Fox News & Business changing packages on 1-1-12 [ Edited ]

[RemyM]

From a State of CT PURA filing:

On January 1, 2012, Fox Business Network (channel 211 and 1211 in HD) will move from U300 to U200, and Fox News Channel (channel 210 and 1210 in HD) will move from U100 to U200

[bowling_255]

I wish they would move MLB network to U-200

[jbdet313]

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bowling_255 wrote:

I wish they would move MLB network to U-200

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With the way all those sports channels want higher "compensation", they should be moved to U-450 or into the Sports Pack period.

Not a real surprise for FNC or FBN. Mirrors how they are at the sats.

[rt123]

If you have already have the U300 should not effect you to much .

[costanza]

I'm with you bro.

[SWood209]

Glad to see Fox Bus News moving down to U200.   Don't currently watch, but interested to see what FBN is all about.  News services are always a plus regardless of spin.

[kryptonite]

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jbdet313 wrote:

With the way all those sports channels want higher "compensation", they should be moved to U-450 or into the Sports Pack period.

Not a real surprise for FNC or FBN. Mirrors how they are at the sats.

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Unfortunately, with the contracts, such things aren't possible. ESPN will say something like "We have a very popular channel. If you think you can survive without us, feel free. If you would like to carry our channel, this is what you will pay, and this is where you will place it. In addition, if you want ESPN, you must carry these other channels on these tiers."

Not to change the subject, but this is also the reason why ala carte channels will never work. The popular channels (even ones like your favorite news channel, Discovery, MTV, and the women's interest channels) all come bundled with other ones.  If you wanted ala carte, you'd actually end up paying MORE...but I digress.

The sports pack is for niche and ultra-niche channels that:

1) Don't get good ratings

2) Generally don't come bundled with other popular channels

3) Are more than happy to be carried at all.

[costanza]

I'm with you. If the NFL Network can be on 200
why can't MLB?

[texasguy37 ACE - Champion]

Carriage fees are paid to the channel owner on a per subscriber basis.  The lower the package a channel is on, the higher will be the total carriage fee paid to the channel owner.  

The real question is how much of a rate increase are you will to accept for all the programming and channel placement changes that people are requesting?  It will not be done without an increase in costs, and those costs will be passed on to the customers.

[kryptonite]

Around 2:30 AM ET, I reset my DVR and was able to see Fox Business on my U-200 tier.

[mibrnsurg ACE - Geek]

Just got it here in metro Detroit in the last few minutes w/o a reboot.

Chris

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Please NO SD stretch-o-vision or 480 SD HD Channels
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

[spd2demun ACE - Master]

Is this making people happy?

[dfarr616]

Thank you for adding the Fox Business channel to the U200 package. I'm really enjoying it!

[johnjIII]

Just noticed on 1-1-2011 that the Fox  News channel has been eliminated. Main reason I signed up. Sales dept says I need to upgrade to U200 (extra $10/mo) Unwilling to do this. Can't just cancel contract without long wait on phone. Need better customer service options.

[post merged]

[kryptonite]

It has been moved to the U-200 tier. This had been announced several months ago. However, if you call their sales/billing office, they can give you a promo, which could be equal (if not much less) than what you're paying now.

Most likely, this is due to contract negotiations with NewsCorp.

[johnjIII]

The promo was $25 credit of some sort. That handles 2-3 months of service. Gotta do better than that. If not, I just want to cancel the contract. Can you do this for me?

[rt123]

I have the 300 package i have no problems in viewing Fox news channel or Fox Business .

[kryptonite]

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johnjIII wrote:

The promo was $25 credit of some sort. That handles 2-3 months of service. Gotta do better than that. If not, I just want to cancel the contract. Can you do this for me?

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Unfortunately, I am just a subscriber like you are. Ask to talk to their retention department. They can dig around for promotions that the regular sales department can't.

I was getting U-200 plus HD with 6.0 Mbps internet. Through the retention department, I am now getting U-200 with $10 off each month for one year. My HD is free for one year. I am also getting six months free movie pack with 3 months free HBO and Cinemax. When the three months was up, I called back and they gave me three more months for free. I got an additional $30 off my U-200 for one month, which made the HD Premium Pack free for 6 months. In regards to my internet service, I am now at the 12.0 Mbps service for $5 LESS than 6.0 Mbps service.

You may ask what that means to you. What it means is that (like I said), if you call the retention department and politely "threaten" to switch to a competition's introductory offer, they may be able to offer you a really sweet deal.

Seriously, my head felt like it was going to spin when the retention person told me the offer.

[kryptonite]

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rt123 wrote:
I have the 300 package i have no problems in viewing Fox news channel or Fox Business .

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I'm guessing you're not good at reading previous messages and reading between the lines of those messages.

[jammintopj]

I found this out the hard way too.  Signed up in October and went with U100 over basic for Fox News which is what I watch the most.  Like you I'm unwiling to upgrade even with a "promotion".  I personally think if they are going to pull this stunt, anyone like me who signed up before the change should be grandfathered and be able to keep the package they signed up for.  This stinks and I'm not happy abou it all.  Not at all suprising though.  What I don't like the most is the "it is out of our control" blah blah.  Take care of your customers.  I'll ride it out for a while longer with U100, then cancel and get satellite (not Direct).  Just had to vent.  Mods if you want to resolve this issue let me know! 

