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Dish prepares to add 40 more HD channels

March 22nd, 2010, 8:53 am by
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How easy is it for Dish Network to add more HD channels? “We just launch another satellite,” the company told me when I chatted with them earlier this year.

Well, Dish launched another satellite over the weekend. This is Dish’s 15th satellite, which is targeted 119 degrees West longitude at an altitude of 22,000 miles. Never seen a satellite launch? Watch Dish’s video on the right.

The EchoStar XIV, built by Space Systems/Loral, will be used to offer more high-definition channels but the company won’t offer any specifics.

However, in the press release, Tom Cullen, Dish’s executive vice president of Sales, Marketing and Programming, said this will extend Dish’s “HD line-up to well over 200 channels.” It currently offers 160, plus access to local HD broadcasts in 152 markets.

Another 40 HD channels would definitely make Dish the nation’s king of HD. But according to Broadcasting & Cable, the new satellite also could be used to fulfill a government pledge to offer more local channels in rural markets. Read: “EchoStar Launches 15th Satellite.”

Over at TVPredictions, TV analyst Phillip Swann puts Dish at the top of HD channels. However, some of its 160 HD channels are on-demand and not 24-hour programming. Swann also mentioned that Dish CEO Charlie Ergen promised more HD channels starting next month. Read Swann’s take at “Dish Network Launches New Satellite For HD.”

More on Dish:

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • • • • | 15 Comments »

Where did that DirecTV channel go?

March 17th, 2010, 11:09 am by

Heads up for DirecTV customers: Several groups of premium channels are moving to new numbers beginning today. The channels will move over the next six weeks and be completed by April 22.

When the channel moves, it will be available on the new channel and old channel for one week. After that, it will be available only on the new channel number. There will be a message directing viewers to the new channel number.

The following groups of channels are affected:

  • Cinemax channels will start on Ch. 515 (currently ch. 512)
  • Starz channels will start on Ch. 525 (currently ch. 518)
  • Encore channels will start on Ch. 535 (currently ch. 526)
  • SHOWTIME channels will start on Ch. 545 (currently ch. 537)
  • HD Extra Pack channels will be consolidated into one channel range starting at Ch. 560

Here’s the rollout schedule: Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Video & TV • • • | 1 Comment »

Local BBB’s biggest complaint getter: DirecTV

March 15th, 2010, 9:04 am by

When it comes to TV or mobile phone service, consumers aren’t shy about saying what they don’t like. That’s not only true here on this blog, which made me refocus the content to cover TV and mobile heavily last year, but to the local Better Business Bureau.

The Better Business Bureau of the Southland reports that mobile phone service and TV service were the two categories with the most complaints last year (see bottom chart). But by far the top offender? DirecTV, based in El Segundo. The satellite TV service received 15,367 complaints, well above second place Federal Loan Modification Center in Northridge, which had 858 complaints.

The BBB said that DirecTV issues are related to billing disputes, early cancellation fees, inadequate disclosure about the cost of service and the inability to contact the company.

Southland BBB’s 10 companies with most complaints
  1. DirecTV – El Segundo (15,367 complaints)
  2. Federal Loan Modification Center – Northridge (858 complaints)
  3. Auto One Warranty Specialists – Irvine (686 complaints)
  4. Acaiburn.com – Ontario (633 complaints)
  5. IvoryBrites – Burbank (604 complaints)
  6. Dealer Cost Car Audio – Santa Ana (524 complaints)
  7. Acai Nutraburst – Corona (463 complaints)
  8. Specialty Merchandise Corporation – Simi Valley(380)
  9. dazzlesmilepro.com – Ontario (367 complaints)
  10. Cellular Blowout – Agoura Hills (366 complaints)

The organization — the go-to site for Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties,– also pointed out that DirecTV has faced government scrutiny for violating the Telemarketing Sales Rule and the Washington state Consumer Protection Act for “false or unfair use of the word “free,” among other issues.

The BBB named DirecTV its top 2009 Pluto Award recipient, which calls out the area Orange County and Los Angeles businesses that use “underhanded business practices and ambiguous advertising to augment their riches and defraud the American public of billions of dollars each year.”

