Thursday, August 15, 2013

It's Official: Fox Sports 1 on Dish



It's Official!  Just got a tweet from Dish that they will carry the Fox Sports 1 Channel in place of the Speed Channel.  Now I will be able to get all Oregon Duck football  games and other Pac 12 games on Dish from Fox Sports 1, (also Fox) ESPN( also ESPN2) and Pac 12 Networks. The first Duck game is on Fox Sports 1 as well as the "Civil War" game with Oregon State.  It has been a long time since we could get all of the games here in Medford and the rest of Southern Oregon.

Time to Celebrate!

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Get the Fireworks Ready to Celebrate

FLASH: L.A. Times: Dish & Fox Sports 1 Have Deal!!!!




According to the L.A. Times:
Fox Sports 1 has struck agreements with three major distributors that will ensure that the new cable network will be available in the majority of pay-TV homes when the network launches this Saturday, people familiar with the matter said.
The three carriers -- satellite broadcasters DirecTV and Dish and cable operator Time Warner Cable -- all have agreed to carry Fox Sports 1 when it launches. Those three distributors combined reach over 40 million
 
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-fox-sports-distribution-20130814,0,5466870.story

Good News on Dish & Fox Sports 1



The New York Daily News :

"Two other major TV distributors, DirecTV and Dish Network, are also in discussions with the channel but will likely have deals in place by the time it launches, sources said."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/new-fox-sports-1-battles-time-warner-cable-access-article-1.1425993#ixzz2byS7JvOH

Good News on Dish & ESPN ???

This morning on Satellite Guys Forum:
 
DISH had a special Business Retailer Chat yesterday and introduced a new package called DISH Complete Plus Sports.

Now what makes this package interesting is while it includes ESPN and ESPN 2 it does NOT include ESPN and ESPN 2 in HD... (All the other sports channels in the package are included in HD) if you want ESPN and ESPN 2 in HD it will
cost
you an additional $25 a month.

REMEMBER THIS PACKAGE IS FOR COMMERCIAL BUSINESSES - NOT FOR HOME CUSTOMERS!

Now reading between the lines here, why would they be coming out with a new business pacakge with sports with ESPN and ESPN 2 a month before the channels might be removed from the lineup and why are they charging more for the ESPN and ESPN 2 HD feeds?
To me this is another sign that a deal with ESPN is done...
Something to make you go hmm...
 

Remember this is a cost to Businesses such as sports bars~

Good Review Article on Issues

Here is a good article the reviews the issues of Dish picking up Fox Sports 1

http://mmapayout.com/2013/08/carriage-fees-central-issue-to-fox-sports-1-holdouts/

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Back to Dish & Fox Sports I


Some potentially good news from a blog linked below:


One industry source with some insight into the current FS1 negotiations told me Monday night that he personally expects that a deal will be struck for the network to be carried on DirecTV and Dish by Thursday afternoon. He did stress that it's far from a guarantee and does depend on Fox being flexible, especially with the big fee increase they're looking for on the back-end of the deal, but he still expects that it'll get done.

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2013/8/13/4617458/ufc-fight-night-shogun-vs-sonnen-fox-sports-1-deal-dish-directv-time-warner

What is going on at Dish!!!

 
 
In May I switched over from Charter cable to the Dish in order to get the Pac 12 Networks and so far love  the Hopper and the quality of the picture.  I have gotten at least three of my Pac 12 friends to switch as well.  I have another friend who has been "on the fence" and my current advise to him is to hold off making the jump to the Dish. 

The chief executive officer of Dish, at a recent press conference, said renewing their contract to carry ESPN and/or ABC is not a sure thing with the old contract expiring at the end of September. Right in the middle of the college football season.  In addition, there is at this time no deal with Dish to carry the new Fox Sports 1 which goes on the air August 17. .  In order to get all Pac 12 football and basketball games you need in addition the Pac 12 Networks, ESPN/ABC and Fox Sports 1. 

The Pac 12 is currently making a big push to get their fans to switch from Direct TV that refuses to carry the Pac 12 Networks.  At this time, Dish does not appear to be an option! The Pac 12 could end up in the worst of all worlds with ESPN and Fox Sports 1 on Direct TV and Pac 12 Networks on Dish. 

In addition to Pac 12 games and other sports,  ESPN is the "heart" of collage football with their iconic "Gameday" program on Saturday mornings in the Fall, broadcast live from college campus all over America. All Winter, Spring and Summer I miss getting up to watch ESPN Gameday.
Contract or no contract with Dish, there is nothing I will not do, to be able  to watch this ESPN program.  It would be like missing Christmas or July 4th.

Until a new carriage agreement is made between Dish and ESPN & Fox Sports 1 any college football fan would be a fool to install the Dish!

Dish get it done!


UPDATE:

31 of 35 college bowl games are on ESPN including Rose Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl AND the BCS National Championship!

Not likely you say:  See this quote from Charlie Ergen, Dish’s  founder and chairman, on a new agreement with  ESPN if the companies can’t reach a deal:
"Somebody, sometime may decide that sports isn’t something they have to have"

"While they’ll lose customers initially, they will gain customers long term.”

The Dish deal  with ESPN ends the end of September.


Monday, August 12, 2013

No ESPN on DIsh? It Could Happen!



Matt Solinsky of the My Desert.com  a Gannett company has a very freighting column for every fan of college football who has the Dish. He writes:

"ESPN’s eight-year deal for carriage on Dish Network is set to expire next month, and signs point to what could be an acrimonious battle in the coming weeks.......

Dish Network’s agreement with Disney for ESPN, other networks and ABC-owned stations, expires Sept. 30. Dish Network chairman Charlie Ergen indicated on the company’s earnings call Tuesday that the satellite provider is prepared to drop ESPN and other Disney networks if a deal is not reached."

http://voices.mydesert.com/2013/08/11/could-cable-customers-lose-espn-networks-next/

No ESPN means NO "GAMEDAY."   Saturdays in the fall would not be the same without "GAMEDAY" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

UPDATE:
More here: http://www.awfulannouncing.com/2013/august/espn-dish-standoff-could-be-on-the-horizon.html

And here:http://variety.com/2013/biz/news/next-big-tv-fight-looms-would-dish-drop-espn-and-abc-1200576375/

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Another Hint from Dish

Another hint from the Dish social media team that an agreement may be coming between Dish and Fox Sports 1.  Let's hope they are correct.

dish @dish
DISH here, caught ur tweet. Fox is replacing Speed network with Fox Sports 1 and is required to negotiate terms before it can be launched. Currently no satellite provider has an agreement, but I suspect this will come soon. *BT

Monday, August 5, 2013

Interesting Tweet From Dish!



Over the weekend I picked up this interesting  tweet from Dish.

DISH @dish 4 Aug
We don't have an official word yet, but we should soon! Keep an eye out! *KL
 
I wonder what their definition of "soon" is?

Friday, August 2, 2013

News story from Sports Business Daily ---- Nothing New Yet from Dish!

Cable and satellite operators are preparing for Fox Sports to launch Fox Sports 2 next month even though the media company still has not announced anything official yet.

Earlier this month, cable systems in the Northeast sent notifications to their subscribers announcing plans to flip Fuel into FS2 by Aug. 17, which is the date when Fox Sports 1 is scheduled to launch.

Read the rest here:
http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2013/07/29/Media/FS2-rebrand.aspx?app_data=%7B%22pi%22%3A%2238048_1375451399_373984058%22%2C%22pt%22%3A%22twitter%22%7D