that means a lot of people will be cutting the cord I would guess, I am.
Comcast dropping the B10 Network
- Thread starter indy1203
- Start date
For cord cutters, strongly recommend looking at YouTube TV. An app for your TV (like Netflix) has all local networks, mini cable package and it includes B10 Network! So not only can you watch on TV but on your phone...Live! And offers DVR functionality too. I am 100% internet only, with YouTube TV, Netflix/Amazon. Beautiful thing!
I definitely will. The cable companies are all the same. I’ve had over 5 in my life and they all suck.
We cut the cord in March, by having a guy put up an 80 mile HD antenna on our roof. Not too visible and for the channels we now get it provides a better picture. We get all of the local major network stations, plus 2 PBS stations and a host of 4th rate channels with programming to match . . . so we've been watching less TV, which has been fine with us.
That said, we just added Netflix, and am looking for a way to get the B10 Network . . . I would hope they'll soon have an independent offering for a premium single channel price - maybe $3 or $4 a month or something.
Only for those in states that don’t have a Big Ten team, except for Iowa and Nebraska as Comcast apparently doesn’t have a presence there. So they will retain BTN in Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Minnesota.
this discussion is exactly why your cable bill is beyond ridiculous.
it's the ESPNs, BTNs, and the nets showing the NFL, NCAA fball and bball, NBA, MLB, that have driven your cable bill from $7 mo to ridiculous.
1st off, reports say it's only dropping BTN in non B10 states. (it's counting DC and Delaware and northern Virginia as part of the Md market).
when BTN 1st launched, pretty much only Direct TV even carried BTN, (no one else, including Comcast, would agree to their outrageous demands), so everybody who didn't didn't have DTV lost out on many of the games that 1st yr that they had gotten for yrs or decades.
as much as i loath and despise the providers, (Comcast, AT&T, Charter, Verizon, etc), if BTN goes dark where you live, it wasn't Comcast that took it off.. it was BTN itself that did, because they wanted Comcast to pay more than Comcast was willing to pay.
so even though it is BTN that no longer is allowing Comcast to carry it outside the B10 footprint, everyone still blames Comcast rather than BTN.
all that said, the reason this is even an issue, and the reason your cable bill is beyond ridiculous and so high people who have had it their whole lives are cutting the cord because they can no longer afford it, is because of, and only because of, "the bundle".
"THE BUNDLE", that's the root of the problem.
"the bundle", the video bundle and the video/internet bundle, eliminates all normal market laws of price vs demand.
i repeat, THE BUNDLE ELIMINATES ALL NORMAL MARKET FORCES RELATIVE TO PRICE VS DEMAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
thus how many subscribers a network has is totally disconnected from how much they charge to subscribe, so there are zero market forces to hold the price down since raising the price has virtually no affect on the number of subs they get, till a network gets totally dropped by the provider in an area, or the sub drops cable all together.
Comcast, (and the other providers), can't drop BTN, or the ESPNs, or the nets that show the NFL, NCAA major conference fball and bball, because not only would they lose whatever retail markup from the channel in question, but would risk losing the entire $150 mo bundle.
imagine Kroger and every other grocery store forcing you to buy a gallon of milk every wk regardless of whether you wanted it or not, or you couldn't buy any groceries at all unless you did.
and not just Kroger, EVERY grocery store.
that's the exact situation we have with the cable industry.
and if you are forced to buy a gallon of milk a wk, wanted or not, or not be able to buy any groceries at all from any grocery store, then what's to stop the milk supplier from charging $20 a gallon.
there are no longer any price vs demand market forces at play relative to milk, so what incentive is there to hold the price down?.
while it's the networks themselves that have driven your cable bill, (which should be price regulated as a utility, and once was, and as should your internet), beyond affordable for many, it is also the providers, (like Comcast), who have a reciprocal vested interest in your bill being as high as possible, who have used their money and political clout, (they own both political parties and most of the MSM), to keep this non market based system operating as it has.
both the provider, (Comcast), and all the the networks that carry major sports, (such as BTN), are to blame for this disgrace, but technically, it is BTN that is removing said network in out of footprint areas, not Comcast.
all that said, this is all a negotiation thing, and even if you lose BTN where you live, good chance it will be back by start of football season, even if possibly on a different tier than basic.
all that said, the real culprits are the FCC, FTC, and both houses of govt, that are really to blame. (and the Supreme Court gets a big share of the blame too, for allowing govt to be openly bought by the highest bidder).
no way in hell should the "bundle" travesty be allowed to exist in what's essentially a utility, any more than it should be allowed in the milk/grocery hypothetical.
it's the ESPNs, BTNs, and the nets showing the NFL, NCAA fball and bball, NBA, MLB, that have driven your cable bill from $7 mo to ridiculous.