[dwinth]

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jammintopj wrote:

I found this out the hard way too.  Signed up in October and went with U100 over basic for Fox News which is what I watch the most.  Like you I'm unwiling to upgrade even with a "promotion".  I personally think if they are going to pull this stunt, anyone like me who signed up before the change should be grandfathered and be able to keep the package they signed up for.  This stinks and I'm not happy abou it all.  Not at all suprising though.  What I don't like the most is the "it is out of our control" blah blah.  Take care of your customers.  I'll ride it out for a while longer with U100, then cancel and get satellite (not Direct).  Just had to vent.  Mods if you want to resolve this issue let me know! 

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Neither the moderators of this forum or any contributors on this forum can resolve your issue. You need to contact Customer Service at U-Verse. We forum members are susbscribers just like you. The moderators moderate this forum. They have nothing to do with AT&T U-Verse subscription issues.

You need to call 1-800-288-2020 to contact Customer Service.

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Owning a computer and not having the internet is like buying a refrigerator and not stocking it with food.

[kryptonite]

If you think AT&T pulls fast ones, you're in for a rude awakening with Dish Network. They are subject to the same channel re-arrangements that AT&T is. In addition, they make you sign long-term contracts AND have service that goes out in the rain. Have fun in keeping your dish's line-of-sight clear from snow and debris.

[jbdet313]

Maybe if that Jammin person would just contact customer service NICELY, they'd get upgraded to U200 with a similar discount. Plus, for that $10, get the DVR included. Adding the DVR to U100 is $15 extra anyways, so for $10 could get that plus a majority of channels they'd be paying Dish or their local cable provider more than what Uverse charges.

Yet another example of someone not willing to find a solution on their own, but want it done completely for them by someone else.

[kryptonite]

True. I forgot about the DVR being included. Plus, if they have two boxes, THDVR is also included.

[jammintopj]

I know it is what it is. And I agree I'd run into other problems with satellite. Believe me, I did try the customer service route NICELY to resolve my issue, and I knew when I called exactly how it would play out. I just wanted to vent and say that it is wrong. I'm not interested in DVR, or the U200 upgrade. I'm interested in getting the programming and rate I signed up for. So I upgrade to U200 to get Fox News, then later they change it to only being available in the next highest package. When does it end? Temporary sixth month discounts are weak.

[jbdet313]

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jammintopj wrote:
I know it is what it is. And I agree I'd run into other problems with satellite. Believe me, I did try the customer service route NICELY to resolve my issue, and I knew when I called exactly how it would play out. I just wanted to vent and say that it is wrong. I'm not interested in DVR, or the U200 upgrade. I'm interested in getting the programming and rate I signed up for. So I upgrade to U200 to get Fox News, then later they change it to only being available in the next highest package. When does it end? Temporary sixth month discounts are weak.

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The whole reason these changes get made are because of the rising costs the programmers themselves demand YOU to pay every month. If you're familiar with the history of Fox News Channel itself, when it was launched, News Corp was the one PAYING cable companies to take the channel, something on the order of around 10 cents a subscriber. Gradually, they gained more and more carriage, so they went to the current model that programmers follow: For our channel to be on your cable system, you pay US a certain amount per subscriber. Over the years, as their viewership increased, they increased the prices charged per customer -- just like the prices of advertising.

Fox News Channel, because of its success, commands one of the top prices of what you could call "cable" networks -- those like MTV, USA, TNT, TBS, and the like. Back in 2009, News Corp was getting an average rate of $0.58 per customer, per month, across all of the cable/satellite/IPTV landscape. For 2011, they are asking for $0.78 per customer. So, what's so big about $0.20, you say? Those are the AVERAGE of all of the carriers, not exactly what AT&T would pay for their little drop-in-the-bucket subscriber base of around 3 million Uverse subscribers. Just like how you may pay $4.99 for a 50 oz. bottle of Tide at WalMart, while your local Mom-and-Pop grocery in your neighborhood sells it for $8.99, the reason WalMart can sell it cheaper is because of their volume  -- and that's the same with what you pay for Uverse. This isn't limited to FNC, as Current moved up a tier as well. AT&T warned that they were working on a new deal with them, and that dependent on what they were asking, they would be moving it upwards.

Since you probably came to just vent, and haven't browsed the other threads, let me direct you to one of my posts on this phenomenon. Click on the link, and read the Bloomberg article (via the graphic on the Time Warner explanation page). The bottom line is that YOU are paying what the programmers are demanding every month. AT&T changes programming lineups based on how they can, as evenly as possible, make it affordable for the majority of their subscribers. And they rework the lineups based on the viewership levels across the industry.

Besides, if you look around, these increases the programmers have demanded have hit harder at almost everyone else. Comcast's average monthly cost for their most popular services has gone up $10 per month. Time Warner has had similar amounts in their increases. DirecTV and Dish are also affected. And AT&T's Uverse costs have gone up $3 per month on all of their popular tiers of TV service. Not bad when you really consider it.

[oufanindallas]

@ $.78 per subscribers, that's about $2.5 MILLION per month, just for Fox News. Even if everyone who has UVerse watched Fox News, that's a lot of money, for NEWS.  It's not the most expensive either and providers have pay that price PER SUBSCRIBER for every channel that they air.

[envsys]

Fox News Channel is no longer in the U100 tier.  What kind of money grab is this.  If CNN is in U100, Fox News should be also.

[dwinth]

It was moved to the U-200 level.

[envsys]

I did not notice this cause it just happened in my area today.  This is just a money grab by ATT.  They ought to keep Fox News in U100 cause it gains customers

for them.  It will take a while but I am moving to Dish ( in a couple of month when the leaves fill in so I can get good placement of the dish).  I will be taking

my home phone and Internet else where also.