Posted on 10/21/2005 12:59:46 PM PDT by ZGuy
The owner of The Dish Network said Thursday it pulled the Outdoor Life Network from its system after the cable channel failed to provide NHL games to the nation's second-largest satellite television provider.
EchoStar Communications Corp. spokesman Marc Lumpkin said the network did not show games on Oct. 10-11 and on Monday and Tuesday as advertised. "We were not given advance notice that they would not show the programming," he said.
Although best known for broadcasting the Tour de France and cyclist Lance Armstrong, OLN this fall took over broadcasting National Hockey League games on cable from ESPN, a unit of The Walt Disney Co.
"We are surprised and disappointed that Dish has unilaterally chosen to stop providing OLN to its customers, and denied fans the opportunity to watch sports coverage on OLN," spokeswoman Amy Phillips said.
The contract dispute between EchoStar and OLN revolves around OLN's placement in a higher-priced channel package by Dish Network, which is distributed to fewer viewers.
OLN, owned by cable giant Comcast Corp., set a requirement that the channel must be seen by 40 percent of a cable or satellite TV system's viewers in order for it to broadcast the NHL games. It said the Dish Network has failed to meet that requirement.
Lumpkin declined to comment on the specifics of the dispute.
EchoStar would have to move the channel from its top package to a lower-cost package that may have fewer channels but more viewers. That would raise the fees Dish Network viewers pay.
"We work hard to provide choice for customers and to keep prices low," Eric Sahl, an EchoStar senior vice president, said in a statement. "Most of our customers have made the decision they do not want to pay the additional cost of watching the channel."
EchoStar hasn't been afraid to take on networks before. In March 2004, it pulled Viacom Inc. programming — including MTV, the Comedy Channel and Nickelodeon — from the Dish Network for two days until an agreement was struck on a long-term contract.
Based in suburban Englewood, EchoStar's Dish Network has about 11.4 million customers.
Dish can give it away to clients who complain on one condition...
IF THE CABLE PAYS FOR IT!
Brighthouse Networks did exactly that during a dispute with the local sports channel (Sunshine Network) in Florida.
Zzzt! Wrong!
Brighthouse Networks did exactly that during a dispute with the local sports channel (Sunshine Network) in Florida.
Whoopee. Cable notoriously screws their customers anyway. Cable rates have gone up faster in the same time period as satellite TV rates have. In the 7 years I've been a DISH Network customer, my bill has probably gone up $3.00 in total, and some cable companies have raised their rates 40% or more over the same 7 year period. Technically, cable customers aren't getting ANYTHING for free, especially with the way the rates have gone up.
Is that the red mark you get on the neck after a passionate night that never reappears after one is married?
Yeah, kinda like how the rest of us care about the Cowboys and Parcells. In case you didn't know the Dallas coach is a northerner.
BTW...they don't slip on the ice, they skate on it and obviously you've never done it or you wouldn't be so quick to dismiss it. So yes, you are a Texan.
I had DirectTV for 10 years, switched to DISH a month ago.
DISH has more of the programming I want at a better price. So far, I like DISH better. I'm not interested in NFL Ticket anymore. I get the Carolina Panthers games here every weekend. Go Panthers!
I really miss VOOM. We have both DISH and DirecTV
that's great but I live in the AZ Cardinals area. We're always blocked out.
does it offer digital picture HD and DD sound channels as much as DISH? I doubt it.
4DTV receivers are capable of 5.1 Surround and Dolby Digital as well as HDTV. DISH only offers it on select channels. Even when a channel claims to be carrying a movie or program in true 5.1 Surround or Dolby Digial, 9 times out of 10, DISH is uplinking it in 2-channel stereo, because audio also takes up plenty of bandwidth. Aside from the HDTV content that DISH offers, they're compressing at a rate of 12:1 (that is, 12 channels per 1 transponder or channel in lay terms). HDTV uses up one transponder alone.
Thers a VOOM pachage available on Dish.You have to have a DISH pointed at one of two sats. that aren't the "normal" ones.
If you have DISH, you can still get VOOM. VOOM is DISH Network's HD Package.
VOOM had more HD channels than just VOOM channels. They offered the most HD channels with DD than both DISH and DirecTV... around 35. I miss them a lot.
what about the cost?
see my post 72
And of course you need an HD-capable receiver, like the 811, hooked into an HDTV set.
like i know that already dude... i have an HD directv receiver and dish hd receiver in the front room and the master bedroom along with both hdtvs
Doing a quick Froogle search, the base price of a 4DTV receiver is under $600, but you have access to 30 satellites, about 300 digital channels and nearly 1,000 analog channels.
that's just way too much money considering what dish and directv can offer
Right now, neither DISH or DirecTV don't offer much, because they only have limited satellite real estate. Each satellite location is assigned by the FCC, and each satellite has a limited amount of capacity. Of the two main satellite locations that DISH uses, that has the core programming that most people who have at least the America's Top 60 package, at the 110 and 119 degree locations, one satellite has 21 transponders and the other has 28 transponders. Yet, alot of the content is duplicated on both satellites, for example, CNN is on both satellites. They've duplicated most of the AT60 package, because some RV setups have a dish that see's only one satellite, and not two like the DISH 500 can see. The two main slots are completely saturated, there is no more room for additional channels. The rest of the channels like local networks, public interest, and international programming, are on sideslot locations.
Hockey-Smockey!
I'm going to make like a hockey player and "get the puck outa' here"!
There's too much bull! /snicker
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