1st off, reports say it's only dropping BTN in non B10 states. (it's counting DC and Delaware and northern Virginia as part of the Md market).
when BTN 1st launched, pretty much only Direct TV even carried BTN, (no one else, including Comcast, would agree to their outrageous demands), so everybody who didn't didn't have DTV lost out on many of the games that 1st yr that they had gotten for yrs or decades.
as much as i loath and despise the providers, (Comcast, AT&T, Charter, Verizon, etc), if BTN goes dark where you live, it wasn't Comcast that took it off.. it was BTN itself that did, because they wanted Comcast to pay more than Comcast was willing to pay.
so even though it is BTN that no longer is allowing Comcast to carry it outside the B10 footprint, everyone still blames Comcast rather than BTN.
all that said, the reason this is even an issue, and the reason your cable bill is beyond ridiculous and so high people who have had it their whole lives are cutting the cord because they can no longer afford it, is because of, and only because of, "the bundle".
"THE BUNDLE", that's the root of the problem.
"the bundle", the video bundle and the video/internet bundle, eliminates all normal market laws of price vs demand.
i repeat, THE BUNDLE ELIMINATES ALL NORMAL MARKET FORCES RELATIVE TO PRICE VS DEMAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
thus how many subscribers a network has is totally disconnected from how much they charge to subscribe, so there are zero market forces to hold the price down since raising the price has virtually no affect on the number of subs they get, till a network gets totally dropped by the provider in an area, or the sub drops cable all together.
Comcast, (and the other providers), can't drop BTN, or the ESPNs, or the nets that show the NFL, NCAA major conference fball and bball, because not only would they lose whatever retail markup from the channel in question, but would risk losing the entire $150 mo bundle.
imagine Kroger and every other grocery store forcing you to buy a gallon of milk every wk regardless of whether you wanted it or not, or you couldn't buy any groceries at all unless you did.
and not just Kroger, EVERY grocery store.
that's the exact situation we have with the cable industry.
and if you are forced to buy a gallon of milk a wk, wanted or not, or not be able to buy any groceries at all from any grocery store, then what's to stop the milk supplier from charging $20 a gallon.
there are no longer any price vs demand market forces at play relative to milk, so what incentive is there to hold the price down?.
while it's the networks themselves that have driven your cable bill, (which should be price regulated as a utility, and once was, and as should your internet), beyond affordable for many, it is also the providers, (like Comcast), who have a reciprocal vested interest in your bill being as high as possible, who have used their money and political clout, (they own both political parties and most of the MSM), to keep this non market based system operating as it has.
both the provider, (Comcast), and all the the networks that carry major sports, (such as BTN), are to blame for this disgrace, but technically, it is BTN that is removing said network in out of footprint areas, not Comcast.
all that said, this is all a negotiation thing, and even if you lose BTN where you live, good chance it will be back by start of football season, even if possibly on a different tier than basic.
all that said, the real culprits are the FCC, FTC, and both houses of govt, that are really to blame. (and the Supreme Court gets a big share of the blame too, for allowing govt to be openly bought by the highest bidder).
no way in hell should the "bundle" travesty be allowed to exist in what's essentially a utility, any more than it should be allowed in the milk/grocery hypothetical.
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Yep- found out this week when I was planning on recording the spring game. Time to cut the cord. Someone said they will still keep it in states with a Bit 10 team, but I live in Florida- no BTN. You would think someone would tell them that more B10 alums live in this state than any other. This is just not a wise move.
