JOE IN HAMPTON ROADS Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 For those who live outside the market, this is a big deal. I was a ST subscriber for years, but the prices just kept going up, and its not available on FIOS, a far superior media provider. With all the workarounds available and DirecTV sinking in market share, you would think the NFL would be ready to open the games up. But no. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/u-supreme-court-rejects-nfl-144920747.html 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBillies Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 Good. I hope NFL and ATT have to pay many, many millions... either in reimbursement to subscribers and/or legal costs they will incur. greedy aholes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOE IN HAMPTON ROADS Posted November 2, 2020 Author Share Posted November 2, 2020 3 minutes ago, BuffaloBillies said: Good. I hope NFL and ATT have to pay many, many millions... either in reimbursement to subscribers and/or legal costs they will incur. greedy aholes Im guessing a settlement would result in free extension of ST for subscribers, and new ways for non-subscribers to get the games. I doubt either the NFL or DirecTV will be cutting checks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBillies Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 4 minutes ago, JOE IN HAMPTON ROADS said: Im guessing a settlement would result in free extension of ST for subscribers, and new ways for non-subscribers to get the games. I doubt either the NFL or DirecTV will be cutting checks. Well, we can hope it drags on in the courts and both are paying for their high-cost legal teams the whole way. I'm going with that... makes me feel better. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnywo Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 After paying for the last 15 years I'm looking forward to my $5.39 check after the settlement... 3 21 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Info Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 1 minute ago, BuffaloBillies said: Good. I hope NFL and ATT have to pay many, many millions... either in reimbursement to subscribers and/or legal costs they will incur. greedy aholes I do not agree with this or the original poster. Is Sunday Ticket expensive? Sure but Directv/ATT agreed to pay the NFL an exorbitant amt of $ (which, incidentally, is up for renegotiation every few years). They own it and can charge whatever they want. Whether Directv is losing customers or the Sunday Ticket broadcast can be illegally snagged is completely unrelated. If it’s too expensive then tough. This is an entertainment option not something that is required. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_Formerly_of_Roch Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 20 minutes ago, JOE IN HAMPTON ROADS said: For those who live outside the market, this is a big deal. I was a ST subscriber for years, but the prices just kept going up, and its not available on FIOS, a far superior media provider. With all the workarounds available and DirecTV sinking in market share, you would think the NFL would be ready to open the games up. But no. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/u-supreme-court-rejects-nfl-144920747.html I don't understand why people think the NFL should have opened things up in particular in 2014. If you were selling something and someone offered you $100 for the item and someone else offered your $300, which would you take? From what I recall DTV offered the NFL crazy amounts as they knew without ST, DTV would go down the tubes. The NFL and DTV signed the contract so both are part of the lawsuit, but it's DTV who is on the hook to lose exclusivity in the deal. The NFL is just looking for whomever will pay them the most money Having said that there are a number of things that changed since the last contract extension in 2014 From the DTV side they were bought out by ATT and ATT seems to be much tighter with things. I had DTV and ST for a number of years and once they were bought out, the discounts were much harder to come by. Wouldn't shock me to know that DTV was/is losing money these days with ST. So I think next year when the contract is up for renewal, I don't think ATT will bid more than they are able to make money from. There also is much more streaming content today then there was in 2014 when the last contract was signed both legal and illegal and all the illegal streams makes it tougher for DTV to gain subscribers, then add on all the cord cutting. In 2014 streaming was not nearly as widespread and the quality wasn't often that great either. So while I understand why the NFL signed the contract with DTV and their goal is to make the most money, I don't think there will be a renewal with DTV next year as likely the money offered from them will be lower and today streaming is the way to go and the league knows that too. And will root for DTV to lose the lawsuit so things are opened up more. Personally I'd be willing to pay $300 to $400 for ST as a stand alone streaming package, but not when you add another $100 a month for things I'm now watching via an antenna or through other cheaper means Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_Formerly_of_Roch Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 8 minutes ago, Mr Info said: I do not agree with this or the original poster. Is Sunday Ticket expensive? Sure but Directv/ATT agreed to pay the NFL an exorbitant amt of $ (which, incidentally, is up for renegotiation every few years). They own it and can charge whatever they want. Whether Directv is losing customers or the Sunday Ticket broadcast can be illegally snagged is completely unrelated. If it’s too expensive then tough. This is an entertainment option not something that is required. I completely agree with your first paragraph, the one problem I have with DTV is that they won't offer it as a stand alone to EVERYONE. To get ST with DTV is costing close to $1500 to $2000 a year. I'd pay $400 for a stand alone streaming package, but they won't sell it to me. And before someone tells me they do offer it as a stand alone, it appears to be extremely limited addresses that can get it. I put in my new address in a new development which isn't even on some maps, so there was never DTV here prior. I then tried the address of more than one nursing home and assisted living housing my mother was in and they also were not eligible addresses according to them so I have no idea who/where might be eligible 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBillies Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 10 minutes ago, Mr Info said: I do not agree with this or the original poster. Is Sunday Ticket expensive? Sure but Directv/ATT agreed to pay the NFL an exorbitant amt of $ (which, incidentally, is up for renegotiation every few years). They own it and can charge whatever they want. Whether Directv is losing customers or the Sunday Ticket broadcast can be illegally snagged is completely unrelated. If it’s too expensive then tough. This is an entertainment option not something that is required. You're making my point of why they are greedy. NFL was greedy in that they accepted the exorbitant amt of $ from DirecTV not caring at all about the actual fans of the NFL who now only had a single source to watch out-of-market games. They took the money, fans be damned. DirecTV/ATT is greedy in that yes, it is expensive. And since they had exclusive rights (by giving NFL exobitant amt of $), they had NFL fans be the short-hairs and have continued to raise the rates (from $99 to $300+ over the years). AND... until only this year, you HAD to be be a DirecTV subscriber to even get ST. This year they opened it up to ~40 markets to stream without having DirecTV... but not all markets. Mine is one that does NOT have access through streaming. So, I had to have my college kid set up an account and I use his. It was literally the ONLY way I could get Bills games. Call it what you want. I'm calling them both greedy aholes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Over 29 years of fanhood Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 6 minutes ago, Ed_Formerly_of_Roch said: I completely agree with your first paragraph, the one problem I have with DTV is that they won't offer it as a stand alone to EVERYONE. To get ST with DTV is costing close to $1500 to $2000 a year. I'd pay $400 for a stand alone streaming package, but they won't sell it to me. And before someone tells me they do offer it as a stand alone, it appears to be extremely limited addresses that can get it. I put in my new address in a new development which isn't even on some maps, so there was never DTV here prior. I then tried the address of more than one nursing home and assisted living housing my mother was in and they also were not eligible addresses according to them so I have no idea who/where might be eligible I wonder if you call and say you don’t have line of site of southern sky or your HOA won’t allow if they can override the eligibility? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBill Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 27 minutes ago, Mr Info said: I do not agree with this or the original poster. Is Sunday Ticket expensive? Sure but Directv/ATT agreed to pay the NFL an exorbitant amt of $ (which, incidentally, is up for renegotiation every few years). They own it and can charge whatever they want. Whether Directv is losing customers or the Sunday Ticket broadcast can be illegally snagged is completely unrelated. If it’s too expensive then tough. This is an entertainment option not something that is required. Keep in mind the NFL is a legally sanctioned monopoly. AT&T / Direct TV is not. There is undoubtedly a dampening of competition for out of town games. The fact that the NFL has locked itself into agreements that limit the streaming options most consumers want is a blatant show of their lack of concern for the idea that fan bases are not always located in one geography or one mode of consuming games. AT&T is trying to leverage the Sunday ticket to cause you to buy a bunch of services that are not wanted. This would be somewhat like there being bread for sale by law in only one grocery store in a given region. Then to buy bread the store locks you into buying a cart full of overpriced stuff that you do not even want. It is a losing model for everyone other than AT&T. Not my fault they overplayed for an asset that is not working out strategically. