You can blame Disney/ESPN for being greedy, but they have to pay for all the big TV deals somehow. Ultimately it’s the service providers fault for not getting the deals done and taking care of their customers though. These contract negotiations didn’t start yesterday.
Every Gator fan in Spectrum territory should call and cancel their Spectrum cable this morning. Streaming is just too easy to do right now not to punish those fools.
I actually enjoyed having cable because it was so easy to switch to different channels. Streaming takes longer and is more clunky to me. I'm not canceling anything at this point. But I am speaking out at how poorly we have been treated for this crap to happen when it did - the timing of it - the lack of communication and warning.
But, they did end yesterday, the minute before the Florida game with no warning. If anybody thinks that's coincidental timing, they haven't watched Disney's war with the State of Florida. What's even worse, Disney will ultimately profit from this when everyone signs up for ESPN+ to get through the football season. One way or 'nother, the dirty duck will get his dimes.
I blame them too. It seems like every other company including Frontier can negotiate a deal with Disney. Why not Rectum?
Yeah, Disney is doing what all greedy companies do, which I don't love, but I get. Spectrum, on the other hand, has been paid by me to provide specific channels, which they aren't doing, so they are on the hook for last nigh's fiasco. Absolutely zero warning.
Our Dish provider that serves Dunnellon did the same thing last year and also timed it to stop just at the start of the first college football games. Our only ABC affiliate is WCJB and Disney couldn’t bring Dish to their knees so…. Shows just how controlling Disney is and more importantly, how insensitive to their customers. Using paying customers as leverage. Are we still with CBS this year or do we start the ESPN contract?
I have experience with DirecTV, ATT and Spectrum. Each has trouble with just about every broadcast or media provider - and not just sports - at one time or another. This is nothing new and will only get worse down the line as the few mega-conferences (conjoined with the providers) demand more money for broadcast rights. This is the free market at work. Services want to hold rates down, providers and conferences are greedy and want more money. The market will settle it. No whining.
ESPN+ won’t get you through the football season. Majority of the games worth watching are not available with just an ESPN+ sub. I don’t think it has anything to do with screwing the state of FL. It has to do with showing spectrum who the boss is. I don’t think the timing was coincidental at all. This made a big impact on spectrums customers. Spectrum should have got the deal done before it came to this. They tried to play hardball and they lost. They’ll tell you they’re just fighting to keep your prices low, while they fill your channel selection with a bunch of bs you don’t want, and while they dick around and don’t close deals in a timely manner that make you lose the channels you DO want right when you need them the most. You guys want the huge tv contracts for the schools. This is how they pay for them.
this is why I cut the cable years ago and watch "less scrupulous" streams that generate them no revenue from me.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of how Spectrum operates either. But, Disney is complicit, if not the driver in this one. They can't lose. Big contract with cable and/or streaming increase. They're trying to bail themselves out of a financial downturn at our expense. I get your point about the big TV contracts, but, disagree about the timing. Everyone should flood both Disney and Spectrum with complaints after this one.
I was agreeing with you about the timing. It was not coincidental, it was purposeful and was meant to impact spectrum’s customers. That’s how these games are played. Spectrum got punked and is going to lose a shitload of customers. They should have worked the deal out before the old one expired. Drop some of the shitty channels nobody wants to keep the price points right for the service if thats what’s really important. Or raise the prices again. People will pay it, because they want to see their games. ESPN/Disney will get what they want in these negotiations. They hold all the cards. Love them or hate them, these service providers are going to learn to quit playing chicken with them. If ESPN doesn’t get their money on these deals, UF doesn’t get their money on those deals.
We have YoutubeTV and love it. Hated slings interface.. seemed buggy all the time. Spectrum was absolutely terrible.
Have you tried one of the streaming lately? I always had the same fear about lag between flipping channels because I watch 3-4 things at a time and have been impressed so far (admittedly not even 24 hours into it) by how minimal the lag has been. Was already annoyed they kept jacking up their rates which only seemed to pay for more of their own terrible commercials, think last night was the last straw. Plus will save $100/month
I have Sling and the same thing happened there last year. I seem to remember it only affecting one game and Sling gave us the other side of their package for a while to try to make up for it. Just meant I followed on here and watched either the game or just highlights the next day on Youtube. Instead of getting too upset I could also go to Youtube and watch Danny beat FSU in the Sugar Bowl again...and again...and again...lol
Disney is a terrorist organization. Not their rodeo and war against various providers. They are losing their ass in other endeavors, particularly with their movies. Simply trying to make it up. Both sides are complicit in this garbage. Viewers are the victims. I have cable with Spectrum, plus ESPN+ and Disney+. Still had to go to a neighbors to see the game.
