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2017 Price Increase

12K views 100 replies 35 participants last post by  spiketoo 
#1 · (Edited)
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#4 · (Edited)
It will increase anywhere from $0 to $2.56. I just looked up the SF Bay Area and if the link is correct, it is going to remain at $4.93.

The link is in the middle of this page:
DIRECTV Support | DIRECTV Customer & Technical Support Online

EDIT: Just checked again, and I guess it wasn't updated on Friday, as now it shows $7.29. Over $8 increase for the Xtra pack, that is pretty crazy.
 
#5 ·
What Channels are being ADDED to the "SELECT" Package ?
I am also looking forward to DirecTV adding the Missing HD Channels.

DirecTV's "SELECT" Package is close, but it is lacking a few channels.
Destination America Channel, DYI, FYI, FXX, Great Am Country,
IFC, Lifetime MOVIE Channel, LOGO, National Geographic WILD,
OWN, Science Channel, The Travel Channel, The Weather Channel.
ADDING these, might slow down the Cord Cutting with the Price Increase
 
#6 ·
The Select package is not lacking any channels, those channels are available on higher tier packages.

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#7 · (Edited)
Get over the idea of The Weather Channel ever rejoining it. After the fiasco with the dispute a few years ago it got demoted to Choice and higher when it returned, they're lucky they weren't limited to Xtra and higher. It wouldn't have returned when it did if it wasn't for a chainwide deal with Hilton Hotels requiring it. (There's a reason why not only did the return involve a demotion, it also included a public apology from the Weather Channel for their tactics, one of the only times a resolved dispute resulted in one of the sides apologizing for specific actions)

At one point OWN was in Select and Entertainment, but it got bumped to Choice and higher when they renewed the contract and were no longer paying the cheap Discovery Health rate, so you can give up on that one too.

AMC and WE joined Select and Entertainment with the AMC Networks renewal about 2 years ago, while their sister channel IFC remained in Choice and higher. If IFC was going to get added to Select and Entertainment it would have happened then.

As you have been told every time you bring this up, Select is the BUDGET package, it's not the "I hate Sports" Package. They're not going to add every single channel that most providers have in their digital plus tier like Logo, Destination America, FXX, DIY and Nat Geo Wild and make it an ESPN-less version of Preferred Xtra and jack the rate for Select up to over $70 (which is basically what Preferred Xtra would cost without ESPN, ESPN2 and FS1).

(Not to mention there's a REASON why ESPN is in Preferred Xtra, these wonderful things called contracts, ask FiOS how well it went for them in the courts when they attempted to offer a package that let you have almost everything except ESPN)
 
#10 ·
Might be easier to check with retention to see if there is a discount that is available to you before switching. Could result in paying less after the increases hit than what you do now.
 
#13 · (Edited)
This again? Sports fans do NOT only watch sports. Stop making that bogus claim, there are freaking ratings studies to back that up. No matter how many times you want to continue to claim this, that is just NOT true at all. If you actually got that "Sports fans only watch sports" claim from someone else and didn't make it up, do yourself a favor and stop using that source for anything.

It doesn't matter what YOU want to call it. Select IS the BUDGET package according to DirecTV, Preferred Xtra is the package for the "I Hate Sports" crowd. They even highlight this in the descriptions of the packages under the password protected section of their site that only retailers, CSRs and dealers have access to. They call Select the package for those who want to save but want more than what they get in Family (the package that's nothing but locals, P/I, paying and kid friendly channels). They call Preferred Xtra the package for those who want more programming choices than you get with Entertainment without the local RSNs and niche national sports that you have to get with Choice, Xtra and Ultimate.

IFC, along with a few other channels like Sundance are in free preview on DirecTV until the end of the year, they are NOT part of the Select package. It is NOT the "start" of anything. (Something that is also mentioned in that same password protected section so CSRs do not offer Select and Entertainment to people who mention IFC or Sundance as their interests when discussing potential packages to switch to)
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Up until a few years ago the only way to get Select was complaining about your bill to retention and agreeing to a 2 year comittment. When it debuted ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNEWS were IN the package, so no it was not "designed" for non-sports fans. ESPN was just one of several channels REMOVED from the package in recent years along with other non-sports channels like OWN, Pop, CNBC World, Weather Channel, Fuse as well as Ion if you're in a market without a local Ion station. No matter what falsehoods you want to believe, they are NOT going to add every single non-sports channel to it and jack the cost of the BUDGET package to around $70, which is what Preferred Xtra would cost without ESPN, ESPN2 and FS1. If you don't want all the extra sports channels like ESPNU, CBSSN, NBCSN, SEC, BTN or your local RSNs, but want the stuff that nearly every cable provider only offers in their higher digital tiers like Logo, Nat Geo Wild and Destination America, call and switch to Preferred Xtra, otherwise stick to one of the other packages that also have the channels you want. Yes ESPN is part of that, but like I already mentioned, unless DirecTV wants to be sued like FiOS was, they can't offer a package with everything except ESPN.
 
#16 · (Edited)
You have to call to get it, they don't really want people to easily switch to a RSN-less package that gets you all those additional channels. I think you can get it via online chat too.

