nationally ranked?

ride525;841942104 said:

---

Thanks SiniCal.



"...none of which feature nationally ranked opponents.." What about Cal-USC, USC is ranked #2? Or do they mean BOTH opponents are nationally ranked?

---

Horribly misleading statement, given that from Week 4 on, the only game confirmed to be on P12N is Cal-USC. 19 other conference games will be shown there, but they haven't announced which ones.

Then there's this, which is an outright lie at best:

"The conference decided to sell rights to approximately 109 other games, including those between top-ranked opponents, to several other networks that DIRECTV already carries."

The entire conference, with conference games and OOC games all included, plays a total of 90 regular season games. When you exclude OOC road games which are the property of the home team's conference, the Pac-12's entire TV inventory is in the 70's (I don't feel like calculating the exact number). P12N will end up with 35 games (20 in conference and 15 OOC home games), so the total that the conference sold to other networks is around 40, not 109.

The P12N has basically 1/3 of the entire allotment of conference games. If DirecTV doesn't agree to carry it, then it is the biggest failure in the history of the conference.

Direct TV is lying and I don't like liars. After the USC game the tv networks have not scheduled the games as yet because they are waiting for things to unfold as games are played. Any game not picked up by another network will be picked up by the P12 Network. To say the last game to be seen on the P12 Network is USC vs CAL is nonsense.Direct TV do you think we're stupid? I have been a Direct TV customer for 16 years, keep shoveling this crap and watch me switch to Dish! :headbang