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Epix to Directv?

52K views 422 replies 47 participants last post by  lacubs 
#1 ·
I just saw this article posted 1/3/13 in HomeMedia magazine. Don't know if it has already been posted here. It sounds like Directv has acquired the rights to air Epix.

"Effective Feb. 7 DirecTV will raise subscription rates by an average of 4.5%, pointing to higher programming costs for the increases.

In 2013, the programming fees we pay to the owners of these television channels will increase about 8%, but DirecTV is adjusting the prices our customers pay on average about 4.5%,” the pay-TV operator said in a statement. “By holding firm in programming negotiations, we have been able to keep price increases below our cable competitors.”

During July 2012 Viacom channels went dark for 10 days on DirecTV during a dispute over carriage fees, where Viacom had been seeking a 30% increase in fees. The agreement gave DirecTV the option to add the Epix pay-TV channel, which is co-owned by Paramount, MGM and Lionsgate, and gave DirecTV users access to Viacom channels via tablets, laptops and other devices."
 
#27 ·
DBSSTEPHEN said:
I have had epix on roku for 4 months now and I can still watch it to this very day
OK so how much is it then, Since Epix website clearly states a provider subscription is required.
 
#28 ·
Sandra said:
I would like to see DirecTV add Epix. The more HD, the better!

Sandra
Agree, Options are nice, and not just ones geared toward Sports packs all the time.
 
#29 ·
lparsons21 said:
Pretty true, but Epix has movies that the others don't get and they are doing some boxing shows also.

Frankly Epix is as good or better than Starz imo.
Services like Netflix, Amazon and VuDu may well be the death of the premium channels as we know them today. If you take the money it costs to subcribe to a couple of premiums services today, over the period of a year, and how many movies you actually watch on them, and compare that to what it would cost you to watch the same movies via an online service, I think you'd be surprised at the results.

With services like VuDu delivering 1080p and multichannel audio (assuming you have the bandwidth available) the premium channel multiplexes are a lot less compelling.

As Hoosier notes, this is why they are doing original programming - it is the only way to maintain their value.

Clearly, Epix has SOME value - to movie fans, nearly any movie channel has value. But when negotiating carriage on a service, the service provider (i.e. DirecTV) has to calculate if their investment (in bandwidth, head-end and uplink resources, billing, customer support) and the direct costs for the channel can be recouped with dividends from viewers. That calculation is just a whole lot less compelling for Epix than for some of the competeing channels on DirecTV's plate.
 
#30 ·
Hoosier205 said:
The primary draw towards these types of premiums is no longer their movies, but their original content. Epix has none. All of their efforts to produce any have been abandoned. Their VP of original programming even resigned.
May be so, but Epix is the blockbuster movie channel. They have a lot of the really big movies and that is a draw. Not as much as they think it is (and evidently DirecTV thinks it is not as much as Viacom thinks it is or it would be on) but there is a draw.

It started out pretty weakly but has grown and I am glad I have access to it. I would prefer DirecTV to have it (as it would probably cost me less).

Edit: Or what Diana said above me. :)
 
#31 ·
I couldn't care less about movies. I have HBO and Showtime for the live boxing, something not available legally (or at high quality) anywhere on any internet service. I want EPIX for the boxing.

HBO, Showtime and Starz survive now simply off their original programming not so much movies anymore. Cinemax is getting a bigger push for original programming.
 
#33 ·
Diana C said:
Services like Netflix, Amazon and VuDu may well be the death of the premium channels as we know them today. If you take the money it costs to subcribe to a couple of premiums services today, over the period of a year, and how many movies you actually watch on them, and compare that to what it would cost you to watch the same movies via an online service, I think you'd be surprised at the results.

With services like VuDu delivering 1080p and multichannel audio (assuming you have the bandwidth available) the premium channel multiplexes are a lot less compelling.

As Hoosier notes, this is why they are doing original programming - it is the only way to maintain their value.

Clearly, Epix has SOME value - to movie fans, nearly any movie channel has value. But when negotiating carriage on a service, the service provider (i.e. DirecTV) has to calculate if their investment (in bandwidth, head-end and uplink resources, billing, customer support) and the direct costs for the channel can be recouped with dividends from viewers. That calculation is just a whole lot less compelling for Epix than for some of the competeing channels on DirecTV's plate.
Then there's the caps that the ISP's are putting on your ability to download movies, especially HD, over the internet. The internet services also stream the movies, so if you want to watch it a second time, you have to download it again rather than just pull it up off your DVR.
 
