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AT&T Blacks Out HBO, Cinemax For Dish, Sling TV Users Over Carriage Dispute (telecompaper.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the money-fight dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Telecompaper: AT&T has blocked its HBO and Cinemax channels for Dish and Sling TV customers over a carriage dispute. This is the first channel blackout for HBO in its 40 years of operation. Pay-TV provider Dish and OTT services Sling TV said AT&T is making "untenable demands designed specifically to harm customers, particularly those in rural areas, as well as damage competing pay-TV providers" and that at the time of the merger, no guidelines were set in place to ensure AT&T "played fair" for HBO and Cinemax subscribers, regardless of their pay-TV provider.

Dish said AT&T is demanding it pay for a guaranteed number of subscribers, regardless of how many people actually want to subscribe to HBO. The company noted that during the arbitration process, AT&T will have to restore its channels to Dish customers. The company and Sling TV will credit customers on their bill for the time they do not receive either HBO or Cinemax. Dish added that it is also offering customers a free preview of HDNET Movies. An HBO spokesperson said in a statement: "During our forty-plus years of operation, HBO has always been able to reach agreement with our valued distributors and our services have never been taken down or made unavailable to subscribers due to an inability to conclude a deal. Unfortunately, Dish is making it extremely difficult, responding to our good faith attempts with unreasonable terms. Past behavior shows that removing services from their customers is becoming all too common a negotiating tactic for them. We hope the situation with Dish changes soon but, in the meantime, our valued customers should take advantage of the other ways to access an HBO subscription so they can continue to enjoy our acclaimed programming."

46 of 107 comments (clear)

  1. Just stream it. by whoever57 · · Score: 1

    $15/month for HBO Now (or the same via Amazon). Monthly cost via cable or satellite is higher.

    --
    The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
    1. Re:Just stream it. by aaronb1138 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Exactly why AT&T shouldn't be able to control both content and distribution as a matter of anti-trust (same for Comcast et. al.). At one time they had a very cozy relationship including combined billing with Dish, as Dish although a distribution channel, was effectively content for consumers.

      AT&T is playing hardball because they would rather take $15 direct while making extra cash on the backend providing consumer bandwidth necessary for the service. No reason to let Dish charge $15 or $20 and only give them $10. Plus getting people off Dish only serves to get more people on AT&T U-verse / DSL as well as convincing customers to kick their bandwidth package up a notch to handle multiple people streaming instead of getting HBO or Cinemax over satellite.

      Equally so, we can be assured that 4k and 8k content streaming are going to be pushed by AT&T and Comcast through their content networks as a way to make consumers pay for bigger bandwidth and usage packages. Zero rate native content against caps, but choke the bandwidth until they get better than base internet speed.

    2. Re:Just stream it. by kriston · · Score: 1

      For TV service, AT&T, would rather have customers move to its own DirecTV service, not U-verse.

      Dish Network and Sling are owned by Dish Network/EchoStar. Dish Network directly competes with AT&T's DirecTV. EchoStar bought Sling Media in 2007. Dish Network/EchoStar has a long history of carriage disputes like this going back several decades.

      In 2008 EchoStar split into two divisions: Dish Network Corp which runs the Dish Network service and EchoStar which runs the satellites and develops set-top hardware like the Sling boxes.

      --

      Kriston

    3. Re:Just stream it. by aaronb1138 · · Score: 1

      Right, but as a matter of history, before the DirectTV acquisition, AT&T and Dish had a strong relationship. Some of DIsh's shoddy business practices, like not acknowledging returned set top boxes and trying to fraudulently bill customers for them probably soured the relationship. Getting into content ownership and buying DirectTV are parallel and intertwined efforts which have given AT&T explicit reason to act with malice towards Dish.

      I wouldn't have sympathy for Dish if not for the fact that AT&T is equally shitty actor in the space AND now using oligopoly methods to attack competitors and enrich their portfolio..

    4. Re:Just stream it. by kriston · · Score: 1

      I can't disagree with that.

      Charlie is a gambler. For example, he lost big time with TiVo and the award is the only thing that saved TiVo. Looks like something similar is happening with AT&T.

      --

      Kriston

  2. Re:Netflix/Amazon Prime by pgmrdlm · · Score: 1

    Sorry, trying to get out of work and wasn't thinking

    --
    Anonymous comments are as pathetic as the anonymous "sources" that contaminate gutless journalism from the New York Time
  3. Cord cutter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    We cut the cord, switched to an antenna and Netflix, and now we're about to drop the latter. Turns out there are other things to do than watch TV. Who knew?