Telling you check out YouTube TV. Basically “mini-cable with sports channels you like for $35-$40 month, with DVR & can watch live all channels on phone or tablet. It’s strong!
snowling
Hall of Famer
I fired DirecTV because they were charging me $40/mo for their Choice and sports packages. Of course, I'm a cheap bastage . . . .
I don't have the TV-internet-phone bundle thank
god, I only have the TV-internet combination.
The cable is down so often that if I had the
phone option I would not be able to call
Comcast to complain about their crappy service.
not to poop the cord cutters' party, but i don't think you guys grasp the real problem or the real solution.
even if everybody cuts the cord, all the over the top content bundlers and resellers will soon offer you all the exact same problems you have now with the cable providers, (they already do on a smaller scale in fact), and on top of paying the OTT provider an overcharged amount which you have no control of, and isn't subject to market forces to hold prices down, but you will also be paying the internet provider an absurd price for the bandwidth to get all your 4k, then 8k, video over the internet as well.
the best and only long term solution, is breaking up what should already be an illegal anti competitive forced video bundle, as well as what should already be an illegal video/data bundle that cross subsidizes entities that should both be treated as utilities, because they are.
any fixes that keep content totally immune from the market laws of price vs demand, are not real fixes.
non regulated and non price regulated monopoly and duopoly internet providers, also need addressed.
the bundles must be broken up, and the monopoly and duopoly wired internet providers need regulated.
this has not already been done, only because the cable/internet providers own both parties, and directly or indirectly, the mainstream media.
even if everybody cuts the cord, all the over the top content bundlers and resellers will soon offer you all the exact same problems you have now with the cable providers, (they already do on a smaller scale in fact), and on top of paying the OTT provider an overcharged amount which you have no control of, and isn't subject to market forces to hold prices down, but you will also be paying the internet provider an absurd price for the bandwidth to get all your 4k, then 8k, video over the internet as well.
the best and only long term solution, is breaking up what should already be an illegal anti competitive forced video bundle, as well as what should already be an illegal video/data bundle that cross subsidizes entities that should both be treated as utilities, because they are.
any fixes that keep content totally immune from the market laws of price vs demand, are not real fixes.
non regulated and non price regulated monopoly and duopoly internet providers, also need addressed.
the bundles must be broken up, and the monopoly and duopoly wired internet providers need regulated.
this has not already been done, only because the cable/internet providers own both parties, and directly or indirectly, the mainstream media.
you definitely want to keep the big ten network. right now they're showing a replay of the rutgers vs maryland lacrosse match. absolutely enthralling. a ratings bonanza, no doubt.
I have Dish TV and the Big Ten network. Haven't heard of them dropping it. Anybody know ... or is it just Comcast?
I'd rather not have the BTN than have it on DirecTV.
And it doesn't surprise me that Comcast is limiting access to the BTN . . . those bastages cut off my cable service on the day of the IU-Duke game in the regional finals in 2002 to start a fiber optic cable install project in the neighborhood . . . I had them fired before heading to watch the game at a bar . . . and ended up on a hill top in Cobb County GA listening to the game on WOWO . . . .
providers such as Comcast generally aren't the ones "dropping" coverage.
most likely it is BTN "dropping" allowing Comcast to carry BTN outside the B10 footprint, because Comcast won't agree to BTN's contract demands.
good chance Dish Net's, and Directv's (now owned by AT&T), contracts with BTN don't expire at the same time as with Comcast.
the networks usually stagger when their contracts expire, so they can play one provider against another.
if BTN's contracts with Comcast, Dish Net, AT&T/Directv, all expired at the same time, all those providers could tell BTN to go pound sand.
BTN's leverage is for Dish Net, Verizon, AT&T/Directv to still be carrying BTN when Comcast doesn't, and hoping Comcast won't chance losing even a fraction of 1% of their subs to another provider, and the whole $170 mo bundle with it.
Comcast wouldn't care squat if all they lost was the 40 cents a month or whatever retail markup on out of market BTN they make per month, but since because of "THE BUNDLE", a customer can't just get BTN from someone else, and still get everything else, and internet, and phone, and security, from Comcast.
thus instead of losing just that 40 cents a month for BTN, they chance losing the entire $170 mo BUNDLE for a B10 alum or parent that demands BTN, or they're taking their $170 month to another provider.
thus if even a fraction of one percent might jump ship over one network, that network can leverage the entire $170 mo bundle to try and force Comcast or whomever to meet it's terms, and thus force the other 99.5% of subscribers in the area to have to pay for BTN every month too, even if the other 99.5% could care less about BTN, and doesn't want to pay every month for a channel they never watch.