#34 ·
alnielsen;3166831 said:
Then there's the caps that the ISP's are putting on your ability to download movies, especially HD, over the internet. The internet services also stream the movies, so if you want to watch it a second time, you have to download it again rather than just pull it up off your DVR.
Passthepopcorn then?

Fios currently has no caps. It's pretty nice.
 
#35 ·
DBSSTEPHEN said:
I haven't paid a dime for it
OK so you've already stated, So what provider do you have your EPIX service with?
 
#37 ·
alnielsen said:
Then there's the caps that the ISP's are putting on your ability to download movies, especially HD, over the internet. The internet services also stream the movies, so if you want to watch it a second time, you have to download it again rather than just pull it up off your DVR.
Sure, depends on where you live. Here in suburban NJ we live in the first town in the state that Verizon cabled for FiOS. We recently upgraded to FiOS Quantum with 75Mbps downloads and no caps. I realize that in many places, streaming is not as attractive an option.

But the fact remains that DirecTV looks at the bigger picture. If they have room for 12 new channels (to pick a number out of thin air), does it make sense to use a third of that capacity for Epix? Will that get them more new subscribers than, say, TWC SportsNet?

pablo said:
Streaming is still not a panacea. I do have Netflix, but for example I tried to watch Fringe and its unavailable. Then I tried Haven and its unavailable.
Well, I was talking about movies, not TV shows. A lot of that is based on the content provider (Fox and SyFy in this case). The latest episodes of Fringe and Haven are available on Hulu Plus.
 
#39 ·
Sorry to say, that's all Fox and SyFy have made available. On the bright side, the earlier episodes from this season will be rerun and you can record/watch them then. Fringe is also being rebroadcast in HD on the Science channel. They have been running them in sequence from the start of season 1 on Tuesday nights, but they are all repeated frequently during the week.
 
#40 ·
Diana C said:
Well, I was talking about movies, not TV shows.
Your argument of movie channels versus streaming the movies is a sound one by costing alone but I watch more movies than I normally would because of subscription services such as HBO, Starz!, Epix or even Netflix or Amazon Prime than I would if I picked and chose. I am loathe to pull the trigger on a PPV and probably would not watch movies that way if I did not have the premium channels. (I would save even more, but that is beside the point.)

As for streaming, I have yet to see a stream that fully satisfies my quality standards but I do not do Vudu or some other services although I have done Amazon Prime and I just don't see the same quality as a linear channel or even a "free" on demand and nowhere near Blu Ray.
 
#46 ·
DBSSTEPHEN said:
yes sky angel does have iptv now
So again where does your epix come from.

I don't care what you say, you Can not subscribe to a Stand alone epix package without a TV provider subscription who carries EPIX.

You can get a Free 2 week trial without a provider but thats it.

The fact that you only post one sentence everytime you comment, you could understand why the many questions.

So unless Your Monthly Skyangel subscription carries Epix, I want to Know how you have it.
 
#47 ·
I have epix but it is included with the ultimate HD pack on verizon fios which also includes the movie channel, cinemax,and showtime. if i want HBO or STARZ ,I have to pay more ,one thing i hate which i dont think is fair, is the people in new york have hbo and starz included with their ultimate pack but the rest of verizon customers dont.:nono:
 
#48 ·
damondlt said:
So again where does your epix come from.

I don't care what you say, you Can not subscribe to a Stand alone epix package without a TV provider subscription who carries EPIX.

You can get a Free 2 week trial without a provider but thats it.

The fact that you only post one sentence everytime you comment, you could understand why the many questions.

So unless Your Monthly Skyangel subscription carries Epix, I want to Know how you have it.
I have it, too. There was a glitch awhile back where if you signed up during a free trial you would somehow keep the subscription.
 
#49 ·
celticpride said:
I have epix but it is included with the ultimate HD pack on verizon fios which also includes the movie channel, cinemax,and showtime. if i want HBO or STARZ ,I have to pay more ,one thing i hate which i dont think is fair, is the people in new york have hbo and starz included with their ultimate pack but the rest of verizon customers dont.:nono:
You can get Epix as a standalone premium on fios as well. Think it is around $10.
 
#50 ·
tonyd79 said:
You can get Epix as a standalone premium on fios as well. Think it is around $10.
Yes with FIOS Service.
 
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