    1. Re:Cord cutter by antdude · · Score: 1

      Like /.? :P

      --
      Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
    2. Re:Cord cutter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      ABC and CBS are the only things that reach here - 50 miles out, 35% signal strength.
      Before the digital transition, I got ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, FOX, UPN, and sometimes CW and WB.

      Transmit power has been significantly reduced.

    3. Re:Cord cutter by Socguy · · Score: 1

      If enough people cut the cord, broadcasters will make more use of 'broadcast' again, as well as the internet. Cut the cord people!

  4. at$t is at it again by renegade600 · · Score: 2

    at$t is looking out for their property, directv. I guess they are going to make their competition pay a premium for the service.

  5. GOODEVENING HBO by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    GOODEVENING HBO
    FROM CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT
    $12.95/MONTH ?
    NO WAY !
      [SHOWTIME/MOVIE CHANNEL BEWARE!]

  6. Re:Netflix/Android Prime by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 4, Insightful

    NO GOT
    NO westworld
    NO Berry
    NO curb your enthusiasm
    and on

  7. And this is exactly the model... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    ...that Ajit Pai wants for the internet.

    Substatntial content providers like netflix, nytimes, fox new, mlb, etc. are expected to negotiate with "content distributors", aka ISPs and their peering providers to get their bits to customers.

  8. Who..BO? by Zorro · · Score: 1

    Not sure if I have HBO. Don't think I would miss it.

  9. Who's lying? by viperidaenz · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Dish says AT&T is blocking the channels.
    AT&T is saying Dish has decided to not broadcast as a negotiating tool. Which seems stupid as it only hurts Dish when their customers get angry.

    If you believe AT&T, Dish is basically saying "Hey AT&T, we're going to fuck over our own customers and give them discounts and other free services, in the hope they don't cancel their subscriptions with us and switch to your wholly owned competitor, DirectTV until you agree to our terms. TAKE THAT!"

    If you believe Dish, AT&T is saying "We're going to block the content your customers pay you for, until you agree to our terms, while your customers switch to our other business that directly competes with you"

    I'm inclined to believe Dish here.

    1. Re: Who's lying? by DatbeDank · · Score: 2

      Wouldn't be the first time Dish blacked out channels on their service. I remember years ago they did the same for Viacom properties (Nickelodeon, Comedy Central) during contract negotiations way back in 2004.

      I frankly don't care. Hollywood needs to learn how to do more with less.

        The days of fat media contracts are over and it's obvious the market for entertainment is in a slow decline.

      If I'm that desperate for a TV show, I'll just download it off of TPB. At that point no one wins anything.

      Oh and ATT can go fuck itself.

    2. Re: Who's lying? by DigressivePoser · · Score: 1

      And in another dispute, Dish moved AMC to a different channel without any notification right before the finale of Mad Men. The DVR didn't update either meaning you would have recorded god knows what. I caught it just in time. It was a completely petty move as their previous deal had yet to expire. That was the straw that broke the camel's back for me. I cancelled Dish and went with Comcast and my own TIVO+cablecard.

    3. Re: Who's lying? by terrycarlino · · Score: 1

      Don't worry a la carte is coming, but you won't like it.

      All the major content providers are beginning to distribute their content through their own streaming services. Each of which wants to charge what you're probably already paying for Netflix or Hulu. So instead of getting content from many providrs like you now get from Netflix or Hulu you'll only get content from CBS or Disney or WB on each stream. To get it all you'll be paying as much or more than you now pay for cable. And you'll have to pay for an ISP besides, and probably a cell data plan too.

      So be careful what you ask for. it's sure to cost you more.

    4. Re: Who's lying? by tlhIngan · · Score: 1

      If I'm that desperate for a TV show, I'll just download it off of TPB. At that point no one wins anything.

      TV executives care not if you use TPB. Because it's an eyeball that's not counted, but since it wasn't revenue generating in the first place (no ads nor subscription revenue) you're a fan they don't care about. You don't matter to them.

      If something they do causes a bunch of people to suddenly download the TV show, they see the declining viewership and cancel the show. So your downloading from TPB, instead of services like Amazon, iTunes or Google, they just see it as someone who doesn't care for the show

      For ad based shows, they record how many eyeballs watch ads. DVRs have wreaked havoc on this and caused cancellation of many programs - the ones popular with DVR users and thus ad skippers were the first on the chopping blocks.

  10. Re:Netflix/Android Prime by Nethemas+the+Great · · Score: 1

    Your point is...?

