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ESPN driving up the cost of cable, now averaging $4.69 per household per month

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RBH

Member
you don't think they are going to do the same? we might end up paying 4.00 for espn thanks to the competition but also paying nbc 3.00 for their network and pay more in the end.

I had a feeling someone would have this response, and honestly, it could very well happen. I just hope by then that there's some sort of intervention (govt or whatever else) to act as a control for the cable system in general.
 
Stopped paying cable for about 2 years now. I sort of miss it, but then I think about the 50+ dollars in my pocket a month that add up and then I stop sulking. Fuck cable. You can have so many more ways to get entertainment now that is much more cost effective or even free it's not worth it at all.
 
The system needs to be overhauled to an ala carte model so people can pick the 5 channels they actually watch.

This ... I watch ESPN and their various channels so I don't care. It's the bundles that suck. I have to get show time in order to get NFL Redzone. I have to order HD packages and get 75 channels that I'll never land on.

I see no point in getting upset at ESPN when it's the cable providers that force us to pay for stuff we don't watch.
 

ascii42

Member
Hey I cancelled cable, how hipster am I?
I've thought of doing the same. But then I remember my apartment complex has a deal with Cox. Basically $30 of my rent goes toward basic cable. But if I want to enjoy that, I need to rent a cable box, so I can get HD. Then of course since I'm already paying for cable, I might as well get some channels I want, so I pay for those too. Dammit.
 

FLEABttn

Banned
I've thought of doing the same. But then I remember my apartment complex has a deal with Cox. Basically $30 of my rent goes toward basic cable. But if I want to enjoy that, I need to rent a cable box, so I can get HD. Then of course since I'm already paying for cable, I might as well get some channels I want, so I pay for those too. Dammit.

Ever hear the saying "throwing good money after bad"?

That's what you're doing. Stop doing that.
 

richiek

steals Justin Bieber DVDs
ESPN is not nearly the only party driving up sports-programming costs. Regional sports networks like Comcast SportsNet Washington command monthly fees as high as $3.36. And the broadcast networks pursue megadeals, too.

Time Warner Cable dropped MSG Network from their lineup since the beginning of the year because MSG is demanding more money to carry them. Fucking assholes, the lot of them.
 

abuC

Member
Im surprised ESPN hasn't broken away from cable companies and offered their own service for $20 a month.
 

Barrett2

Member
Cancelling cable: feels good man.

I cancelled my TW Cable two months ago and it's seriously the best decision i've made in years.

Between the full HD broadcast signal I get on my Plasma via $10 rabbit ears, and the $20/month I pay for Hulu+ and Netflix via a Roku box, I am saving over $100/month and have basically everything I need. For the random shows I still don't have access to, just spend $3 a pop to download episodes and I am still saving mountains of cash.

Not to mention that the over the air HD signal from my $10 rabbit ears honestly looks better than cable HD signal.
 

dubc35

Member
Cancelling cable: feels good man.

I haven't had cable in three years. I have comcast for internet so I can watch ESPN3.com for live college sports and get OTA HD for network channels. Whenever I go to my parents house I'm always like, hey they have cable! Then I get there and there's 300 channels of garbage on, no thanks.
 
espn is absolute shit. horrible analysts, commentary, and production. thanks for bringing tabloid journalism to sports, you cunts.

switching from cable to internet live streaming from the leagues directly: feels good, man
 

DominoKid

Member
i have no problem with this considering the ESPN family of networks is pretty much the only thing i watch.

going without cable when i go home for the summer is hell cause streams just arent up to par yet.
 

Adamm

Member
Is there something very different about the way US TV is paid for, or somehting?

ESPN in the UK is £12 ($18) a month for 2 channels
 

entremet

Member
espn is absolute shit. horrible analysts, commentary, and production. thanks for bringing tabloid journalism to sports, you cunts.

switching from cable to internet live streaming from the leagues directly: feels good, man
Blackouts suck though. And the NFL has to get its shit together as well.
 
Is there something very different about the way US TV is paid for, or somehting?

ESPN in the UK is £12 ($18) a month for 2 channels

Most cable offerings ive seen in the USA are bulk. Get the whole shibbang or not. Movies and some extra sports channels may be extra. But you pay for ESPN, MTV, Tru, and a shitload of crap you don't want whether you watch it or not.
 

ElRenoRaven

Member
Honestly they just need to put ESPN in a bundle of it's own that you can pay for or not. I honestly never watch ESPN. If they're going to raise everyone's bills by 5 bucks a month then the customers should have a choice to pay that 5 bucks or not.
 

tranciful

Member
The fact that we still can't choose which channels to opt into or opt out of just shows how outdated the cable industry still is. I haven't had a cable subscription for years. I do miss the news channels, though -- they were good background noise.
 

SyNapSe

Member
Honestly they just need to put ESPN in a bundle of it's own that you can pay for or not. I honestly never watch ESPN. If they're going to raise everyone's bills by 5 bucks a month then the customers should have a choice to pay that 5 bucks or not.

They try to but then the content companies come back and tell them if you do that we'll pull all of our channels. Your options are taking the price increase and passing it on to the customer or finding out how many households will cancel when you no longer carry ESPN & the Disney channel, etc.

Time Warner is still battling with the NFL network because they want to put it in an extra pay tier but the NFL network will only sign on if it's in the base bundle package. The difference is even though not having the NFL network has probably hurt them some they only control one channel.
 

