Dish network and FSN Twins games

[thorski]

Mondays game was on ESPN HD, how many people knew that?

Yep..I knew that. I tried to watch it on ESPN HD but the tv said it was blacked-out in my area so I switched back to FSN HD to watch it. ?????

[BartmanMN]

I need to see if I am under contract with Dish for another year since last year I upgraded my box to the HD/DVR machine. If I am not, then I may be calling DirectTV as well. I would be sad to lose WFN as I like that channel. Also sucks losing all your recorded movies.

[thorski]

It sounds like FSN added a surcharge to the programming providers for "premium" games. Pay the surcharge or you will be blacked-out.

If you were ever a DirecTV customer before, they have a program to buy you out of your current contract to get you to come back to DirecTV. But, you must be a previous customer, not a new customer.

I'm not switching providers and I'm not gonna pay more to see the Twins. I will listen to the game on the radio until they start charging me for that too!

[BartmanMN]

Two things worth noting. My employee just showed me a HSOforum that streams all games over the Internet for free. http://myp2p.eu/index.php?part=home

Click on Live Sports, baseball, and be sure to change your timezone at the top of screen to CST.

You then select your game and find out what type of player that you want to stream it with. If you already have MediaPlayer, then use that. If you want to use a different media player, then you can select the Software tab at the top of screen and install that player. My employee is English and watches all his Soccer games this way.

btw - 9 yr customer of dish and I am not under contract. Thinking about pulling the plug on Dish and going to Direct like SuperDuty.

[ozzie]

the main thing that keeps me with dish is the NFL Red Zone and the fact that my parents cabin is hooked up for dish so when we go up there we can watch TV at night other than that I hate dish as I was on the phone with them for 17 minutes yesterday and they cut me off.....kinda ticked me off...stupid "John" from customer service with an indian from india accent

[BartmanMN]

DirectTV install on Saturday.

[LakeDocktor]

Bartman, shoot me an email... Rhino0018 at yahoo

[Superduty]

Hey Bartman or any other Direct tv subscribers:

According to the customer service rep I talked to at direct tv today, they use a separate receiver for each tv. Dish was able to use one receiver for two tv's. It is still cheaper at direct even when using more receivers but I was wondering if anybody knows if I can get by with less receivers. I run satelite tv to the garage so I can watch and listen to the twins when I am out in the boat friday nights getting ready for the weekends fishing. Don't really need the full capability that a receiver provides for my garage tv.

[LakeDocktor]

Superduty, you can mirror the TV in the garage to one of the TVs in the house. Dish Network has dual tuners, basically two receivers in one. By mirroring the TV in the garage, it will have to be on the same channel as the TV in which the receiver is that you are mirroring from. If you mirror it to a newer HD receiver, you will have the capabilities of designating the remote into a RF mode which will or should allow you to change the channel with the remote in the garage. The HD DVRs come with one RF capable remote but the HD receivers only come with an IR remote.

[Superduty]

Thanks Lakedoctor!!

[BartmanMN]

Yes, I ordered the HD DVR box and it is a dual tuner just like the dish network one, so if you ordered that you could use the RF remote.

If anyone else decides to drop Dish Network and move to DirecTV and wants to save $100 for a referral, hit me up with a Private Message and I'll give you my account number.

Essentially a Referral saves you $100 and me $100. Win - Win.

[crothmeier]

It seems to me that the Twins and FSN are saying, we've got these games, now you pay for them. A few companies didn't bat an eye, while a majority said no way. So whose really to blame, FSN/Twins for charging more, or your provider for not ponying up the cash to broadcast them? Its just a p*ssing match.

I have Mediacom, I didn't get the game. I called and complained.

Check out this link (if its legal to post it)... Its as is if FSN is pushing the blame on the providers by trying to get angry customers to call and complain.

http://www.foxsportsnorth.com/04/05/11/W...amp;feedID=3697

[Jim Almquist]

I guess if we really wanted to make a difference we would call all the sponsors and let them know we will not be buying their products because FSN is trying to blackmail the providers. These games would have been on all of the providers for free when they would have been broadcast over the air. The only way to get back at FSN is to have the sponsors complain.

