DirectTV has a rather comical FAQ on their website regarding the Versus debacle. For those who do not have DirectTV; DirecTV’s contract with the Versus network was up on Aug. 31. All weekend Versus scrolled a reminder that “Versus may be removed” from the satellite provider’s lineup after unsuccessful negotiations.
DirecTV has said that Comcast allows other distributors to carry Versus at much lower level of distribution.
They regularly try to charge us amounts well in excess of what is fair and reasonable to carry the programming they own. Their reason is obvious: they want to stifle competition from DIRECTV.
I didn’t know Versus had the power to wield such a heavy stick. Although the UFL season is right around the corner! There is some serious leverage in contract negotiations.
DirectTV also reiterates that you need not switch from DirectTV:
Should I switch to DISH or cable?
No.
If Versus is what your Cable/Satellite subscription hinges on, I would like to have a word with you. You need a little less Bull Riding and a little more substance in your TV diet.
In response to DirectTV’s press release, Comcast simply issued this:
Versus on DIRECTV [DirectTV.com]
I’m dropping direct tv i live in florida and i like to watch the red wings play. They are usually on vs i even payed for nhl center ice ($170) and if its aired on vs i direct tv will not air the game at all. Screw direct tv they are such tight a**es and should go to h**l ive been a subscriber for over 10 years and this is my reward i am telling everyone i know how shitty they are and i am going to make it a priority that no one i know ever uses them
I agree with the other comment. I am a through and through winds fan displaced to colorado. I pay for NHL Center Ice. Many of the wing games will be on VS (9 to be exact at this point). I will be missing those games and Direct TV has no way of providing them to me. ALSO we are not thinking ahead….what happens when the playoffs roll around and we miss a majority of the game because they are on VS!? Direct TV makes money and they always always pass any increase solely to the customer. SUCK it up Direct TV or split the cost!!!
I’ll give directtv until the end of January to solve the Versus problem. I’m not going to miss The NHL Playoffs.
I spoke with Direct TV and they gave me a $50.00 credit for the NHL package. Not satisfied!! I agree with Buck, end of January or I’m switching to comcast. Anyhow, I’m tired of all the interruption when there is a thunderstorm 40 miles away!!!!
I am so angry right now. I live in Orlando and am forced to choose between Brighthouse (which stinks) and Directv. We finally decided to switch to Driectv this fall for the NFL network and now I find out that I can’t watch the Pens come playoff time. They better figure this out soon or I will drop them as well.
I live in VA and am a die hard husker fan I find out that the Huskers are going to be playing on Versus not knowing the situation so I pull up Versus on my menu and find out they no longer carry Versus I may just explod. Being in rural VA I get to either choose between Direct TV and Dish Network Lucky me.
College football and fishing I want it. Versus is only channel that carries The FLW tournaments lets get it done.
I just read that Dish TV has Versus.
I don’t have a cable option but maybe I will change to Dish TV–I wish there was less bull riding and fishing. I watch for the winter sports including skiing and The Tour de France!
Direct TV is a bunch of hypocrites. They complain that Comcast is charging them too much for Versus. They commited the worst crime with the NFL package. They pay the NFL 1 billion per year so that nobody else can can carry the NFL sunday ticket. And then they pass that cost on to their customers. $250 for the Sunday ticket. This was only $100 bucks a few years ago and has gone up $50 a year.
Just how much money would this cost me to be able to watch Versus??? Direct TV gets all huffy and decides that I don’t want to pay a little more to get Versus, meanwhile I MISS the HUSKERS this weekend and MISS a lot of AVs games. Get over yourselves, Direct TV!!
I susibed to direct tv because yhey carried versus and mtn. I am a byu football fan and the biggest conference game is carried on versus. i cant watch it because direct tv are idiots. direct tv is going down and i am going to help by telling everyone that i know that dishnetwork is better.
I agree…I am fed up..if I can’t watch the Penguins or the playoffs I will switch providers as soon as my contract is up!
I wonder is FIOs is available here yet??