    --
    Two of my imaginary friends reproduced once ... with negative results.
  11. Why only for TV are customers sheep? by TheZeitgeist · · Score: 2

    As most peeps here know, trying to get customer to pay for content on website is near-impossible, and customer hates the ads etc. This makes sense, I'm the same kind of cheapskate :)

    Where I get confused is TV. People are paying Dish, ATT, Sling, whoever, big bucks...this fight is over food chain of all that loot. But said customers are providing the loot to spend their time watching ads these properties are shoving hard 24/7 - and customer is paying for this, PAYING FOR ADS.

    Why people so different from one medium to the next? I really don't get it.

  12. Re:This reminds me of Georgia by Nethemas+the+Great · · Score: 1

    If a conservative doesn't like a skin color...

    If a conservative doesn't like a religion...

    If a conservative doesn't like a gender...

    If a conservative doesn't like a fact...

    --
    Two of my imaginary friends reproduced once ... with negative results.
  13. Save them the effort by mschaffer · · Score: 1

    Cut the cord.

    1. Re:Save them the effort by tepples · · Score: 1

      And replace it with what? Cellular Internet access that gives each subscriber a pittance of gigabytes per month for tethering?

    2. Re:Save them the effort by tepples · · Score: 1

      I'm aware of that. But what other vendor were you thinking of? The phone company that wants to bundle DSL with a POTS line? The other half of the phone company that wants to bundle data over fiber to the home with a land line and pay TV over the same fiber? A cellular or satellite Internet provider whose monthly data transfer allowance is barely adequate even to keep the operating systems of all PCs in a household updated during a semiannual release window?

  14. Re:Get HBO Now by sexconker · · Score: 1

    Because they ALSO want HBO on the TeeVee, through the shitty box they're familiar with.

    Typically, getting HBO through your cable provider ALSO gives you HBO Now. You go to HBO's site, sign in via a redirect to your cable provider, then get kicked back to HBO with a cookie that lets you in.

  15. Re:This reminds me of Georgia by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Most conservatives that don't like abortion. Just don't want to PAY FOR IT for everyone else.

    Most conservatives that hate science. Just don't want to PAY FOR IT for everyone else.

    wat?

    eh?

    what?

    shit you've gone way off the rails?

    And liberals are the party of hollywood. king of rapists. pedophiles. criminals. and roman polanski who they STILL TODAY DEFEND FOR RAPING A 13 YEAR OLD GIRL.

    Conservatives seem to be stupid. what with the whole religion thing.
    LIberals seem to be evil. what with the whole rape and pedo thing.

  16. We don't need no stinking carriages by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 3, Interesting

    We have bikes in this town! ...

    What, you still don't realize HDTV signals are free and you can get like 150+ of them in any major city? Next thing you know, you'll tell me you don't realize they broadcast in a higher resolution than cable provides ...

    And you can sub to them on the web if you need them, they are required to provide low-income 40 Mbps service for around $30 in most cities.

    --
    -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
    1. Re:We don't need no stinking carriages by dj245 · · Score: 1

      We have bikes in this town! ...

      What, you still don't realize HDTV signals are free and you can get like 150+ of them in any major city? Next thing you know, you'll tell me you don't realize they broadcast in a higher resolution than cable provides ...

      And you can sub to them on the web if you need them, they are required to provide low-income 40 Mbps service for around $30 in most cities.

      150+ HDTV channels? That seems like a gross exaggeration. I have about 60 in Houston, 1/3 are Spanish, and roughly another 1/5 are Vietnamese.

      And have you actually watched broadcast TV lately? With all the ad breaks, it's like a blast from the past. On the other hand, if you want to stop watching TV entirely and go outside, broadcast TV is an excellent stepping stone.

      --
      Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.
  17. Re:This reminds me of Georgia by Darinbob · · Score: 2

    I would think voters could sort this out even if they held the debate. If someone is just going to win because it's a shoe-in, then why don't they pretend to play fair and be above board instead of passing new laws to make it harder to vote, skipping debates, recusing himself from overseeing the election, etc? Or are shenanigans ok as long as it's your preferred candidate who does them? Or is disenfranchisement such a common habit that they do it even when it's not necessary to win?

  18. old business model by roc97007 · · Score: 1

    "Dish said AT&T is demanding it pay for a guaranteed number of subscribers, regardless of how many people actually want to subscribe to HBO."