THE BUNDLES
the video bundle and the video/internet/phone bundle, are how networks, especially any network that carries any major sports, (even if only a small percent of the daily/weekly programming), totally circumvent and render moot all normal market laws of price vs demand, and why video subscribers, (old school cable or over the top like YouTube's offering), are forced to pay for channels they don't want, and why your cable bill for just video is $90 month instead of $7-$30 a month, (not counting premium channels like HBO), depending on how many and which channels you want.
and don't even get me started on now forcing everyone to rent overpriced low quality equipment from them, for more per month just for equipment rental than your entire cable bill used to be when you were allowed to use your own "cable ready" equipment..
on a side note, 2 yrs ago the FCC tried to force cable to "unlock" the box, and allow everyone to buy their own equipment, which could also work for HULU, Amazon, YouTube, and all the new over the top providers as well with just the one box. (and your DVR could have all kinds of features your rented one doesn't).
the Republicans at the FCC and in congress flat out killed that effort, when Comcast and the other telecom behemoths told them to. (think James Woods in Diggstown, giving the thumbs down).
you know, the $ame guy$ who killed net neutrality, and for the $ame rea$on.
the bundles need broken up. the boxes unlocked. internet price regulated like any other utility.
big telecom won't allow that, and those accepting the big money bribes, not big telecom, are way more guilty, since they are the ones who are supposed to be representing the citizenry, not big telecom.
big telecom execs are only doing their job. which is representing big telecom, and only big telecom.
it's the elected officials and the FCC/FTC appointees who are traitorously selling out the very citizenry they are elected and appointed and paid to represent..
and doing so strictly for self gain.
and it's costing American households an extra $70-$100 plus a month, every month. and forcing many households who have had cable their entire lives, to be priced out of having it any more.
don't blame the Comcasts. or the BTNs. or the ESPNs.
it's your own govt representatives, paid by you, who sold you out.
and your highest courts that allowed them to.
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Do you mean $70-$100 in total monthly billing, or that amount on top of what you should owe? I live in B-town and have every channel and internet and I'm dropping $243 a month!
It's insane, if I had any kids I'd have internet and that would be it. I'd have to watch all IU games at local bars and drink crappy beer. I will jump ship as soon as I can find a viable option, but right now Comcast has great quality but you pay through the nose for it. I agree with you, let us buy our own equipment and I wish we could pick and choose our own channels.
"an extra $70-$100 a mo", thus on top of what it should be closer to.
You should check out YouTube TV or some of the others. I also live in B-town. I dropped Xfinity but kept Comcast Internet for $66 per month. Pay $35 per month for YouTube TV so my total bill is $101. Down from the $200 or so I was paying. I’m very happy with the quality and station lineup. I guess it depends on if they have the channels you desire.
Several months back I looked at my Bton Comcast bill of $165 (Internet and TV) and said this is getting out of hand. So instead of paying by mail, I went to the office, paid in full, and then said I needed to make arrangements to have the service discontinued as the constant increases had pushed it beyond my budget and I'd already explored other options. They started backtracking furiously, and I walked out of there with a monthly bill of $100 for the next two years.
Watch your bill very closely over the next few months. I've done this in the past with Comcast as well, and usually find the bill starts creeping up again after two or three months.
Hasn't been available in Alabama for years, which is why I use DTV. No market for it.
Thanks for clarifying post.
I’m cutting the cord because I’m in the same boat as you and dropping $250 a month on the bundled package through Comcast. Hell - I cannot even justify that I watch $250 worth of TV a month!
The options have evolved. I’ve tried every cable and satellite provider under the sun. I know several people who are keeping internet only, did away with their landlines, went with something like DirectTV Now or the new YouTube service for like $40 a month and no contracts. I’m considering YouTube because it has cloud-based DVR and I should be able to record BTN games and rewatch and, unlike cable, because this is streaming technology, you can take it on the go and watch via a tablet or android device and not sit in front of a t.v.