“DirecTV is a well-known satellite service provider, and its number of complaints might not be quite so striking if you took its complaints-to-customers ratio into consideration. Nevertheless, its practices and rating prompt us to urge extreme caution in doing business with DirecTV,” warned the BBB.

DirecTV spokesperson Jade-lin Ekstedt acknowledged the issue and said that the company is working on improving the poor rating. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Cell phones • Video & TV • • • • • • • • • • | 38 Comments »

DirecTV added customers as bills jumped to $92 a month

February 18th, 2010, 12:21 pm by

DirecTV continued to add customers in the fourth quarter last year even as customer monthly bills inched upward.

But the satellite TV provider’s  119,000 net new subscribers in the fourth quarter was nearly one-third less than the 301,000 subscribers it added a year earlier.

The company said that declines in the last quarter of 2009 were due to competition, a weaker economy and more stringent credit and spending policies. In other words, investors should be happy that DirecTV was able to get more money out of existing customers — or $92.36 a month, up $1.90 or 2.1 percent from 2008′s fourth-quarter average monthly revenue of $90.46

What made bills go higher? Price increases, and more customers subscribing to HD channels, DVRs and NFL programming, says the company. That helped offset lower revenues on pay-per-view events and new customer offers.

Overall, DirecTV ended 2009 with 18,560,000 customers, up 5.3 percent from 2008. Its average monthly revenue per subscriber was up about 1.9 percent, or $1.58, to $85.48.

Like every other TV service provider, DirecTV continued to face higher prices from TV channels. Last year, these programming fees  rose $766 million to $9.1 billion. That’s a 9.2 percent increase from the prior year! Programming fees are usually the biggest expense for every TV company. And failed negotiations sometimes lead to public disputes like the New Year’s Eve showdown between Time Warner Cable and  Fox TV.

Regardless, those higher fees often end up raising customer bills. So far this year, DirecTV has announced 5 percent rate hikes for most customers. See earlier story “DirecTV prices going up in 2010 too.”

The financials: DirecTV lost $32 million on revenues of $5.98 billion. The loss was due to its November merger with Liberty Entertainment. Excluding the merger, the company said its net income would have been $454 million, which was up from the year earlier’s net income of $332 million on revenues of $5.31 billion.

Read the company’s earnings report HERE.

More on DirecTV:
Recent TV company earnings:

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • • | 7 Comments »

Showtime, NHL and History free previews coming to DirecTV, Dish

February 11th, 2010, 3:02 pm by

Free previews on TVThree free previews are coming soon for DirecTV viewers.

  • Showtime (ch. 537): Free Trial from March 25 to 28. Regular charge is $12.99 a month for 9 channels, which includes 6 in HD.
  • NHL Center Ice (ch. 769-786): Free Trial from March 2 to 8. Regular charge is $119.80 for the season.
  • BabyFirstTV, (ch. 293): Free Trial from 2/11 – 2/14. Regular charge is $4.99 per month.

Over at Dish Network, February free previews have already begun. These freebies run through most of February:

  • History International – Ch. 121. Free preview through March 3.
  • Biography Channel – Gold HD Ch. 119. Free preview through March 3.
  • Investigation Discovery Channel – Ch. 192 — free preview through Feb. 24.
  • Crime & Investigation HD – Ch. 387. Free preview through March 3.

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • • • • • • • • • | Comments Off

Cable TV users just want a 20% discount, says report

February 2nd, 2010, 8:47 am by

TV service dealsA new report believes that 68 percent of cable TV customers would switch to a competing service for a  20 percent discount, according to Strategy Analytics, a market research firm.

The report “Digital TV Customer Satisfaction: US Survey Results” only surveyed 856 cable users, but there is other proof that consumers want a better value. Recent cable TV financial reports that continue to show a declining number of TV subscribers and customers dropping services like premium channels and video on demand. Meanwhile, Internet-TV services like AT&T U-verse and Verizon FiOS have been adding new customers.

