The stalemate between Cablevision and News Corp that threatens to keep the World Series off the air in the New York area just got a kick in the ‘nads for News Corp.
Why? Because the Yankees just lost to the Texas Rangers. So the interest of the average New Yorker in the World Series just dropped precipitously. Sure, some might still be interested, but it’s a lot less of an imperative for a lot more people.
And if the Phillies lose to the Giants, that’s pretty much it as far as the tri-state area is concerned. So News Corp can yell about how it’s Cablevision’s fault that News Corp yanked Channel 5 and thus lost viewers the World Series, but most viewers will just be shrugging and, if they’re so inclined, picking up “House” or “Glee” off iTunes.
PAD
UPDATED at 11:39 PM–And the Phillies are out. That resounding thud you just heard is another bargaining chip hitting the ground.
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A loss for NewsCorp is a victory for America, I’m pretty sure.
I really think if Cablevision gives in on this, it’ll lead to a domino effect that will mean increased rates for providers across the board.
Are you kidding? ANYTHING will mean increased rates! I think that there’s a thunderstorm over Soviet Georgia that means my cable bill goes up five bucks a month!
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xoxoxo
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Rangers/Giants WS… my prediction: Fox will cancel the show after the second episode due to low ratings.
I don’t even think people need itunes; they can get it from hulu for free.
Until the providers shut it off … or Hulu goes to a pay-for-everything mocel.
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Both of which are distince possibilities.
So, PAD, do you also celebrate No-More-Yankee-Fans Day?
* shrug * I saw plenty of people wearing Yankees caps yesterday. And shirts, and jackets.
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PAD
Plus, to add to the fun, they’re losing a lot of money in political ads right now, as well as their soapbox to influence voting.
And on November 1, Dish Network follows suit, costing Rupert 14 million+ households nationwide going into sweeps month. By then, he will have lost more money then he was asking for as a rate increase, as well as political soapboxes nationwide.
Won’t that be fun?
IF at all possible, I don’t know why people just do not switch to DirecTV. I realize not everyone can and they’re stuck with whatever cable provider they have, but if it was me I’d still be checking into it!
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Cablevision, Dish, et al, think the channels will cave and not follow through on the threat to stop providing coverage. As it turns out, they’re wrong and Fox and other channels thumb their nose up at them while moving on. I was VERY close to switching to Dish at one point this past year, but now I’m very glad I didn’t. I’ve heard way too many horror stories in how they treat their customers.
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So if you can, get away from cable. (I feel like I’m an ad here!)
I don’t know why people just do not switch to DirecTV
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Because this kind of things has already happened to DirecTV. Just last year, in fact: Comcast and DirecTV were at a stalemate for months over Versus. An agreement was reached just in time for the NHL playoffs this past spring.
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It’s only going to get worse. All broadcasters (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox) are now expecting fees (which is part of the Fox/Cablevision situation) when they used to be free.
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Comcast buying NBC is going to up the ante big time, because Comcast is also a cable company. They already withhold CSN Philly from the satellite companies as a “flagship”.
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Imagine what will happen when contracts start expiring and they’re in the position to say, “Well, it’s all available on Comcast cable. Dish and DirecTV don’t want to pony up? You can switch today!”
I missed this sentence earlier:
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I’ve heard way too many horror stories in how they treat their customers.
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Every company has their share of complaints.
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Although, DirecTV recently was taking a lot of heat for quietly renewing customers on a new 2-year contract whenever they contacted the company about something, even if it had nothing to do with their contract. And overall, DirecTV’s CS has dropped big time since they were spun off from Liberty Media.
I’m one of those affected by the Cablevision/Fox blackout, and I was wondering: if I switch to DirecTV, and the weather gets really bad in the winter (as it is wont to do in the Tri-State area), does that screw up my reception? (I lived in California for twenty years, so I’m not used to this whole “having seasons” thing.)