Heart of the piece below. Today's full text here:
http://pac-12.com/portals/0/content/enterprises/dearfan/120918.html

Quote:

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...We have been hearing from tens of thousands of you about how frustrated you are missing these games. We share your disappointment.

Despite your thousands of emails, tweets, calls and posts, DirecTV is tuning out its loyal customers and still refusing to reach a fair agreement.

While we cannot explain it, so far DirecTV, which has always claimed to be the "sports leader," is simply not interested in offering its customers the Pac-12 Networks. That means fans like you could lose a full season of conference matchups, including Cal at USC and Utah at Arizona State this Saturday.

We find DirecTV's position baffling. First, the deal we've offered DirecTV is fundamentally similar to the deal that has already been accepted by DISH, four of the largest cable companies in the country and more than 40 others. How can a deal that works for all those companies be "unaffordable" for DirecTV, the largest satellite TV provider in the country and the company that built its brand offering every subscriber the "all the sports they crave"?

Second, DirecTV's claim that the games on the Pac-12 Network are not of interest is absurd. In college football, every game is a big game - something we'd all expect the leader in sports to understand, particularly when it offers its customers Big Ten Network, CBS College and many regional sports networks. While we admire our Rose Bowl brethren at the Big Ten, why shouldn't Pac-12 fans and alums be insulted by DirecTV's decision to trivialize the games that matter to them? Just like those Big Ten fans, we want to see every game our teams play.

Put simply, DirecTV is failing its customers and betraying its promise to be the sports leader. Based on the company's position today, fans will miss out on 20 upcoming conference football games airing on the Pac-12 Networks, nearly half of the season's remaining conference games, including some of the most compelling rivalries in the country. Fans will also miss out on the 20 hours of in-depth analysis, coaches' shows and previews that air each week, as well as the 150 men's basketball games, (nearly 70 percent of all Conference games) including eight tournament matchups, scheduled to air later this year...

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Big finish..

Quote:

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We hope you will continue making your voice heard, but with the distinct possibility that DirecTV fails to recognize the value of offering the Pac-12 Networks to its customers for the long haul you should also consider other providers in your area that offer the Pac-12 Networks.

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#gobears

Time to start writing again.

How's the sports leader's progress coming....

I am not taking sides with this but Direct TV is the big dog in this fight and the PAC 12 network is better off taking what's offered ASAP before anti gets lowered.

...to find out when my 2 year subscription expires and the cost to pull the plug. They pretty much trumpet this same line to their customers and it gives me hope because 2 weeks ago the same automatons who answer said "we have heard nothing about anyone cancelling over the Pac-12 Network." Now they read a script that mirrors what was shown above.

From my own personal perspective I hate Comcast and will not do business with them, although i have their broadband, but that is not TV. I did however, until 1 year ago have DISH for over 10 years and was pretty happy and it was a cabling problem that drove me to DirecTV. But now, all I have to do when it expires is take down the DirecTV dish and replace receivers....all pretty easy. By basketball season my opt out is below $100 and they will be gone.

They are jerks and I hope they lose 500,000 subscribers over this.

:gobears:

This is another case of Pure Greed by Direct TV. They want to make MORE than Dish or any of the other Cable outlets. It has nothing to do with making the price as low as possible for all Direct Tv subscribers.They are lying and their always quoted response is getting old, tired and ridiculous. Do they think we are a bunch of idiots?

Whoever is doing the negotiations should be( and probably will be ) fired for totally incompetence.

Does anyone think that DT's primary goal is to make their services affordable? Another poster mentioned they lost more subscribers in August than any other month. People are getting tired of the price, the indifference and the arrogance of Direct TV. Maybe their will be some increased sun spot activity that will take out their satillite.Hey many people are just putting an antenna on the roof and paying no fees. Maybe we watch too much sports. Maybe enough is enough.I could use the $100 a month for something else.

They're playing chicken and Larry is not backing down. That letter was .... blunt.

No doubt that calls and emails have a role, but nowadays if you're not harnessing the power of social media (Twitter and FB, in particular), you're fighting a consumer war with a bb gun. Those with social media savvy should make efforts to force them to respond very publicly to angry consumers. Scare Direct TV into action.

socaliganbear;841954044 said:

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They're playing chicken and Larry is not backing down. That letter was .... blunt.

