Relax. Breathe. We’re Committed to Keeping Disney, ABC, ESPN On the Air

Aug 27 2010

Relax. Breathe. We’re Committed to Keeping Disney, ABC, ESPN On the Air

As you may have heard, Time Warner Cable is currently negotiating new contracts with Disney. Disney owns the Disney cable channels (naturally), as well as ABC and ESPN. We’ve both been working hard to reach an agreement.

This I can personally vouch for. They’re doing the negotiations right down the hall from my office and I run into those guys in the hallway, in the bathroom, at the coffee machine — and they don’t look like they’re having any more fun than our people.

You may have seen any number of ads, tweets, blog posts, or other forms of media suggesting that Disney intends to black out all of its channels on September 1st. You may have even been told that if you switch to another service provider, you won’t experience an interruption in service.

However, Disney has already yanked its programming from Cablevision and the DISH network this year. If they’ve done it with those two and they’re threatening to do it to us, there’s a definite pattern emerging. Switching providers isn’t going to get rid of a problem with Disney when Disney is the problem.

We are committed to keeping your shows on the air whether you’re into sports, Disney cartoons or Dancing With the Stars. We promise that we we’re working hard to stop Disney from going dark — please let Disney know you’d like the same promise from them.

You can learn more about this at our Roll Over or Get Tough site.

Categories: Fact-Checking, Retransmission Consent, Roll Over or Get Tough

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64 Responses to “Relax. Breathe. We’re Committed to Keeping Disney, ABC, ESPN On the Air”

RICK
Aug 30, 2010
at 12:34 pm

NO ABC NO ESPN NO CUSTOMER
JMP
Aug 30, 2010
at 1:57 pm

But to argue that getting tough on pricing for a slate of programming is somehow in the best interest of consumers as a whole is dishonest at best.

Different consumers will necessarily place different values on different channels. That’s the nature of the marketplace. Those of us who are sports fans would gladly pay (for example) $5/month for ESPN, but there are those who never watch the channel would wouldn’t pay anything for it if they didn’t have to in order to get the rest of the basic cable package. Any decision about the relative value of various channels will necessarily be Time Warner’s best guess as to what its consumers want, because there is no market mechanism in place to allow the consumers to weigh in on pricing.

With any all-or-nothing package like the sort of basic cable packages that cable companies currently offer, every consumer will always end up paying more for some channels than they think they’re worth individually, while some will end up paying less than they feel certain channels are worth. Only with a la carte pricing will the consumers have their interests truly represented.

Yes, with a la carte pricing there would be a serious drop in the number of cable channels available, but the channels that would disappear are the ones that insufficient numbers of consumers are willing to pay for. Some channel owners, which produce multiple channels that each have a small amount of original programming, might discover that it’s more effective to combine their current original programming into a smaller number of channels, but that’s how the marketplace generally works. Why should cable subscribers have to subsidize channels that very few of them would pay to watch in order to be able to get cable service?

If Time Warner really wanted to represent the interests of consumers, they would offer a la carte pricing. Anything short of that is only a guess at what represents the best interests of consumers.
J N
Aug 30, 2010
at 2:11 pm

Because TWC does not have contract with the NFL network. When it comes available. I sure TWC will try to get a contract with the NFL. It is more money for TWC.
Jeff
Aug 30, 2010
at 4:54 pm

I just called and canceled my 2 accounts with Bright House Networks(TWC) here in Tampa, FL. I am fed up with Bright House’s refusal to add NFL Network, and these contract issues. I have been with Bright House over 8 years.

Bright House claims that every other provider goes through this “Contract renewel” situation. Mr. Simmermon, when is the last time you heard Verizon, or the other dish companys fighting and running ads on television over this problem?? None that I can recall. It seems to be Bright House that is always in the news, or on T.V.

I remember the same issue last year that Bright House had with Fox that went down to the wire…

I will be switching to Verizon FIOS which includes NFL. Network.
Jeff Simmermon
Aug 30, 2010
at 5:06 pm

It happened with ABC and Cablevision up here in New York earlier this year. Just because you’re not aware of it doesn’t mean it’s not happening — a lot of companies just gulp and raise prices.
Jeff
Aug 30, 2010
at 5:08 pm

Any other answer to the question I have asked Bright House several times- Why don’t you have NFL. Network??????????

I don’t need the typical PR response of “We are in negnoations with NFL. Network”. That’s the answer I always get.

My response, I canceled my 2 accounts and switched to Verizon FIOS which has NFL.Network!
Diane
Aug 30, 2010
at 5:19 pm

Jeff. S

Why wait till the last minute to solve these issues with ESPN?? This stunt with your company has probably cost you thousands of customers, and millions of dollars.

I canceled my account with your company and went with DISH-oh yeah dish has NFL Ticket which you guys refuse to get……..

Diane C
Jack
Aug 30, 2010
at 7:38 pm

Jeff,

Have their been any new developments between TWC and the NFL Network, now that many providers ofter The Red Zone Channel as a part of that package? This would add additional shows to the NFL Network, if Red Zone Channel was included, and might make the channel more appealing if the channel was offered.

Even if you tried for carriage on the optional Digital Sports Package and the NFL Network said, “no optional package”, I believe TWC should try to strike a deal, where the channel could go on the Digital Variety Package. If the NFL network wants something like 75 cents a subscriber like last time, I’d almost take the deal, or negotiate down to somewhere between 60 cents-70 cents to get this done.

Sadly, you are losing subs over this channel each year and it doesn’t have to be this way! A 65-75 cent added increase in fees isn’t too bad. it is way down from the $1.10-1.25 the NFL was originally seeking. Secondly, the 65-75 cents isn’t too bad because so many customers now want and are willing to pay for the NFL Network.

Renegotiate to get NFL Network on the Digital Variety Package. If you don’t, pretty soon TWC, the #2 cable provider in the USA, is going to be the only one without it. This will be an embarrassment to both your business and your customers. It’s time to get this channel!

Jack
Matt
Aug 31, 2010
at 6:37 pm

Bowling Green, Ohio. TW if you don’t reach an agreement, I will be switching to DirecTV-which is the only other option besides Dish in the area.
KG
Sep 01, 2010
at 6:36 pm

I keep seeing that Disney pulled the plug on DISH network. However when you go to Dish network, I see ESPN as an advertised channel. I’m considering switching to Directv. They have the nfl channel, and I don’t have to worry about squabbles. I’ve had directv in the past (where I lived, I could only get satellite) and I never had problems, the stations never went out like with twc digital cable. If agreements aren’t made, I won’t be staying with twc.
Patti
Sep 02, 2010
at 4:26 pm

I thought it was COMPLETE Bull Sh*t when TWC dropped NBC last yr… now they are threatening to mess with ESPN?!?!?! Come on man?!?!

No ESPN and we’ll find a better provider w/ all the channels including NFL!!
Jason
Sep 02, 2010
at 7:08 pm

NFL red zone not on the lineup is a joke. Please add it!! Fios coming to my building soon!!
Robert
Sep 03, 2010
at 10:19 pm

Well I for one do not want to pay for any Disney stuff!
Jack
Oct 01, 2010
at 9:46 pm

Just a heads up that so many critics believe that TWC is the only provider that they claim drops channels do to carriage disputes, just wanted to post a FYI to everyone that Dish Network pulled several sports channels from FOX as of October 1, 2010. The story is here:

http://consumerist.com/2010/10/fox-plays-hardball-with-dish-network-pulls-19-regional-sports-channels-and-fx.html

So it is not just TWC/Brighthouse Networks that have these battles. Or just the cable companies for that matter. Satellite has the same issues from time to time as well.

Jack