Versus Removed 090109

[puckhead]

Versus on DIRECTV

Comcast, the largest cable company in the U.S., owns Versus. They regularly try to charge us amounts well in excess of what is fair and reasonable to carry the programming they own. Their reason is obvious: they want to stifle competition from DIRECTV. Comcast's unfair terms undermines DIRECTV's ability to offer our customers the best possible value. If we simply accept these terms, we would have to absorb the unreasonable costs Comcast wants to charge us, and in turn we will be forced to increase the rates our customers pay. We do not want this to happen. In fact, Comcast has forced us to remove Versus because we would not accept the terms they demanded.

We are currently in contract negotiations and will continue to work with Comcast until the matter is resolved. Rest assured that we are making every effort to ensure that you continue to be satisfied with your service.

For more information, please read our FAQs below.

On-air message says Versus is not available. Why?
Our contract with Comcast expired August 31 and we were unable to reach agreement on a renewal. Comcast was not only demanding renewal terms that did not reflect market value for the channel but also demanding carriage terms that were discriminatory. Comcast forced us to drop Versus unless we agreed to their unreasonable terms.

With Versus no longer available, how will DIRECTV make up for the loss?
We will communicate with you and do what we can to ensure your continued satisfaction and loyalty until the matter is resolved. We will continue to negotiate with Comcast to resolve this matter. In the meantime, you'll still be able to watch plenty of similar sports programming on other channels we carry.

•College football — available on Big Ten Network, CBS College Sports, ESPN, ESPNU, ESPN GamePlan, The Mtn., local channels and your RSN.
•NHL — available on NHL Network, NHL Center Ice, and your RSN.
•Mixed Martial Arts — available on HDNet, Spike TV, and UFC on DIRECTV Pay-Per-View.
•Auto Racing — IRL on ABC, Formula 1 on Fox and Speed
•Bull riding — available on ESPN2 and the Houston Rodeo on DIRECTV Pay-Per-View.
•Hunting and fishing — available on ESPN2, The Sportsman Channel, The Outdoor Channel, and Pursuit TV.

What's keeping you from reaching an agreement?
Comcast is asking for terms which do not reflect the market and which they are not asking of all other distributors. They claim their offer is status quo when in reality, they are asking for almost a 20% increase in fees. DIRECTV wants to keep your monthly fees low, so it's doing everything it can to avoid paying exorbitant programming fees.

Should I switch to DISH or cable?
No. There's no need to consider switching providers. DIRECTV has the best variety of exclusive and premium content available anywhere and we have similar programming on other channels (see above). If you are concerned about NHL, we still have time to negotiate with Comcast before the start of the NHL season. For PBR fans, we offered to carry PBR programming, but PBR events are exclusive to Versus and cannot be made available to DIRECTV.

Is this all just so DIRECTV can save money?
Not at all, this is about DIRECTV getting treated fairly and not wanting to pass on high programming fees to our customers.

Lame. My interest is in NHL only but I know lots of folks like racing, college football, and rodeo stuff so I hope they work this out soon.

[puckhead]

Thanks to this continuing saga, we'll need to find a local tavern with cable to watch the Yotes at Wings game. Anyone know of a good place around 59th Ave and Bell?

[Lloyd]

With Sunday Ticket being an issue for sports bars (and therefore, DirecTV being everywhere), that'll be tough. Good luck (I assume you've already checked to see if Padre Murphys has it).

[puckhead]

Good call Lloyd, Padre has both cable and DirecTV. I think I'll go for some corned beef and cabbage as well! 43rd Ave and Bell for those so inclined.

[puckhead]

It's back!

Versus, DirecTV Reconnect On Carriage Accord
Deal Ends Six-Month Stalemate, Returning Comcast's National Sports Service To Top DBS Provider's Air
Mike Reynolds -- Multichannel News, 3/15/2010 5:01:13 PM

After a more than six-month stalemate, DirecTV and Comcast have reached an agreement to return Versus to the top DBS provider's air.
Deal terms were not disclosed, but the agreement returns Versus to more than 14 million DirecTV households, the same level of penetration the network had before the parties' contract expired on Sept. 1 over pricing and positioning issues.
The pact also comes before Versus drops the puck as the exclusive national cable carrier of the National Hockey League playoffs, which face off next month, and as the sport winds down its regular-season and post-season chase.

DirecTV said Versus was seeking a major hike in its monthly license fee, while the Comcast-owned network had balked at the DBS operator wanting to drop it to a less penetrated level of service, reaching just 6.6 million homes.
During the fall, Versus carved out an extended and extensive free preview on Dish Network, as well as in select Time Warner Cable and Cox markets, which enabled it to make up much of the void left by the DirecTV disconnect.

It was unclear at press time, if Comcast and DirecTV, which have been at contract loggerheads over each other's regional sports networks had resolved some of those issues as part of the Versus settlement.

"We are pleased that both sides were able to work out a satisfactory deal to bring this programming back to our customers," said Derek Chang, executive vice president, content strategy and development, DirecTV in a statement.
"We're excited that we were able to come to a fair agreement that puts Versus back in millions of homes with DirecTV in time for our busy spring programming schedule," noted Versus president Jamie Davis. "We look forward to super-serving these fans with NHL regular-season and playoff coverage, our first live UFC event and much more."

Link

[Lloyd]

At least they ended it in time for playoffs. Kabletown is a fine and generous company.