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Way to go Larry, keep working on our best (long-term) interest.

Me thinks the Pac-12 home office seems a little desperate here. If anyone thinks the guys at Direct-Tv are quaking in their boots over this nasty note they have another thing coming. This group made Viacom bow to their wishes just a few months ago. I would love to see what the Pac-12 books look like without the 20 million subs that direct delivers. Not good i suspect.

For those of us in Pasadena we are really in a bind. It's either the superior Direct or Charter which also doesn't have a deal with the Pac-12.

Lets home saner minds prevail and a deal gets done.

Today I officially made the switch to dish. When I spoke w a dtv supervisor, he gave me the company line about how all the "important" games are on channels I already get. I told him I am a cal fan, his statement was incredibly patronizing and insulting, and just for that I'm definitely switching to dish now and telling all my cal friends to do the same. The guy was speechless after that.

What exactly is it the deal that Dish Network has? Do they have the overflow channels that DirecTV wants, making it simply a case of money, or do they only get the national channel with no overflow?

~MrGPAC

I think you're wrong. The Pac-12 will not budge on this for the simple reason that if DirecTV were to get a lower price, then the Pac-12 would probably have to go back to other providers and lower their contracted prices.

It's a no brainer: the Pac-12 may look "desperate" now, but in the coming months, DirecTV will look intransigent and stupid.

kasaja;841954073 said:

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Me thinks the Pac-12 home office seems a little desperate here. If anyone thinks the guys at Direct-Tv are quaking in their boots over this nasty note they have another thing coming. This group made Viacom bow to their wishes just a few months ago. I would love to see what the Pac-12 books look like without the 20 million subs that direct delivers. Not good i suspect.

For those of us in Pasadena we are really in a bind. It's either the superior Direct or Charter which also doesn't have a deal with the Pac-12.

Lets home saner minds prevail and a deal gets done.

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Or Dish.

This is how negotiating works in the cable world. Neither side is desperate, they're just trying to use every bit of leverage they can.

Considering the Pac-12 Network has agreements with the 4 largest cable operators in America and 2nd largest satellite provider in the second month of operation, I'd say they're doing OK. They aren't going to comprimise their business model (which has been proven to be acceptable to the other carriers) for one provider, no matter how large. Would love for them to make a deal with DirecTV though.

B.A. Bearacus;841954045 said:

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No doubt that calls and emails have a role, but nowadays if you're not harnessing the power of social media (Twitter and FB, in particular), you're fighting a consumer war with a bb gun. Those with social media savvy should make efforts to force them to respond very publicly to angry consumers. Scare Direct TV into action.

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I've tried like 10 times to really get @directv to listen on Twitter using RTs and other methods. It didn't do anything. I also emailed people that I would be leaving if they did not switch. They didn't seem to care and it was rather easy to leave. Now I get spam from them every few days for me to come back. I think DirecTV definitely has the best broadcasting technology and DVR equipment. However, their arrogance and indifference made an impact on me and now I am really happy I switched over to Time-Warner. It's a bit clunky in operation and technology, but overall it's fine and delivers what I need.

Confusing statement from Larry Scott in Sunday's Oakland Tribune, Fremont Argus, San Jose Mercury:

Quote:

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Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott said the conference is not close to a deal with DirecTV to carry the Pac-12 Networks.

"The ball is in their court,'' said Scott, who added that he would be "shocked" and "really disappointed" if DirecTV didn't come to terms with the Pac-12 in time for the USC-Cal game next week.

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A "fundamentally similar" deal is a vague and likely meaningless term in my mind.

I would like to know exactly what Pac-12 Networks is offering DirecTV and how it differs from deals made with other networks. I'm not convinced that DirecTV doesn't have valid reasons for not accepting the Pac-12 Networks deal.

BBBGOBEARS;841954014 said:

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I am not taking sides with this but Direct TV is the big dog in this fight and the PAC 12 network is better off taking what's offered ASAP before anti gets lowered.

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The Pac12 network is the big dog in this negotiation as it has the product; if anything, the more USC loses, the better the deal for the Pac12 network...

I have Comcast so I don't have a dog in this fight, other than generally caring for the welfare of the conference.