Maybe the biggest gripe most consumers have about cable is not so much the escalating prices but also the notoriously bad customer service.
I think it's been six months, give or take. So far it's not moved. It's some sort of "locked in" pricing for two years. In two years I'll see what happens. A co-worker of mine was once a CSR in the local Comcast office. He said they're all about retention, that they'll do anything within reason to keep a customer. I told the gal I was dealing with that I'd stick with Comcast if I could get the monthly charges under $100, and she made it happen.
I know bitching about the cable company is a national pastime, but I can't complain. Been with Comcast for close to twenty years, can count the number of issues on one hand, and most have been not with their signal but with the equipment I own (modem and/or router).
The other poster who said it was all about retention is dead on. It’s probably one of the few lines of business, other than a car lot, where you can barter and hem and haw and threaten to walk and you have some leverage. Most will do something to start like a 3-month reduction and then it slowly creeps back up. It’s rare to get the severely reduced price for the life of the contract. But kudos to you. Most consumers don’t make the effort to go into the store itself.
That was me.
I wasn't going to go for anything short term. It wasn't about it being too high that month, I wanted my bill reduced for the long haul.
I'm a purchasing manager, and use a straightforward, firm approach: here's my requirements, can you meet them, then we can do business. In a "renegotiation" situation like this was, it's always best to do it face to face if at all possible.
the beauty of managed expectations.
feeling like $100 a mo for cable and internet, with a mandated 2 yr contract to get that, (for 1 tv), is a great deal, when the price should be more like half that, or less, no forced anti competitive bundles, be able to use one's own equipment and not forced to rent inferior equipment from the cable company at inflated prices, and with no contract. (absurd for what should be labeled a utility, to engage in contracts).
feeling like $100 a mo for cable and internet, with a mandated 2 yr contract to get that, (for 1 tv), is a great deal, when the price should be more like half that, or less, no forced anti competitive bundles, be able to use one's own equipment and not forced to rent inferior equipment from the cable company at inflated prices, and with no contract. (absurd for what should be labeled a utility, to engage in contracts).
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I'm with you, it's all a crock. I got fed up with it awhile ago and I'm not a party to any of it. Got rid of it all, and now I just have an HD antenna (with a TiVo Roamio) and Netflix. If sports are not on a local channel that I can't pick up, then I can't watch it. I'm very happy to be only paying $10/month for Netflix. If there is really a game that I want to see, I'll hit Bdubs or a pub somewhere. I can afford to, since I'm saving $100/month for no cable or satellite.
Cut the cord years ago. Bought a long-range antenna and occasionally supplement with SlingTV or somesuch in season. Haven't missed it. If BTN sold direct, I'd consider it, but I'm not buying a package just to get sports.
Netflix and Prime, and I get a lot of bang for my buck with Prime besides TV.
Netflix and Prime, and I get a lot of bang for my buck with Prime besides TV.
Sure, but you still need to pay for high speed Internet. That needs to be factored in. In my case, Internet only would cost me around $60/mo. through Comcast for the damn fast connection I have now. So I'm getting everything else for $40. Would I like it to be cheaper? Of course. But for me and SWMBO, TV, Internet, and streaming is about all the entertainment we do. I can live with $100/mo.
Well, I really don't factor in the internet. That is a separate bill, imo.....I get that regardless. Kids need it for school and all anyway. But if you are paying only $40 additional for it all, that definitely is not too bad. Close to the price of Youtube, Sling, Hulu, etc. Me personally, my internet is $55 and I was paying $110 for DirecTV ($130 before I cut some things out). Outrageous.
$50 for fast-enough DSL. Running two Roku devices, 3 computers and 4 cell phones damn near 24/7.
VanPastorMan
Hall of Famer
When we vacationed in Florida we never met anyone who was from Florida. Of course there are some, but they must be hard to find.
VanPastorMan
Hall of Famer
We cut the cord back in July. We have Netflix through my son's account and I watch games online. It's not been that bad. The other day at church somebody brought up a commercial. My wife and I looked at each other because neither had seen it. So this is usually a good thing except when commercials are very funny.
