DirecTV- same, or higher prices, less channels. Wonder if I can get a raise for working less?

[The Straight Story]

DirecTV May Drop Smaller, Less Popular Networks to Keep Programming Costs in Check

NEW YORK -- DirecTV executives said Thursday that they will look to fight continued program fee increases, in part by dropping smaller, less popular channels as the company recently did with Comcast's G4 network.
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At the company's investor day here, executives from the satellite TV giant also gave insights into their thoughts on other key issues affecting content providers and network owners, such as possible a la carte pricing, an emerging premium VOD release window for movies and the much-discussed future of retransmission consent payments to broadcasters.

In a presentation, executive vp of content strategy and development Derek Chang said distributors like DirecTV continue to face program fee increases, which in the case of sports often run in the double-digit percentage range. Plus, they have noticed a clear shift of leverage to content owners, which are often part of major conglomerates these days. But distributors don't have "a bottomless pool of money," he emphasized. As a result, DirecTV will look long and hard at its program lineup and will in certain cases not renew carriage deals with channels that are "not necessary or not worth" their cost.

G4, for example, was "not widely viewed" and has so far "not been missed," Chang argued. DirecTV CEO Mike White later told reporters that his team felt program expenses for Comcast networks were growing so much that something had to give, and DirecTV decided to drop G4. "I told Brian Roberts that total payments to Comcast will grow at an unsustainable rate next year," he said.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/directv-drop-smaller-popular-networks-55708

[ejpoeta]

1. we have directv and are dumping it. we have decided to go off air.

they called yesterday about the bill and he told them he will be dropping his service after this billing cycle. they transferred him to their retention department and told him he would be pleasantly surprised by their offerings. don't know why they would think that.... we have had directv since bob worked for an installer and we got a credit for the basic package. when they went through their spiel and he wasn't enthused, they told him they would be sending a box for him to return equipment in. he said he didn't know what they were talking about because we owned our equipment, personally if they want their old broken boxes that were like that when we got them they can have them.... but i am not paying to send them to them. but they said that if we own the boxes then we don't have to send anything back.

we figure of all the channels we get, we watch about 10 of them. i end up watching stuff on the channel's website anyway because when it is on i am b busy doing other things. we have netflix too. we could get hulu plus for $8/mo. we are currently looking at network media players like the roku. for the cost of one month of directv we could buy one of those. true we have the second tier with the directv so the kids can watch some of the cartoon channels... but they have mostly been watching cartoons on netflix anyway.

[madrchsod]

2. free speech,link,logo,and a few others..

it will be interesting to see what dish has to say....

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

3. Drop G4 but kept Shopping Channel...

There are too many shop-and-pray channels out there now, why don't they drop any of them?

[thatgemguy]

4. The sports channels

The article states that the sports channels often run higher increases than other channels. In our house we never watch any of the sports channels, children's programming, home shopping, and religious channels. Why are we required to subsidize the cost for those that do? If we could opt out of the tiers of programming we don't use, we could all probably save some money. Let sports go pay per view, it's headed that way anyway.