“It underscores a trend we have been seeing for the past 18 months: a growing number of customers are beginning to question the value of a ‘traditional’ pay TV subscription in light of expanded “over-the-top” offerings, such as Hulu and Netflix,” said the study’s author Ben Piper, Director of the Strategy Analytics Multiplay Market Dynamics service.

Comparably, says the report, only 33 percent of people who subscribe to the newer Internet TV services also would drop their provider for a cheaper service.

Internet TV also had the highest number of satisfied customers, with 95 percent of respondents claiming to be “somewhat” or “very” satisfied. Comparably, 78 percent of satellite users were that satisfied while 67 percent cable users were.

In my own research, Verizon FiOS TV tends to be more expensive then cable but you do get a lot more features like HD channels and on-screen widgets. Satellite TV tends to be the cheapest. But everyone wants to save money.

Any thoughts from readers? I’ll be evaluating the costs of TV service in upcoming weeks. All input would be appreciated.

Related TV news:

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • • • | 37 Comments »

Coming soon: Dish to let users watch TV online

January 11th, 2010, 12:20 pm by

Dish Network at CES 2010: TV EverywhereUPDATED, 4:09 p.m.: The new box is available to all customers, not just new ones, as I was originally told. However, there will likely be a fee. No announcement yet on how much.
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While a big part of the Consumer Electronics Show focused on 3D television, Dish Network focused on a better way to watch the TV you pay for with the new TV Everywhere service.

No, this isn’t the same TV Everywhere that the cable TV companies are pushing (Dish says it’s pursuing a trademark).

However, the two TV Everywhere’s are similar. The idea behind the separate services is that if you’re a paying TV customer, you should get access to those shows online and on TV.

The big difference? Cable TV’s version may not include every TV channel you pay for in your cable plan. Dish’s does, said Vivek Khemkeh Khemka (corrected 2:56 p.m.), Dish’s vice president of customer technology.

“The key message of TV Everywhere is that you pay once for your TV and you can get it everywhere you want,” Khemka  said.

By everywhere, Khemka  means online, from any computer, from compatible mobile phones and on a second TV in the house that may not have a receiver.

Dish Networks' TV Everywhere ViP722k HD DVR with built-in Slingbox.How does it work? Slingbox. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: iPhone • Video & TV • • • • • • • • • | 9 Comments »

DirecTV prices going up in 2010 too

January 4th, 2010, 8:43 am by

DirecTV Cable TV customers aren’t the only ones who will pay higher prices in 2010. DirecTV subscribers will also pay a few dollars more per month.

Rates are going up by about 5 percent per month — see the chart below for changes. Customers who are part of a promotional 12-month price won’t be affected until the promotion ends.

DirecTV joins Time Warner Cable, AT&T U-verse and Verizon FiOS with new price increases for 2010. Cox Communications has said it has no plans for increases yet, but the company tends to announce price hikes in the spring.

Many of TV services increase prices at the beginning of the year. The big reason: They have to pay higher prices for the TV networks they offer. Most recently on New Year’s Eve, Time Warner negotiated with Fox TV parent News Corp. on the fee the cable provider would pay to offer Fox to subscribers. Fox threatened to pull its programs from customers but the two ended up resolving their differences several hours past the deadline. New rates weren’t disclosed although Fox was asking for $1 per month per customer, which Time Warner said was too much.

According to a letter mailed to DirecTV customers, the new rates take effect Feb. 9, 2010. Some changes:
DirecTV service 2009 price 2010 price Increase
Premier $109.99 $114.99 4.5%
Lo Maximo $109.99 $114.99 4.5%
Choice Xtra $60.99 $63.99 4.9%
Choice $55.99 $58.99 5.4%
Preferred Choice $35.99 $38.99 8.3%
Jadeworld $36.99 $39.99 8.1%
Optimo Mas $44.99 $47.99 6.7%
Total Choice Mobile n/a $63.99 n/a
Plus HD DVR $75.99 $79.99 5.3%
Plus DVR $65.99 $69.99 6.1%
Select $48.99 $51.99 6.1%
Basico $32.99 $35.99 9.1%

For those who are curious, the 2010 prices are between 9.5 percent to 60 percent higher than 2008′s prices: Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • • | 24 Comments »

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