New AT&T Cable anti-dbs ad

[Mark Holtz]

Aired today at 10:20 during the local news.... since we can't attack the receivers or the locals, lets attack the contract...

PICTURE: SatGuy on roof installing dish.

Homeowner: Hey, hows it going out up there?

SatGuy: Good.

Homeowner: Well, I was just wondering, I can get out of this satellite contract at any time, right?

SatGuy: (Starts laughing hysterically) Oh yeah, you can get out of it (laughs) Sure, we'll let you go.... (laughs)

Smalltype: Satellite contract requirements and any applicable terms vary by offer.

Homeowner takes away ladder.

VOICEOVER: With satellite, you get locked in. (graphics) No long term contracts. No commitment. Problem solved. Digital cable by AT&T broadband.

FEMALE VO: Get free installation and save $10 per month for six months when you order to AT&T Digital and Showtime.

:shrug: Guess they lost too many subscribers.

[DamonM]

Who would want out of a contract that's only $9 a month?

[MarkA]

Sad that they keep showing all this half-true crud.

[Scott Greczkowski]

I like the ads that say - "Satellite requires you to have additional equipment for each additional outlet while cable don't!"

Then down at the bottom of screen there is a graphic saying that the rental of a cable converter may be required for each additional outlet.

Cable is correct to blast DBS on the year long contracts, if you sign up for DBS you are stuck no matter how bad the service or equipment is.

[invaliduser88]

Time Warner runs radio adds that blast dbs service all the time.

Some good 'ole boy claims that to enjoy life, you need to simplify.

Heck, they even claim that clouds will interrupt service on dbs!

[DarrellP]

AT&T, what a joke! I have Basic for my wife's TV upstairs (don't ask!) and it is so grainy, it's pathetic. All of their channels in Basic and Extended Basic (required to get Digital) are Analog and look like crap, so what's the point?

On top of this, they never tell you the price. $10 off for 6 months, or whatever? What a joke! Extra digital tuner fee is usuall $8/month/tuner with AT&T, now that's a savings!

They can take my DBS away when they pry it from my cold, dead fingers.

[lee635]

The annual contract doesn't bother me so much. With E* you even get a nice discount for paying up front.

I'm surprised they don't attack the charges for installs and repairs and so forth. That's what gets me. DBS basic install seem to mean if the guy has to do anything other than put 4 bolts in your house and run 30 feet of cable, you're gonna pay. Cable really does beat DBS hands down on this one.

[BearsFan]

LOL!

Yeah, cable is just great. If the rest of America knew what was happening here (check this out: http://www.news4jax.com/jax/news/stories/news-144935120020509-160547.html), and realized it probably IS happening to them, they'd drop cable in a hearbeat.

Cable is a joke in this town.

--BearsFan

[Kevin]

Cable is a joke here too. There's no cable modems or digital cable and the systems haven't been upgraded since the early to mid 90's. They've probably added maybe 2-3 channels (at most) over the last 6 or 7 years. The rates mysteriously keep going up every few months too. IMHO, cable has NOTHING to be proud of! I have no idea why everyone in my area doesn't drop Cablevision for DBS. Are these people THAT stupid?

[Karl Foster]

When I can no longer get television by any DBS service, my OTA won't work, and I am absolutely desperate, I'd get cable again.

[Brian Rector]

Cable cannot attack DBS about long term contracts because cable systems such as Insight are now gonna make long term contracts a requirement in order to get Digital Cable.

Now that all the premiums are going to just Digital Cable, look for cable systems to try to make all cable subscribers get Digital Cable very soon.

[invaliduser88]

Here something that will swing the cable vs. dbs issue one way or the other. When television manufactures include tuners for either digital cable or dbs in most televisions.

[John Corn]

Originally posted by Kevin
Cable is a joke here too. There's no cable modems or digital cable and the systems haven't been upgraded since the early to mid 90's. They've probably added maybe 2-3 channels (at most) over the last 6 or 7 years. The rates mysteriously keep going up every few months too. IMHO, cable has NOTHING to be proud of! I have no idea why everyone in my area doesn't drop Cablevision for DBS. Are these people THAT stupid?

That sounds like my cable company, Cable One, to the tee. :D