Same with DirecTV. But as I understand it, DirecTV in their contracts with the owners of the various channels, has to take like 8 lousy channels that no one watches just to get the two or three they really want. Thus, they also have to put them in the prime packages as part of the contract to give those channels more exposure. That is what it said on a “crawler” on several of my channels back when DirecTV and the cable channel owners were fighting over a new contract. But, I just use that favorites channel selector and pick only those channels I want and then that is the only channels that appear when I pull up the guide to select a channel. Al J is a new channel that appeared and I immediately deleted it off my guide. When new channels come on line they automatically appear on your fav guide to let you know. But this one I canned without even checking it out. I KNEW what it was. I was still on AD back during Gulf War 1 and I remember their crap very well.
I work for DTV and this is precisely the case. We are not content creators, we are content PROVIDERS. Our influence over WHAT is sent over the wire is next to zilch. If someone complains about their kid seeing what would accurately be called porn 30 years ago on a ‘regular’ channel, literally the best we can do is tell them about parental lockouts. Not to mention the repeats. Yes, we know about them, there was even a drinking game created over them. No, we can’t do jack, salesman talking points notwithstanding. No, Cox or Time-Warner aren’t any better, so save yourself a headache.
Corporate and our lawyers are in a constant battle just to keep the creators and broadcasters from pulling a fast one and then making us come hat in hand to fix the gaps in our channel lineup in some or all markets while our customers call in breathing fire. And Lord help us all when it’s time for our various packages to be re-negotiated. The squabbling over who gets into what packages and at what price is enough to drive a man to drink.
You had better believe the situation drives us agents looney. We know we have to bundle crap and it drives us as nuts as it does our customers. The reason we can’t let people buy channels like a salad bar is because so people would have a dozen channels in their package and we couldn’t make a profit.
I patently refuse to push crap like AJ or the porn channels even with the juicy incentives for the latter. If someone ASKS about them, obviously I’m required to sell it and I have done so. But as both a good citizen and a Christian I won’t advertise them...and as I was recently in the top 10 agents on the entire site, I think my stand is being rewarded quite well.
BTW, Pac-12 has refused to be either a la carte or pay-per-day like everyone else from the NFL to the NBA to the NHL. Apparently THEY are just too special. Please harangue them for their bull-headedness if you get a chance.