Dear DirectTV,
I was hurt when you made this decision that affected us so badly. After all this time together, I thought you would try to change to help us, but i guess i was wrong. You are extremely selfish and it is tearing us apart. Well, Im no good at saying goodbye, so I’ll just say %@$# OFF!
-love
hockey fans
P.S. I met someone else… They treat me good and give me hockey.
Jim – I think DirecTV saved you from having to watch the Huskers this past weekend!
I was at a friend’s place who had Dish and that service (remote, DVR, controls, etc) is not very good compared to DirecTV..so switching is not an option for me. Also, I had Comcast before, and was not a fan of their programming or high cost. Nearly zero sports bars have Comcast, which makes it tough too, but I did find that Red Robin has Comcast, so I have caught a game there. Just glad that the football games I want to watch lately have made it to other channels otherwise I would be just as pissed as the rest of these guys! Go AVs!
Sorry, but I’m one of those die hard PBR fans. I recommended Direct TV to an old friend of mine who is a ( long retired ) bull rider. He’s 81 now and still riding horses…..but watching the PBR is his passion. I recommended Direct TV to him – more reasonable rates than Comcast. He changed at the end of August – and lost Versus. To add insult to injury, it comes right before the finals! And I feel like DIRT for recommending Direct TV. He’s lost the high point of his week……..because of me.
I wonder if those fine people who make these decisions at Direct know of the rage they cause? Comcast is not an option with me – but FIOS may be…
We stand to lose the NHL Playoffs because of this debacle. I have dealt with Hughes before in the computer world when they were proprietary in their gateway to the internet approach. They lost a lot of accounts before they wised up and provided a hassle free router for local area networking. Tryin to squeeze every dime out of every account. I dont wanna go throught this crap again. I am pricing Dish Network and I will call them to “come get their crap” if they are not NHL Playoff Friendly by Jan ‘10. Just like Princess Leia I smell a foul stench!!! May the force be with us!!
You stand to lose a lot more. DirecTV owns a majority of the FSN networks. The contract with Comcast ends January 31st. Liberty Media plans to do the same to Comcast and that is charge them an additional 60% to air FSN. You really think Comcast will pay? I have a conclusion that this will be over prior to the playoffs.
GO PENS!!!
I just called DirecTV and they offered me a lousy $17 off the hockey package. Gee… thanks. 5+ years with them. I’m a Sunday Ticket subscriber – and it’s gone up and up and up over the past few years – and I can’t get rid of them because of that. I’m thinking of changing my package to the bare minimum so I can maintain my NFL Ticket then get Comcast for everything else. At least that way i can get internet and phone and drop my home phone and internet service to save cost. I don’t know how I’ll deal with the wiring in the house and another cable box, though… BRUTAL!!! I just want VS to watch Hockey.
I wouldn’t mind so much if every other cable provider in my area didn’t reach an agreement. So I called direct tv and told them I was switching to comcast or fios or the dish network. They told me there would be a 440 dollar disconnect fee! I live in Pittsburgh it’s not so much to ask to watch the Pen’s play!
I’m sick and tired of Directv. They give you crappy answers. They have a stupid faqs to try to give you alternatives to what Versus showed. If you like MMA watch UFC reruns on Spike. No Damn it I want to watch live and new WEC matches. If you want to watch Hockey order Center Ice, thats fine but when my team is playing on Versus I still can’t see the game because they have the rights to that game. Then they tell you that you can watch ESPN to watch sports. Do they think we are stupid. When my contract is up I’m going back to Comcast.
I got two months free, and will be patient till the cycling Tour of California. After that it is either Cable, AT&T or Dish. Why don’t they get it…are they that stupid???
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This is such BS!! I live in New Jersey and I can’t even watch my Rangers play tonight since its on Versus. MF!!!!! Get the problem fixed Directv!!!
We have no Comcast in our area.We have Direct TV included in a Verizon Bundle We like the PBR and the Fishing programs.What is the real problem between these providers? When I talk to them,they blame each other.They DO NOT KNOW THE MEANING OF SERVICE. Let alone who pays their wages,and that large check the CEO get every year.Larry B. larryalida@verizon.net. Warm Beach WA.