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mango Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 I actually think the $3-400 price point is way too high for what is basically just access to the 1pm games on Sunday. At $400 bucks I am tempted to just keep using my VPN and ripping the game off. With so many people cutting the chord, the NFL really needs to evolve here and start including all games through the app/streaming. Possibly include a single team package or a per game charge. That said, I am in Saratoga Springs. I tried calling to just get the streaming service. They said no I needed DTV. I have no use for a cable package. So I actually have an old athlete that is in Med School so I threw her a couple bucks to help me out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC BIlls Fan Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 I wish at some point there would be a package where I could just pay to watch Bills games. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhoTom Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 23 minutes ago, Ed_Formerly_of_Roch said: Personally I'd be willing to pay $300 to $400 for ST as a stand alone streaming package, but not when you add another $100 a month for things I'm now watching via an antenna or through other cheaper means Exactly. I subscribed to DTV for the sole purpose of getting ST. Besides games, there were about 4 channels that I watched on a somewhat regular basis, and I could live without any of them. In effect, in order to get the one item I wanted, I was forced to buy a much more expensive package. It's like wanting to buy a tire but being forced to buy a whole car. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ned Flanders Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 NFL/ATT will also enlist the help of the beer barons here. A main source of their revenue, bars, is hurting now and without the limited NFL/ATT "exclusive agreement," bars will further suffer. Bars have made Sunday afternoons relevant if you want to see your team's games. What was usually the slowest time of the week, bars have now become an integral conduit to your team's Sunday afternoon games...and what item do bars like to sell most? Not chicken wings but the high profit margin associated with alcohol, most notably beer. I have a friend who was very involved in this at one time; it was the beer barons that screamed to the NFL not to "open up" Sunday afternoon games to regular cable but keep it on a system that many folks can't/won't get (DTV). And when the NFL's big sponsors, here Big Beer, talk, the NFL listens. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Over 29 years of fanhood Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 I think it’s asinine that this dinosaur of a company doesn’t realize they have a viable stand alone subscription service that they could probably charge more for, instead of stupidly mandating this ‘use our Satellite or else’. the fact is people live in areas with great streaming infrastructure and want to watch out of market games. But DTV is trying to force a market to exist. I lucked out that my townhouse was eligible. If It wasn’t I was never considering adding a dish. as to those blocked, I suspect the eligibility algorithm excludes home addresses and businesses, looks like townhouses are eligible, not sure about apartments. there is an alleged check between cc address and eligibility addresses, but it might only check zip code. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeGOATski Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 I always thought it was a stupid move to pay for Sunday Ticket. You enabled them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanC883 Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 the NFL should have it's own system like MLB has. Keep all the ad revenue yourself, sell the product at a reasonable price. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyDogLuvsPB Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 1 hour ago, Ed_Formerly_of_Roch said: I completely agree with your first paragraph, the one problem I have with DTV is that they won't offer it as a stand alone to EVERYONE. To get ST with DTV is costing close to $1500 to $2000 a year. I'd pay $400 for a stand alone streaming package, but they won't sell it to me. This! Although I'd only like to subscribe to Bills games only at a much reduced price. 3 minutes ago, RyanC883 said: the NFL should have it's own system like MLB has. Keep all the ad revenue yourself, sell the product at a reasonable price. I have been paying the $125 sub for the past 7 years. It is worth every penny IMO. At least the NFL offers Game Pass now but still would love live streams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanC883 Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 2 minutes ago, MyDogLuvsPB said: This! Although I'd only like to subscribe to Bills games only at a much reduced price. I have been paying the $125 sub for the past 7 years. It is worth every penny IMO. At least the NFL offers Game Pass now but still would love live streams. how are u paying 125 sub? do you have DTV? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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