Time Warner to not carry ESPN networks

[kick29]

Has anyone heard about the the Time Warner Cable problem with ESPN networks. Apparently, TWC will not carry ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Classic, nor ESPN Game Plan nor etc....

http://www.heraldonline.com/2010/07/23/2330930/will-tv-fee-fight-tackle-usc.html

here is an article online that i found.

I know most FBS games are on ESPN and not FCS games but it is still football. I would get satalite but my apartment doesn't have the ability to it faces east and there is a huge tree outside, i have checked into getting FIOS but that isn't for another year here.

Does anyone have any advice or suggestions, or is this just another scare like the super bowl with fox?

thanks for your help!

[NuJerzBullDog]

no its legit it seems they cant come to some kind of agreement... i heard it on the radio the other night, it was like a time warner PSA and they were sayin they were trying to find some kind of agreemet, this happend like last year or 2 years ago with food network, hgtv, etc

[SFspidur]

It's the usual public relations war that goes on all the time between cable companies and content providers. The negotiations always go down to the wire, and then sometimes there are extensions while they continue the negotiations. It's fairly rare for channels to be removed, and even if they do, it's usually not for very long.

There's no way two giants like ESPN and Time Warner won't come to a deal with a minimum of disruption to customers, if any.

[NuJerzBullDog]

exactly..

[Big Al]

Anyone else remember when football was on the networks, broadcast over the air for free?

When did we become such enormous suckers?

[DFW HOYA]

Anyone else remember when football was on the networks, broadcast over the air for free?
When did we become such enormous suckers?

When people were no longer happy with one (mostly regional) game of the week from ABC.

Besides, where there's DirecTV, there's no need for cable.

[bkrownd]

When did we become such enormous suckers?

It's all about money money money these days. It's all f'd up. There's way too much money in college athletics now.

[kperk014]

When people were no longer happy with one (mostly regional) game of the week from ABC.

Besides, where there's DirecTV, there's no need for cable.

There CAN be problems there too. During hockey season, DirectTV refused to carry the Versus Network because Comcast was gouging them. That lasted the whole season. I would think that some kind of agreement will be made before the cash cow of ESPN (college football) starts up.

[BearsCountry]

College football isn't the cash cow, Monday Night Football is the cash cow.

[Twentysix]

If you knew what ESPN charged to be carried you would crap your pants. I gurantee 20% of your bill is from ESPN&Related networks. (AKA Disney) unless you have every channel.

[NHwildEcat]

ESPN needs a competitor...that is the only solution albeit an expensive one!

[darell1976]

When people were no longer happy with one (mostly regional) game of the week from ABC.

Besides, where there's DirecTV, there's no need for cable.

Now its like on NBC we get Notre Dame football..Zzzzzz. I love different choices for games but sorry ESPN I am not paying for their college football package on Directv.

[JohnStOnge]

If you knew what ESPN charged to be carried you would crap your pants. I gurantee 20% of your bill is from ESPN&Related networks. (AKA Disney) unless you have every channel.

Be that as it may, there's no way I'd buy a cable service without at least ESPN and ESPN2 on it. I'd go satellite dish instead if I had to. And I'd bet there are a lot of other people like me. That's why Time Warner will either cave in the end or they'll lose a lot of customers. And I guess that's why ESPN can charge as much as it does. It's a desirable commodity that's in demand.

[Retro]

There CAN be problems there too. During hockey season, DirectTV refused to carry the Versus Network because Comcast was gouging them. That lasted the whole season. I would think that some kind of agreement will be made before the cash cow of ESPN (college football) starts up.

Directv didn't refuse to carry VERSUS at that time.. VERSUS had unreasonable demands for what they wanted DTV to pay, which was far above their market value.. DTV also said they would continue to carry the channel while negotiations were ongoing, but VERSUS refused that, so DTV dropped it for a few months... The only thing Versus carries that has any mass appeal is Hockey, if you call that mass appeal?

[Twentysix]

Yeah, I agree with you. There needs to be a real competitor but that wont solve the problem. Fox sports is kinda developing that but its not as good. The only winner in this situation is ESPN and Dish/Direct. What dish and direct pay for channels is different than what Cable companys pay for them. The same way a gas station pays more for a bottle of mt dew than wal mart does.

simple concept, and unfortunately just because Pepsi and coke both exist and cause that competition, it doesnt help the gas station(grocery store, cable company, you name it) enough to allow them to be competitive with walmart(sat providers).

[coover]

The problem is that Time Warner does not want to pay the "per subscriber" fee that Disney (the owner of ABC, Family Channel, ESPN, and others) is requesting for dissemination of their channels by Cable and Satellite Companies. Time Warner is balking at the requested fee and Disney is saying "no fee, no dissemination" for all of their channels including ABC. Evidently other Cable Companies have acceded to Disney's demand or have contracts that remain in effect until sometime in the future. What it all means, of course, is that all of us will be paying more for our Cable or Satellite service in the future.

[Sly Fox]

Thank goodness for the fiber option (i.e. AT&T Uverse & Verizon FiOS).