Just getting a little tired of taking it in the shorts for our Pro teams

[Scott K]

I am not blaming media com, or dish ofr this, I am blaming the Twins, and FSN. We build them a new stadium, then they take away the free games, and then want to charge more for them. Just because the providers are looking out for our best interests, and not paying them their demand, then passing the increase to us.

[Superduty]

I really don't care who is to blame. The only pro sport on free TV anymore is the NFl. Even that is changing with ESPN and NFL network games. I want a chance to watch all the televised games. Willing to pay for it too. Why don't the providers just cough up the money to FSN and offer a premium package for those that are willing to pay? LOOKS LIKE TODAY'S GAME IS BLACKED OUT ON DISH TV AGAIN! Kind of funny how the last game I would have been able to watch on Dish was rained out...

[Scott K]

Here is a reply from Mediacom:

Quote:

Thank you for your recent email to our Customer Service Department. Mediacom customers will see more than a hundred Minnesota Twins games on Fox Sports North throughout the 2011 baseball season. The April 5th, 2011 game, however, falls within a SUBSET of games outside of the program use contract between Mediacom and Fox Sports North. Even though Fox Sports North is already one of the most expensive channels in our lineup, Fox Sports has chosen to strip away some of the most interesting MLB games of the 2011 season and charge premium prices for that set of games. It’s called a SURCHARGE and Fox is holding cable and satellite customers hostage for that higher price. Remember, Mediacom has to pay for all the programming that comes through our network and into customers’ homes; and at times, the owners of the programming seek excessive fees that are out of balance with the other sports and entertainment channels we carry.

Mediacom is NOT the only distributor in this situation. It appears as though one of the satellite companies and a couple of other cable companies have not purchased the SURCHARGE games and for the same reason as Mediacom – we don’t believe we can justify passing along the steep price to ALL Customer homes, regardless of their interest in watching these surcharge games.

Please rest assured that Mediacom is continuing to negotiate with Fox Sports North about these games; we’re taking it on a game-by-game basis with hopes of reaching a better solution. This is NOT unique to Twins & Minnesota consumers. By comparison – Fox Sports is doing the same thing with Braves games in Georgia; requiring cable and satellite companies to pay surcharge fees to get a select subset of games. This has happened in other sports markets as well.

[LakeDocktor]

In reality it boils down to what the provider is willing to do for their customer? With the premium surcharge there hasn't been a price increase from the providers that are willing to satisfy their customers at all levels. With that being said, I also see where putting higher prices in the face of customers that could care less about it would hurt business. There are times where as a company you need to look at the whole picture and figure out what is best for our subscribers. This at most times would result in a either a price increase to the customer or a loss to the provider. Very few providers are willing to take a loss to make some of their customers happy. In the long run, they will lose the money from the customers that are switching to the competitor.

You can't make everyone happy in these situations. This is an ongoing circle of change that customers switch from one company to the next in hopes of finding a provider that will truely fit all of their desires and rarely does it ever happen. I am willing to bet that most haven't had services carried by the same provider and have made a switch at one time or another......

[Scott K]

Let me add, I hate Mediacom, and when my contract is up with them, I am gone! But I do respect their judgment on not just giving in, and paying the demands of FSN and the Twins.

[thorski]

Hahahahahah....its bad enough that I can't sit and watch a baseball game on TV without explaining to my 8 and 9 year olds what erectile dysfunction is (advertisements), but now they, FSN & the Twins, want me to pay even more to do it! I'm with Jim Almquist and 4Wanderingeyes, enough is enough already. I'll keep my money and spend it else where.

[PierBridge]

It's not all Rosy over here at direct TV our bills have went through the roof.

Really how many so called premium games are there?

[Ybone]

It's around 40-45 games. I think it includes tonights game.

[rundrave]

I didnt get the game in HD again tonight. Not that I wanted to see it anyway.

[Jim Almquist]

I switched back to DirectTV and will only have Mediacom for my internet. What a huge difference in picture quality I should have never left. They were able to give me a good deal because I was a long time customer and was returning.

Now if the Twins would just get there rear ends in gear and start hitting the ball.

[jwmiller33]

With the way the Twins have been playing lately, you guys should consider yourself lucky you aren't able to watch the games