Angel's games, Fox Sports West dropped from channel guide

[Bhaaf]

I just spoke to AT&T customer service regarding the Angels games.  They said they will not be carrying the other 25 games, just 125 games.  Now it's time for a new provider.

[mibrnsurg ACE - Geek]

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telletson wrote:

I want to know if we are all going to get a REFUND for not being able to watch the that was promised?

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What were you promised?  You're getting the 125 games that were on FSW last year, nobody promised anymore than that.  These other 25 games were added this year and required additonal fees for ATT to carry them, but will not pay for them, so those games are blacked out.

Chris

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Please NO SD stretch-o-vision or 480 SD HD Channels
Need Help? 1-800-288-2020, After he gets acct info, press # a bunch of times, get a menu from Mr. Voice recognition
Your Results May Vary, In My Humble Opinion
I Call It Like I See It, Simply a U-verse user, nothing more

[SomeJoe7777 ACE - Geek]

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oufanindallas wrote:

Didn't we just go through this last year with the Cardinals?  AGAIN AT&T is not the bad guy, blame the Angels and FSW for taking games off of FREE tv and putting them on a cable channel then demanding more money while having a valid contract in place already. 

Complain to Angels management for over spending on a fading first baseman and a no. 4 starting pitcher and complain to Fox Sports West for kidnapping customers and holding them hostage.

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^^ This.

Look at the chain of events here:

• Angels don't renew contract for 25 games with KCOP, instead they sell those 25 games broadcast rights to Fox Sports for more $.

• Fox Sports demands more money from the providers to cover their costs of paying the Angels for the games.

• Some providers pay the extra money, and pass the cost onto the subscribers (watch next February when DirecTV & Cable raise rates again).

• Consumers actually are the ones getting stuck with the bill.

So just remember the money chain: It goes from you the subscriber -> your provider -> Fox Sports -> the Angels.

Blame your own sports team -- they're the ones that wanted more money and didn't want those 25 games on free broadcast TV.  I wonder how many of the Angels fans in this thread would be willing to have a rate hike to cover the cost?

[PJ42]

Don't think for a second that AT&T doesn't have some explaining to do here.  Agreed, FSW and the Angels have their part in this, but AT&T is just as greedy as they are.  AT&T deliberately kept this information from it's subscribers because they knew it would cost them a ton of customers.  They're all a bunch of greedy &%$#s.   The reason I switched from TWC to U-verse was because of all the problems and crap I had to put up with.  To my dismay, I found out that it's the same thing with U-verse.  Beside all the service issues i've had, I've also been bold face lied to on several occasions.  AT&T needs to pull their head out and give their customers what they pay for or, at the VERY LEAST, fair warning when crap like this goes down.

FYI, for all that are thinking they might switch to or back to TWC, DO IT.  My parents still have TWC and seeing they are technologically disabled, I'm the one that gets to help them with the techno woes, including calling TWC when there is a problem.  The last couple of times I had to cal TWC for them I was VERY suprised when a real live person answered the phone and didn't have to be transferred to 8 differet people who still couldn't help me or go through their ridiculous never ending automated ignore system.  Plus the people I spoke with actually had the same first language as me and seemed like they really wanted to help and worked around my schedule.  Amazing what losing a but-load of customers will do eh... Maybe something AT&T should think about. CUSTOMERS tend to like customer service.

[larrym1111]

I would like to protest Uverse not carrying the Angels Oakland games.  Whats with that?  Might have to go to DirectTV.  I have Uverse and HD to watch sports.  You have the Dodgers on..what you do not like the OC?

[larrym1111]

I agree.  If this happens too much this season...I will switch to DirecTV.  I like Uverse, but not if they do this.

[angelnut62]

 No Angel games,No  at&t u-verse, Hello Time Warner!  

[Rick-the]

I very foolishly turned two friends on to UVerse before coming to the realization that it is a *** product. From watching video that does not sync with the audio to the extremely slow response to pressing buttons on the remote, this product is pure garbage. This Angels game is the final straw. I have every single English language option that these people sell. Every movie channel. Every sports package. Every HD channel. I expect to see my local teams every single night when I pay for premium TV. That I can't is absurd. Well done Att. I hope it's worth it. I will be loggin out of this site and loggind on to Facebook to trash the *** out of you to my 350 facebook "friends". Tomorrow I will call Cox first to get a date for my new service installation and then I will call Att to cancel this *** service. After the facebook time trashing you, I will go in the garage and make an ATT voodoo doll and do the most horrible things I can imagine to it

[Edited to comply with Guidelines]

[gregmc70]

unbelievable. thought it was just a fluke last night when the game wasn't on. i have u450 and watch about 3 different things - one of them the Angels games. can't leave these [word filter avoidance] fast enough.

[Edited to comply with Guidelines]

[gregmc70]

only the angels are not being shown?? they are on DirectTV on FSW right now as i type this. you are full of it.

[gregmc70]

short pay the bill.

[Rick-the]

Went to the Cox website and priced switching all my services over. Close enough to the same price for what I rememeber being better service. Adios UVerse.

[Kong57]

Yall are wasting to much energy on this. I watched them tonight and they were horrible. Oak beat them 6 - 0...

[JefferMC ACE - Wizard]

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PJ42 wrote:

Don't think for a second that AT&T doesn't have some explaining to do here.  Agreed, FSW and the Angels have their part in this, but AT&T is just as greedy as they are.  AT&T deliberately kept this information from it's subscribers because they knew it would cost them a ton of customers....

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Hm... AT&T has carried and continues to carry the FSW feed they have always carried.  FSW and Angels conspire to create a new product (with the same name) that contains 20% more Angels games than before and offer it to providers (including AT&T) for an additional fee.  AT&T declines the new product, chosing to continue to distribute the same product it has already agreed to.