People need to leave DirectTV, be explicit in stating the reason for leaving AND come back after every game and tell them again why you left and how much you enjoy watching the P12 network on (insert competitor's name).

The conference's leverage comes from us and our willingness to move to a provider who offers the content we want. Make it so!

This is a stupid letter. You don't burn bridges in business. Ever.

Don't befriend DISH too much. We have had DISH for 10+ years and are about to leave because they have the same type fight going o n with AMC. They have dropped AMC (thus Mad Men) and as Mrs. 86 is a Commercial Producer and said show is her favorite - come new season time - we will be switching to a carrier with AMC.

Back to lurking.

Reading online it seems that issue may be resolved in the not to distant future.

hanky1;841954240 said:

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This is a stupid letter. You don't burn bridges in business. Ever.

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No bridges are burned by this letter. For a carriage dispute this is actually pretty mild. I think Larry Scott has proven he knows what he's doing.

hanky1;841954240 said:

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This is a stupid letter. You don't burn bridges in business. Ever.

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Neither side is burning bridges.

Both sides are playing hardball in negotiations. That's how it's being done, apparently. And if one or both sides are arrogant, douchebags, what bridges are being burnt? The money is still good.

kasaja;841954073 said:

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Me thinks the Pac-12 home office seems a little desperate here. If anyone thinks the guys at Direct-Tv are quaking in their boots over this nasty note they have another thing coming. This group made Viacom bow to their wishes just a few months ago. I would love to see what the Pac-12 books look like without the 20 million subs that direct delivers. Not good i suspect.

For those of us in Pasadena we are really in a bind. It's either the superior Direct or Charter which also doesn't have a deal with the Pac-12.

Lets home saner minds prevail and a deal gets done.

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If the Pac12 was desperate they would take the deal on the table from DTV...


Your comment does not track.

Every day DirecTV will care less and less about the Pac12 network because customers are leaving....and as they say, you can't be fired twice.

I hit the eject button yesterday and have my Dish install scheduled for Friday. I was pretty blunt about the reason for leaving and turned down some nice discounts they were throwing at me to stay.

FiatSlug;841954111 said:

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I think you're wrong. The Pac-12 will not budge on this for the simple reason that if DirecTV were to get a lower price, then the Pac-12 would probably have to go back to other providers and lower their contracted prices.

It's a no brainer: the Pac-12 may look "desperate" now, but in the coming months, DirecTV will look intransigent and stupid.

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Dead on- it doesn't sound like there is much room for negotiations.

http://www.awfulannouncing.com/2012-articles/september/directv-pac-12-network-kerfuffle-is-wearing-thin.html

Due to 'most favored nations' clauses that are suspected to be in all the current contracts, caving to dtv on price means everyone (comcast, TWC, Cox, Dish) would get the reduction. Since Directv has approximately 20% of the market, a reduction of price would actually have a 5x bigger effect on the network's bottom line. And say if DTV were offering 20% less.... agreeing to that would wipe out the entire monetary gain from adding DTV in the first place. Price isn't going to happen.

What could be the main sticking point now is which package DTV has to/ wants to put the station on in the p12 market. At this point, out of market rate is practically irrelevant monetarily since it's so small compared to in market (i've seen 80-90 cents for in market, and 10-20 cents for out of market), and because the sat companies can put the channel on the sports package, which means they aren;t even paying that 10-20 cents for the out of market customers w/o the package.

One interesting thing about the DISH contract is that P12 is on AT120+ 'in market' for ALL of the 6 states. Cable is able to put P12 on the 'preferred' package instead of 'starter' (or whatever the TWC or Cox equivalents are for basic then upgraded channel selections) for the DMA's outside of the p12 cities (ie Sacramento, San Diego, Colorado Springs, etc). Is the DISH contract better for the p12 that cable? Not necessarily because they have been able to negotiate the ability to exclude regional sports channels from the AT120 package and offer them only on the AT120+ (and above). It's only $5 more for AT120+, but if customers really don't like sports, they can save the $5... and still get ESPN, FX, etc.

Directv has almost the exact same setup at dish for regional sports... their entertainment package with espn, espn2, tnt, fx, and other basic channels, then a choice package that includes RSN's + some other additions lilke ESPNU. If DTV is balking because they want the P12 network on the xtra package, the p12 will not give in (nor shouldn't) since that would undercut DISH.