ElRenoRaven

Member
They try to but then the content companies come back and tell them if you do that we'll pull all of our channels. Your options are taking the price increase and passing it on to the customer or finding out how many households will cancel when you no longer carry ESPN & the Disney channel, etc.

Time Warner is still battling with the NFL network because they want to put it in an extra pay tier but the NFL network will only sign on if it's in the base bundle package. The difference is even though not having the NFL network has probably hurt them some they only control one channel.

Well it's a battle that needs to be fought. It's time to get with the times and give the consumer a choice in what they want to pay for. If people want ESPN bad enough they'll buy ESPN and both will still make a fortune. If they don't then well guess ESPN wasn't as valuable as they thought it was.
 

Tobor

Member
I cancelled my TW Cable two months ago and it's seriously the best decision i've made in years.

Between the full HD broadcast signal I get on my Plasma via $10 rabbit ears, and the $20/month I pay for Hulu+ and Netflix via a Roku box, I am saving over $100/month and have basically everything I need. For the random shows I still don't have access to, just spend $3 a pop to download episodes and I am still saving mountains of cash.

Not to mention that the over the air HD signal from my $10 rabbit ears honestly looks better than cable HD signal.

Bingo. I've saved thousands of dollars since I cancelled cable, and miss nothing.
 
Just got back from the Time Warner store....walked in there with my 8 year old DVR and a $150 monthly bill, walked out with Basic Cable and Turbo Internet for $77 and a Cable Card on the way.

real nice feeling. I will get by w/o ESPN, i am sure.
 

Windu

never heard about the cat, apparently
It's just one reason why I'm rooting for NBC Sports Network to acquire more content over the next few years to hopefully mitigate this.
there will just be a bidding war over content that will drive prices higher for subscribers
 

RDreamer

Member
Blackouts suck though. And the NFL has to get its shit together as well.

Blackouts are fucking awful. It'd be great if you could just cancel cable and pay the fee to watch NBA or NFL straight through them, but you get blacked out of the teams near you. It's such BS. I will never pay for the NBA League Pass, since it wouldn't let me watch the Bucks, and I'm pretty sure I'd also be blacked out of Chicago games too!
 

Ceebs

Member
I would love to just pay for all the ESPN, The FoxSports Channels, and the MLB and NFL networks + HBO. If I could get all that I would ditch everything else in a heartbeat. Sports are the only thing that really keeps me paying each month.
 
Just got back from the Time Warner store....walked in there with my 8 year old DVR and a $150 monthly bill, walked out with Basic Cable and Turbo Internet for $77 and a Cable Card on the way.

real nice feeling. I will get by w/o ESPN, i am sure.

Well with Time Warner internet, you would get ESPN 3.com I'm pretty sure. And doesn't ESPN come with basic cable?
 
Is there something very different about the way US TV is paid for, or somehting?

ESPN in the UK is £12 ($18) a month for 2 channels

ESPN is the standard sports channel for pay tv in the US, and almost too powerful. They can make a sport relevant nationally. Hell, the reason poker took off a couple years ago is because they broadcast it when Hockey went on strike.
 

TheNatural

My Member!
not if you have Time Warner. you HAVE to have cable to have ESPN3

Don't you need a provider that has ESPN to get ESPN3?

I have basic cable for $10 a month and get ESPN3 free. Plus if you set up a name on that provider you can link your member name to ESPN3 and watch ESPN3 anywhere with remote access. So all you have to do is be on an ISP that has ESPN3, create an ESPN.com member name, and link your account.


Get Remote Access to WatchESPN
Your internet service provider offers WatchESPN.

Did you know you can access WatchESPN away from home with a free ESPN.com account?

If you already have an ESPN.com account:

1. Sign in using the Sign In link in the upper right hand corner.

2. After successfully signing in, click Remote Access again and follow the instructions.
 

Iadien

Guarantee I'm going to screw up this post? Yeah.
I just cancelled my cable two weeks ago. When the cable companies want to stop being so greedy and let me pay for the channels I want, I will come back.
 

LuchaShaq

Banned
Give me espn in HD normal channel style on my xbox and pc without having to have cable and I'll pay double that.

Too bad the video player on espn.com is COMPLETE AND UTTER GARBAGE.
 

tm24

Member
The ESPN book has a lot of good background on this whole process of negotiating with the cable companies. Really fascinating stuff
 
The ESPN has a lot of good background on this whole process of negotiating with the cable companies. Really fascinating stuff

If they didn't have ESPN, I would imagine they would lose a third of their customer base. They are kinda screwed.

However, they have terrible service and are holding America back with their ISPs, so I don't feel bad.
 

quaere

Member
ESPN3 is just as "free" as ESPN is. Even if you cancel cable, you still pay ESPN on your internet bill. Yup, capitalism.
 

Mindlog

Member
I have basic cable for $10 a month and get ESPN3 free.
You do not get ESPN 3 for free. It is cheap, but the cost is bundled with your cable bill.

The cost for web content is automatically bundled in with everyone's cable bill.

ESPN 3 is worse than SOPA.
 

thefro

Member
ESPN's a complete joke at this point and way too powerful for their own good.

Their producers basically decide what gets covered by the sports media in this country.

And it's not enough that they keep jacking up the price of ESPN, they are moving games to ESPNU and ESPN3 that would have been covered locally before for free to making people have to pay for that.
 
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