FSW now advertises that their product contains these games.  They don't mention that they actually have two products with the same name.  They spin it as some providers won't distribute all of "the product."  Which, to me, is disingenous, but they've got good marketing people.  Apparently better than AT&T's in any case.

So, Angels fans get mad at AT&T, but who has acted badly here?

[oufanindallas]

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gregmc70 wrote:

short pay the bill.

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and ruin your credit,  go right ahead and let me know how that works out for  you.

[Ish Kabibble]

I have 10 baseball cards and sell them to you for a certain price Then I get 4 more baseball cards. Do I have to give you those 4 cards? Unless we agreed that any additional cards I get go to you free of charge I want more money.The real culprit here is the L.A.Angels for pulling the games from free tv. That seems to be happening a lot lately.

[oufanindallas]

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Ish Kabibble wrote:

I have 10 baseball cards and sell them to you for a certain price Then I get 4 more baseball cards. Do I have to give you those 4 cards? Unless we agreed that any additional cards I get go to you free of charge. I want more money.The real culprit here is the L.A.Angels for pulling the games from free tv. That seems to be happening a lot lately.

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Apples to oranges analogy.  AT&T and FSW have a valid carriage agreement in place, they aquired more content and now want to charge more for it.   Yes the Angels are the biggest culprit, but FSW is just as much at fault.

[Ish Kabibble]

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oufanindallas wrote:

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Ish Kabibble wrote:

I have 10 baseball cards and sell them to you for a certain price Then I get 4 more baseball cards. Do I have to give you those 4 cards? Unless we agreed that any additional cards I get go to you free of charge. I want more money.The real culprit here is the L.A.Angels for pulling the games from free tv. That seems to be happening a lot lately.

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Apples to oranges analogy.  AT&T and FSW have a valid carriage agreement in place, they aquired more content and now want to charge more for it.   Yes the Angels are the biggest culprit, but FSW is just as much at fault.

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We are going to have to agree to disagree here.. The agreement was for 125 games. Fox had to pay extra to brodcast the extra games and is well within their rights to ask for extra compensation. If these carriers had a legal leg to stand on here they would be standing on it. The carriers are forced to pay the price or risk losing customers. All Angel fans can hope for is that AT&T pays the price.

[texasguy37 ACE - Champion]

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Ish Kabibble wrote:

We are going to have to agree to disagree here.. The agreement was for 125 games. Fox had to pay extra to brodcast the extra games and is well within their rights to ask for extra compensation. If these carriers had a legal leg to stand on here they would be standing on it. The carriers are forced to pay the price or risk losing customers. All Angel fans can hope for is that AT&T pays the price.

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Are you sure that the number of games was written into the agreement?  The number of games cannot be set in stone because it can change if games are selected by ESPN or Fox after the season begins.

[Ish Kabibble]

Like I said if the carriers thought they had legal grounds to carry the games they would be in court but they are not . Fox had to pay more money to broadcast these games and are within their rights to do what they are doing. I don't understand what part of this people don't understand.

[oufanindallas]

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texasguy37 wrote:

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Ish Kabibble wrote:

We are going to have to agree to disagree here.. The agreement was for 125 games. Fox had to pay extra to brodcast the extra games and is well within their rights to ask for extra compensation. If these carriers had a legal leg to stand on here they would be standing on it. The carriers are forced to pay the price or risk losing customers. All Angel fans can hope for is that AT&T pays the price.

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Are you sure that the number of games was written into the agreement?  The number of games cannot be set in stone because it can change if games are selected by ESPN or Fox after the season begins.

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Exactly, it's the same with the NFL, the NFL reserves the right to change game times for SNF and MNF.  MLB can change games of the week on Fox and ESPN based on how teams are doing, no one wants to watch two last place teams play on the "big stage" so they can change from an RSN to Fox or ESPN.

[texasguy37 ACE - Champion]

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Ish Kabibble wrote:

Like I said if the carriers thought they had legal grounds to carry the games they would be in court but they are not . Fox had to pay more money to broadcast these games and are within their rights to do what they are doing. I don't understand what part of this people don't understand.

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Not necessarily.  If the cost to fight this in court is more than the amount of the additional fee requested, it might make more sense to either pay the additional fee or to decline to pay the fee.

[Greghenro]

True story.

I go to return my Uverse equipment at the UPS store per my instructions from ATT.  It all goes very smoothly.  I ask to woman how many of these returns does she get a day thinking she would say 1 or 2.  She tells me well over 20 a day!!  ATT is a joke.

[johnpatrick]

Spend the $0.45.  I did.

Randall L. Stephenson
{personal content removed for safety}

[Ish Kabibble]

I have a better chance of dating a Price Is Right model than you have of him reading your letter.

[barney99]

Couldn't agree more.  I am seriously thinking of returning to TWC.  AT&T has really screwed up big time here

[Ish Kabibble]

He's to busy washing cars to raise money to pay for AT&Ts failed illegal merger with T-Mobile.

[PHOnos]

The way the Angels are playing, maybe it doesn't make any difference that games are not shown.  Saves us the agony.  Perhaps we should be grateful.

Anyone ever find a list of the  future games to be dropped?

[RCSMG ACE - Master]

Unfortunately you may be leaving.  The blackout rules are not dictated by ATT, but my MLB.  I understand your passion about wanting to be able so see those games, but there are higher powers than ATT at work behind those blackout rules.

[PHOnos]

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RCSMG wrote:

. . . there are higher powers than ATT at work behind those blackout rules.

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Care to tell us who exactly they are?