Again, if DISH can get the DTV deal matched, and they can then move P12 to AT200 and off of AT120+, P12 could lose more money from DISH then they would gain from adding DTV.

"Pac-12 Network Update
We realize the small number of exclusive Pac 12 Network games are important to specific fans and we want them to have their network, but Pac 12 continues to demand a significant price that would force all of our customers to still pay for this channel whether they want it or not. If Pac 12 were to be more reasonable, we believe there is an opportunity to add the channel immediately for any fan who wants it.

For more information, visit DIRECTV Promise.



Pac-12 Football On DIRECTV:
Week 4
Date Teams Network Time (ET)
Saturday, September 22 Oregon State at UCLA ABC/ESPN2 (On DIRECTV) 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, September 22 Colorado at Washington State FX (On DIRECTV) 4 p.m.
Saturday, September 22 #22 Arizona at #3 Oregon ESPN (On DIRECTV) 10:30 p.m.

CFB Feature Games of the Week (Top 25 Opponents) on DIRECTV

Date Teams Network Time (PT)
Saturday, September 22 #18 Michigan at #11 Notre Dame NBC (On DIRECTV) 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, September 22 #15 Kansas State at #6 Oklahoma FOX (On DIRECTV) 7:50 p.m.
Saturday, September 22 #10 Clemson at #4 Florida State ABC (On DIRECTV) 8 p.m.

Other Pac-12 Action

Date Teams Network Time (PT)
Saturday, September 22 California at USC Pac-12 6 p.m.
Saturday, September 22 Utah at Arizona State Pac-12 10 p.m.


Why was DISH able to come to an agreement with Pac-12 Network when DIRECTV hasn't?
We can't speak for DISH, but the fact is the terms Pac-12 presented to us would not allow DIRECTV to offer the channel at a price that's affordable for all our customers. Other providers have their own competitive reasons and arithmetic for doing deals. Our math is very simple. We don't want to add any unnecessary costs for those customers who may not have as strong an interest in Pac-12 Network. AT&T U-Verse, Verizon fios and Charter Communications (among others) have also yet to add Pac-12 Network.



What games will I miss on Pac-12 Network?
We don't want any fans to miss games because, when they feature your alma mater or favorite team, that's the most important game to you. Pac-12 Network has only two conference games scheduled this Saturday (please see schedule above) and the premiere conference match-up between #22 Arizona and #3 Oregon is on ESPN (and DIRECTV). For the fourth consecutive week, and every week since the Pac-12 Network began, none of the games on Pac-12 Network feature nationally ranked opponents based on either the Associated Press or USA Today Coaches' Poll. Last Saturday's top game, when #21 Stanford upset #2 USC, was also available on FOX and DIRECTV.



Will Pac-12 Network have all the Pac 12 football action this season?
No. The Pac-12 plays a total of 144 football games, and after this weekend, the conference has reserved only 18 more for its own Pac-12 Network. All the rest are someplace else, primarily ABC/ESPN and FOX and FX. None of the games on the Pac-12 Network schedule feature any nationally ranked opponents based on either the current Associated Press or USA Today Coaches' Poll. In fact, in most games to telecast on Pac-12 Network so far, the winners have easily outdistanced opponents, nearly tripling their scores. Conversely, DIRECTV will have every one of this weekend's top games pitting ranked opponents (See schedule above) including Pac 12's #21 Arizona Wildcats visiting #3 and perennial power Oregon on ESPN Saturday night. That's also the case for most of the rest of this season, and the top games are typically spread across 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, all of which are available on DIRECTV.



How many games will I miss this weekend?
Even though there are only two Pac-12 Network exclusives this weekend, they feature four Pac-12 teams. We realize those games are important to the fans of those teams so we want them to have their network. However, the Pac 12 continues to demand a significant price that would force all of our customers to still pay for this channel whether they want it or not. If Pac 12 were to be more reasonable, we believe there is an opportunity to add this channel immediately for any fan who wants it. While that can be frustrating to some, there are another 58 different college football games already available on national and regional networks on DIRECTV this weekend, beginning with Arizona at Oregon (ESPN); Oregon State at UCLA (ABC or ESPN2); Colorado at Washington State (FX); and all the top games featuring nationally ranked opponents (See schedule above). There are another 16 games currently scheduled for the ESPN3 online programming service this weekend too.



