Customers caught in battle between networks, satellite providers

Published 9:17 am Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Customers are caught in the middle of a constant battle between satellite customers and networks.

Dish satellite customers are without Fox’s cable sports networks and some local Fox stations because of a dispute over the networks’ cost.

I subscribe to Dish and FS1 no longer appears in my program. It says Fox has removed this channel.  It’s also affecting Sling customers.

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When I joined Dish last spring, this is not what I had in mind. I pay for certain channels and I expect to see them. I’m sure Dallas County residents who subscribe to Dish feel the same way.

What really irritates me about this: it’s happening during football season. I’m sure both sides realize the NFL and College Football are the two most popular televised sports events in America.

The message from Dish on my TV screen was that the FOX News Channel and the FOX Business Network won’t be affected by the dispute.

Unless those two channels are broadcasting the NFL and College Football, I’m not interested.

A potential blackout was avoided on both AT&T and DirecTV several weeks ago of ESPN and the SEC Network. I applaud the SEC for stepping up and warned customers on social media that it could happen.

Customers spend hard-earned cash to watch football in their homes. It’s unfair to the customers, especially if they are unable to attend games live.

I was a Cable TV subscriber for several years and my friends always teased me about being “old school.”  When I moved to Selma, I decided to give the satellite thing a try and picked Dish.

My arrival to the Queen City coincided with Dish’s dispute with ESPN and most of the NBA playoffs weren’t televised on ABC. By the time a settlement was reached, Golden State swept Cleveland to win the NBA Finals.

I like basketball, but football fuels my passion like several Dallas County residents. I might be one of the first to lead a protest if there was no SEC Network.

Unfortunately, these types of blackouts will be common for years as broadcasters attempt to charge cable and satellite TV providers more money. Too bad these costs will show up on customers’ bills. That’s unfair.