    In other words, AT&T is still clinging to the old cable tv all-or-nothing business model, where you were a subscriber whether you liked it or not. Whatever Dish has to pay for HBO will have to be passed onto their customers, (as Dish is a business, not a charity) no matter how many actual subscribers there are to the channel.

    That said, years ago I went to internet only (currently 100/100) and wife and daughter seem quite content with their roku and firestick.

    --
    Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
  19. Re:This reminds me of Georgia by murdocj · · Score: 1

    Da, Boris, Da!

  20. Re:Netflix/Android Prime by hcs_$reboot · · Score: 1

    We need competition anyway.

    --
    rm -rf "/. bigots"

    --
    Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
  21. Re:This reminds me of Georgia by hcs_$reboot · · Score: 1

    If (...) if (...)

    Unfortunately, if he gets elected, his dislikes become legitimized.

    --
    Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
  22. Re:Get HBO Now by thestuckmud · · Score: 1

    Why are DISH and SlingTV customers getting HBO through them instead of HBO Now.

    They don't need HBO Now because they get access to HBO Go through their satellite provider. Same device access, back catalog, movies, etc.

    For my part, I don't particularly like the idea of ATT tracking my viewing habits. The satellite signal is strictly one way (and no, I don't connect the receiver or TV to the internet).

  23. Cities should check their contracts by thogard · · Score: 1

    The contracts that towns signed for exclusive cable TV rights included many things that the cable companies aren't doing. There are requirements for educational channels and rules about kids programming. Many towns had deals about rate increases and rollout rates. Many towns could dig out their old contract, figure out how to nullify it and allow a second provider or even take over control of the local assets using eminent domain. Or they could be like a cable company and just change their mind.

  24. Not Their First Blackout by mentil · · Score: 1

    Not HBO's first blackout...

    --
    Corruption is convincing someone that the selfless ideal is the same as their selfish ideal.
  25. I have no blackout by Bruha · · Score: 1

    I just subscribe to HBO directly and itâ(TM)s the same price itâ(TM)s ever been.

  26. First Round of Many by Only+Time+Will+Tell · · Score: 1

    I'd expect this practice of distribution companies buying up content that they can hold ransom over other distribution companies to become more common place. AT&T of course directly competes with Dish with its Uverse and DirectTV products, so trying to leverage as much as they can over them will be common. I'd expect Comcast to get into the game as well, with their NBC/Universal companies and try to squeeze more out of rivals. The biggest losers in all this is of course the consumers, who will at best have to pay more for their shows, or worst, have to subscribe to multiple services (e.g. cable and satellite) if they want everything.

  27. Tying or dumping by tepples · · Score: 1

    I'm pretty sure you can have DSL without POTS for a good number of years now.

    Availability of naked DSL depends on the jurisdiction and on the phone company's policy. If a phone company charges $30 for a residential POTS line, $60 for residential naked DSL, or $30 for DSL for residential POTS subscribers, then naked DSL doesn't save any money.

  28. Re:Netflix/Android Prime by Socguy · · Score: 1

    Joe_Dragon, are you seriously suggesting that folks on /. don't know how to use the internet to watch their favorite shows? I don't think anyone is going to be missing anything... Though HBO and Dish are just going to encourage more cord cutting...

  29. Cut the cord by Socguy · · Score: 1

    Cable has ruined the customer experience. Flipping channels was a somewhat enjoyable (if mindless) activity when there was less than 50 channels and they could display in a fraction of a second after changing the channel.

    Now there are thousands of channels (many duplicate) which take 3+ seconds to change and whole blocks of numbers just not available anyway, a cumbersome and slow digital 'guide', hundreds of low tier 'filler' channels which must be purchased before in order access the small amount of desirable content far up the tier.

    Don't play the game. Get yourself a $20 digital OTA antenna. (You may have to invest in a signal booster if you live far outside the city limits) and find an affordable internet wholesaler/reseller then pick no more than 1-2 streaming services. Make that 'must view' show a social experience where you make an event out of viewing by going to a pub or friends house. Invest $2-$5 in a no-log VPN to enhance your privacy on the internet anywhere public wifi may be used (side benefit: no content is unavailable ;)

  30. Re:This reminds me of Georgia by yfeefy · · Score: 1

    considering Kemp is secretary of state, and suppressing voters, maybe he should recuse himself from running, like brett withdrew himself, oh...

  31. worse still... AT&T still donating to Steve Ki by yfeefy · · Score: 1

    any port in a storm? wow.

  32. Re:Netflix/Android Prime by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

    Don't steal HBO ATT can now use there phone powers to make it a fed case