I have been a long time subscriber of Direct, but am ready to jump ship. I have to have my cycling fix. Versus was THE reason I went with Direct those oh so many years ago. If no Versus by January then, sadly, I must look to Dish or another provider.
To the smartass that says, if versus is what your script hinges on. you wan’t a word with us, go to hell. Where do you get off telling we need less bull riding. I guess we should not care to watch the Boise state Broncos either. What do you watch Logo. I’ll figure something else out and it will not be dickedtv
As bicycle fanatic i’m deeply sorry with what is happening between comcast and directv idon’t understand that they can’t come to an agreement i’m waiting till the beginning of the bicycle season and than it is sayanaro directv unfortunally we can’t get comcast here if they just put versus in one of their sports packages then i would consider subscribing to that and pay an extra couple of dollars to get it in meantime let’s hope and pray that this issue gets resolved soon. this is not a way to do good business and treat your customers
Reality is that two spoiled brats are holding their breaths threatening to turn blue if they don’t get their way. Comcast has got dough to buy NBC but needs more for Versus, while DirecTV (my supplier) is also a rip-off operation. (I don’t know about you, but when I put my NFL team in my Wish List, no game ever records, not even when on CBS, Fox, NBC or ESPN. That’s been true for six years now. DirecTV wants me to pay again for its lousy NFL package, which is hardly worth the price. There can be no other reason games won’t TiVo while everything else does, except for Al Jazeera curiously enough. Or not for those in the media know.
Comcast hopes one day to own the entire media universe and so I have no doubt the racket is asking an extortionate price for Versus.
Both rackets are holding DirecTV customers hostage to their childishness. (Which gives you some idea of how DirecTV really regards its customers.)
Those who refuse to fork over DirecTV’s own extortionate amount for Center Ice will–way it’s going–miss the NHL playoffs while those of us avid fans of cycling are missing all of cycling, eventually the Tour come July. And cycling can be found nowhere else other than on Versus. (Forget those half-hour recaps of the Tour, which aren’t worth watching.)
But DirecTV customers aren’t alone. I heard today that Time-Warner is planning to drop Fox. All this nonsense is the direct result of media monopoly brought to you by your government, which has to approve mega-mergers, and which almost always does rubber-stamp them.
Give the remaining racketeering SOBs another decade, they’ll be charging daily by the minute per channel. It’s not about providing entertainment, let alone news, but about the money.
Were we all smarter, we’d dump them all and go back to radio. But wait, Serius bought XM, I forgot.
Before I made a brief return to school in July versus was 90% of my TV viewing pleasure. Cycling, WEC and even though I do not ride a horse or wear a cowboy hat, PBR were the programs I enjoyed most. So from weekly, if not daily viewing too nothing and no resolve in sight I may also have to dump DirectTV. I am finished with my CE in June 2010, if the problem is not settled between Comcast and DirectTV by then I will look for another provider and I will not choose Comcast!
Been a Directtv customer for 4 years and just switched to Dish today because I will not miss anymore of my beloved Red Wings games. I chose Directtv back in the day because they were the only ones that had versus. I gave them a couple of months to get it figured out, and they sure did. They lost a customer that was perfectly happy with their product, until this debacle. I called Directtv to see if they had any info or timetable to rectify the versus situation and the moron I spoke to on the phone suggested I get the NHL package to see my Red Wings games. I had to inform her that I still can’t see the games that are on Versus. I missed the first games of the season when the Wings opened over seas and I’ll be damned if I’ll miss the playoffs. So, so long Directtv hope many people read this reply and follow in my footsteps before you wise up.
Okay – I gave up my partial season plan to the Rangers because it was getting to costly. My NFL package to see the Vikes play is up to almost $250 but DTV has no problem passing that cost increase to me every year and Direct TV has the gall to say they do not want to pass on a dollar or two to us get verses. Hell let me pay for it as a pemium channel – but give me the damn option. When I complaind o direct tv in Oct – they gave me a $5 monthly credit for 3 months. Well I’ve missed 4 prime hockey games and the playoffs are right around the corner. Either DTV figures this out or cable here I come!