You're better off comparing it to Ultimate and not Xtra. It's basically everything in Ultimate, minus the premium movie channels like Starz Encore and The Movie Channel, and no national sports except ESPN, ESPN2 and FS1. (It also includes MavTV which is paying to be on the lineup so it's in every package) There's also a few other random things not included like FM.

While it was mentioned before, NFL Network was never officially part of the package. It was likely just something lingering since when they do free previews like the one we had Thanksgiving weekend, it opens up additional channels to packages like Preferred Xtra. (There's also random unadvertised free previews where they throw in some channels to people with accounts in good standing)
 
#22 ·
You have to call to get it, they don't really want people to easily switch to a RSN-less package that gets you all those additional channels. I think you can get it via online chat too.
I love Preferred Xtra. I watch less then no sports :), so it saves me the ridiculous $5+ Los Angeles RSN fee. That package is the about the only right thing DirecTV has done in years imo. Now they just need to let us get 4K and release a native 4K DVR so we can get rid of all their other b.s. fees.
 
#25 ·
Anybody considering switching to DirecTV Now because of this price increase?

As other have said, this could be the price increase that puts me over the edge and when talking to some other people I know that use DirecTV we're all getting a little fed up with these price increases.

I'm a sports fan, especially college basketball this time of year. Some of the games I watch are on all of the ESPN networks, including the SEC Network. And March Madness in March and April includes the Turner channels. Right now you can get all of the ESPN channels and the Turner channels with the DirecTV Now Go Big package for $35/mo. I'm not sure if I really want to jump to the TV-Internet Streaming just yet, but it's definitely appealing.

It's funny how AT&T/DirecTV claimed that DirecTV Now wouldn't cannibalize their DirecTV satellite market. But with DirecTV Now being announced and launched the same week that these DirecTV satellite increases are announced, it kind of makes you wonder if they really are trying to kill their satellite market.
 
#35 · (Edited)
1 RSN that has 4 teams and is owned by a company who just renewed their contract. A lot of markets with CSN and/or a Fox owned RSN are going to see their fee go up. You're not really escaping it with cable, it's just part of the monthly rate for your system. (And some cable providers still breakout fees for RSNs as well as locals anyway)

At least DirecTV has multiple packages that let you get rid of your RSNs, compared to cable where the only option to opt out of RSNs is a package that is nothing but locals and public access. (As for Dish, while they don't have a fee, they just spread the cost out to everyone, which is easier to do when you're missing all of NYC's RSNs, no Spectrum Sportsnet, no Root Sports Southwest, no CSN New England, etc)
 
#42 · (Edited)
The moment it was announced every single specialty channel filed to have their license changed to remove the content clauses and be defined as general entertainment channels. (Up there the CRTC licenses everything, not just broadcast channels, and those licenses include content and format clauses) Multiple channels like BPMTV, Argent, ichannel, Sun News and GolTV Canada flat out folded, others like M3, Musimax, Bite, TVTropolis, Twist, Bold and Teletoon Retro switched formats and rebranded, and multiple others like Much, Vrak, MusiquePlus, Comedy, Showcase, Space, E!, Family, Slice and W replaced much of their originals with reruns of US programs due to budget cuts as a result of it. One company Stornoway, ended up folding all 3 of their channels since they didn't have ties to any of the conglomerates and relied on the ad revenue they get from being carried as part of tiers with popular channels like YTV, Showcase, Much and TSN.

Those who went a-la-carte are now paying anywhere from $3-10 EACH for channels that previously cost providers less than 50 cents when bundled with their more popular sister stations, while those who stuck with the tiers lost many channels and program options since in addition to the channels that folded or switched formats, providers also started dropping many category B channels which don't have the same guaranteed carriage like Category A channels do.
 
#45 ·
Directv now isn't designed, yet, to compete with the read DirecTV. I think it is designed for the cable users with limited channel use. I wouldn't give up DVR function (I watch almost no live TV and record to skip commercials). It also lacks many of the stations that I watch. The reviews so far are pretty good but I also suspect that much of their market doesn't understand you need a Roku or Apple TV or something that works in between and handling all that which will be complex to many (like my spouse) will lead to a lot of cancellation. The future maybe there but this offering isn't there yet. When it offers the same stations and functions as the satellite version with just a delivery method change maybe. It will also then depend upon data caps on internet service which I'm sure will be coming.

DirecTV also has years of amortization of sats and other equipment so they are decades from wanting to get rid of Directv sat customers.
 
#47 ·
I believe the promotional new customer offers are fixed with the price for the time period.
 
#49 ·
They offered me a Locals Only plus "a few" channels. My bill was going from $71 with discounts, to $117 without. I didn't even stop to listen to the Locals only offer - I have an antenna, and will stream whatever else we need. Been a great 17 year run DTV, but you've priced yourselves out of my willingness to pay.

Nothing but good to say about the service over all these years, except time seems to have passed them by.
 
#52 ·
This will finally put me over the edge. When my $50/mo credit runs out next year, I'm out. Too many good things to do without TV, and with the money I will have in my pocket. Dropped from Xtra to Choice to save a net $3 once the new prices kick in and I'll ride it out from there. Maybe a Tivo OTA lifetime for $199 and that's it. Just got done switching to Earthlink 20/2 for $39.99, since the new Charter (TWC) wants $99 for 50/5 now.
 
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