Is there still a chance DIRECTV will add Pac-12 Network this season?
Our goal is to provide Pac-12 Network to anyone who wants it. DIRECTV has always been a sports leader, and we hope to continue a productive relationship with the Pac 12, just as we have the Big Ten, SEC, Big 12, Big East and all of the other major collegiate conferences. If Pac 12 were to be more reasonable, we believe there is an opportunity to add the channel immediately for any fan who wants it."

manus;841954409 said:

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"Pac-12 Network Update
We realize the small number of exclusive Pac 12 Network games are important to specific fans and we want them to have their network, but Pac 12 continues to demand a significant price that would force all of our customers to still pay for this channel whether they want it or not. If Pac 12 were to be more reasonable, we believe there is an opportunity to add the channel immediately for any fan who wants it.

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What a BS line.

Channels I want to pay for: ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, TBS, MLB, NFL, P12 network, FX, FSN, weather channel. Channels I might not complain about paying for: Big Ten, Golf, ESPNU, NBC sports, Comedy Central.

Things I don't want to pay for: 300 freaking other garbage channels that I never watch and 10 or so channels that have maybe 1 or 2 shows a year worth watching that are available soon after on Netflix or DVD.

Sorry, DTV, paying for a channel alone is not the way things work, and it's YOU that wants and benefits from these bundles. Deal with it. Of course customers want individual channels. Who's stopping it?

It's a game of chicken and DirecTV is resorting to double-talk.

When DirecTV says "...force all of our customers to still pay for this channel whether they want it or not." what they aren't telling the reader is that this already happens with plenty of other channels, including ESPN, CNN, and probably TBS and TNT amongst others.

When DirecTV says "...but the fact is the terms Pac-12 presented to us would not allow DIRECTV to offer the channel at a price that's affordable for all our customers." what they're really saying is that it DirecTV's marginal profits on Pac-12 Network would be less than other channels if they accepted the Pac-12 deal. If DISH, Comcast, and other providers found Pac-12's offer acceptable, then DirecTV is probably bull$#itting its customer base on why the Pac-12 offer is not acceptable.

The rest is about getting DirecTV's customer base to put pressure on the Pac-12.

Also, falsehood: The Pac-12 does not play 144 football games.

Reading all the crap that DTV has been putting out in their press releases was what encouraged me to switch. If they had just kept their mouth shut, I might still be with DTV.

Now I have to take Bart from Daly City to concord to watch the game with a friend. I'll probably wish I hadn't gone, but he is buying me dinner.Dish does not have all the fox sports, do they?

Ha, it may come down to who has the smartest, most well connected New York Jewish Lawyers.

I'm betting on Larry Scott.

oskidunker;841954446 said:

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Now I have to take Bart from Daly City to concord to watch the game with a friend. I'll probably wish I hadn't gone, but he is buying me dinner.Dish does not have all the fox sports, do they?

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http://www.dish.com/entertainment/sports/#sports-packages

[quote=]If you're into sports, DISH puts you in the middle of the action. With the Multi-Sport Pack you'll enjoy NFL RedZone plus NFL Network, NBA TV, NHL Network, MLB Network, MLB Strike Zone, Pac-12 Networks, FOX Soccer, FUEL TV, Universal Sports Network and over 20 Regional Sports Networks. $9/mo with qualifying package.

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As far as P12 sports are concerned, you'll only need FSN/CSN for 6 Cal basketball games I believe. If you are in the bay area, I can't see CSN showing something else because they have an overflow channel.

I believe a 'qualifying package' is AT120+, which is the same as you need to have to get P12 Net.

I think you were replying to what i posted red AMC. DISH started their alert (read negotiating) with AMC three months before they dropped the network. AMC has now been off DISH for 7 months. So, If DISH reinstates AMC tomorrow, and if we apply a similar negotiating time frame to the P 12 Network and Direct - we will be looking at Spring Practices before Direct is online.

Just saying... And yes, you can probably tell this is big deal at the 86's house.

Go Bears!