Anyone have any new info on when/if this will be resolved?
I will miss another Bruins game tonite and I’m fed up with the whole thing.
I called Direct TV and got Center Ice for free but never really use it as it doesn’t solve the problem.
I had to actually spell Bruins for the Direct TV rep. Really?
Also told me that the NHL Network would replay the game the next day which was a lie.
I even asked to be let out of my contract as they no longer provide the service I was paying for but yet I pay the same $$$. They said I would have to take it up with corporate.
I think I will cancel. Anyone have any comparisons to Dish Network? I know with Dish network you can watch DVR programs on any TV in the house so that’s cool. Is it the same thing just different brand BUT WITH VERSUS?
I saw an interview with the President of Versus on NHL Live on the NHL Network and he stated that at that time there was a deal on the table for Direct TV to pick up the channel at a status quo rate from last year, but Direct TV refused because they wanted to move the channel to a higher tier and charge more for it and Versus won’t sign off on that. So not sure who to believe, but hated Comcast when I had them, I know first hand they are definitely liars, and now I hate Versus and Direct TV as well. Fios is not available where i live so looks like Dish Network by default.
I just missed another Pens game. I live in NJ and can’t even watch the Devils when they are on Versus. The thing that gets me so mad at Direct TV is that they charge me an additonal $100 for Super Fan so that I get the Football package in HD. I pay $250 for the football package and $100 for Super Fan plus a monthly fee for HD. They don’t mind overcharging me for football. A few dollars more to watch my hockey games would be acceptable. They are a bunch of idiots. Why pay for the NHL package when alot of my hoceky games are on Versus. Direct TV needs to wise up. I am searching for an alternative. It’s tough living away from your favorite teams.
I noticed that Direct TV,whom I still have,is RAISING their rates,starting next month.So much for “protecting me from increases”,the line they use when you interact with them about concens about Versus.I wonder which channels are getting the money from this increase.Oh well, I still can see that wonderful infomercial”Kill Dust Mites!” over and over. I have an idea, why don’t they get that in HD and then put it on pay per view?
I am interested in cycling, skiing and snowboarding so looks like I will go with Dish. I suppose DirecTV will only make a deal with Comcast when they lose enough customers that it becomes painful for them.
Hockey fans, who are customers of DirecTV, should be angered by the actions of DirecTV and Comcast and respond accordingly by cancelling their subscriptions. But hockey fans should not lose sight of the fact that there is another villian – the management of the NHL. Does any hockey fan really want to watch NHL playoff games or their favorite NHL team on Versus? So in addition to cancelling DirecTV subscriptions, complaints should be directed to the NHL for allowing the sport to be televised on a third tier station like Versus. I am sure the NHL was offered greater compensation from Versus to televise the games compared with the offers from more established sports networks. But this is likely short sighted. Collecting greater dollars from Versus and limiting viewership does not help the sport or the NHL in the long run. Let’s get hockey off Versus for good.
Direct TV can Lmyb’s
Here is what I did.. I was having probs with the dish. So I told Directv I may move back to cable for we had no NHL.. To cut this short.. By the time I was done with dtv on the phone.. they came out reset the dish and gave me FREE NHL Games.. one thing I work in sales so I’ve been on both ends.. THE TRICK is if your nice on the phone and see what can be worked out who knows you might work out a months worth of nhl games
More to add.. Lets hope the NHL games will move back to ESPN and ESPN 2
get out of direct tv. start e mailing all your favorite programs…hockey, pbr, tour de france, wrestling, etc. let them know you support them but can’t access them because of direct tv. also, hit the big sponsers with the same. if sponsers don’t think they’ll get watched , they’ll influence where these shows get aired. it’s a long frustrating process but $ talks, not what we pay for shitty service, but what a sponser will pay
i want to whach all of the stl blues games but i cant cause of direct tv wont pay for versus///////// how cheap