Corporate Silliness
Posted on | March 9, 2004 at 10:15 pm | 2 Comments
As some of you may know, satelllite TV provider Dish Network has removed a number of channels (including my local CBS station) from their system due to a contract dispute over retransmission agreements with Viacom. As a Dish Network subscriber, and as someone to whom television is my life, this is a bit vexing. So herewith is the e-mail I sent off to Echostar CEO Charlie Ergen today…
To Charlie and the Echostar gang,
As a long time (almost 4 years) Dish Network subscriber, I wish to comment on the current Viacom flap. I currently subscribe to America’s Top 120, HBO & SHO, local channels + superstations, and your HD package. I am very happy with my service and especially with my 508 DVR receiver. I was planning on buying a 921 receiver once they become more readily available and the bugs have been worked out.
The reason I subscribed to Dish in the first place was 1) I was tired of the frequent outages and price increases from my cable company, 2) I wanted the channel lineup, including (most importantly) the local channels and superstations that Dish offered at the time, and 3) I had just gotten my first HDTV and was interested in the HD channels. The reason I choose any particular TV provider is because of 1) the channels they provide, and 2) reliability of service. If either of those reasons was to go away permanently, I would seriously have to rethink staying with that provider.
It is very important to me that I receive the channels I have signed up for. I am disturbed that I can no longer receive the Viacom channels. I am in the Denver area, and the loss of the local CBS station is not that big a deal to me, since I can still receive the digital station over the air. However, I can’t use the Dish DVR to record programs off of it, and that is a major concern of mine. I also regret the loss of the CBS HD channel. Most especially, I am upset about the loss of Comedy Central, a channel that has several shows I watch on a regular basis (The Daily Show, South Park, Chappelle’s Show, etc.). I also watch MTV and VH1 fairly regularly and am not happy they are gone.
Though I sympathize with what you are trying to do and agree that the big media conglomerates should not be allowed to hold the providers hostage, I’m not sure I’m willing to sacrifice my principles to have the product I am paying for be compromised. I agree that giving into their demands would set a bad precedent and would make future negotiations of this type more difficult, and I would like Echostar to hold the upper hand now and in the future. But as a TV watcher and consumer, I want to be able to watch the shows I want to watch.
I implore you to do everything in your power to settle this dispute as quickly as possible. I’m not going to threaten canceling my service, since I have a great amount of money (and time) invested in my Dish Network system, and do not wish to change providers at this point. In addition, I have some programming commitments I’ve already paid for. I know that you are trying to do what is right for your customers in the long run, but if this drags on for very long, you’re not going to have a lot of customers. My support only goes so far when I am not being provided with the service that I originally signed up for and which I want.
I personally would be willing to pay the extra amount on my monthly bill that would be required if you acquiesced to Viacom’s terms, even with the realization that cost would increase over the length of the contract. From the news accounts I’ve read, the amount would be well within what I consider reasonable ($1 a month or so). I feel I watch enough of the CBS/Viacom channels to justify that.
That’s my opinion. Thanks for listening, and good luck.
Comments
2 Responses to “Corporate Silliness”
March 10th, 2004 @ 4:18 pm
As a fellow DishNet subscriber, I’m glad you’re setting him straight on this whole thing. Let us know when he calls to apologize.
I’d be writing too, but after our 5-month grocery worker strike drove home what I’ve always felt, well… more than ever I believe "it takes two to make an argument" – both sides are at fault. I hope this ends soon but it’s likely gonna take significant migration away from Echostar (or, less likely, advertiser pullouts from Viacom) before anybody blinks.
March 10th, 2004 @ 10:38 pm
Oh, I definitely agree that both sides are at fault. It’s hard for me to care about either large corporation not getting their "fair" cut. Much as Charlie likes to pretend he’s fighting for the little guy, I just don’t seem him being all that altrustic – he’s got a business to run. And I’m sure Viacom has their own secret take-over-the-world agenda going on, like Starbucks.
I wish I had mentioned in my e-mail to Charlie that I’m also an Echostar stockholder. D’oh!