Black and yellow are the traditional colors of the Boston Bruins NHL hockey team, but some fans may be seeing red if they are accustomed to watching their beloved B’s on DirecTV.
Some Bruins games are set to be broadcast on the Versus channel instead of NESN, where fans are used to seeing their team play. Versus, owned by cable television giant Comcast, is embroiled in a dispute with DirecTV over the satellite broadcaster’s right to carry the channel as part of their programming line-up.
DirecTV is well-known as a favorite among satellite customers who are sports fans. Their “Sunday Ticket” football offering is very popular with the Sunday afternoon football crowd. DISH Network recently inked a deal to begin carrying the NFL RedZone channel which has upped the ante a bit in DISH’s bid to rival DirecTV’s sports programming. Many football fans who subscribe to DISH Network seem to be very happy about the new addition.
The disagreement between DirecTV and Comcast is over money (what else?). DirecTV claims Comcast is trying to dramatically increase the price they will have to pay for the privilege of carrying Versus, while Comcast says the price it is offering DirecTV is the same price currently being paid by DirecTV rival DISH Network as well as Cox cable.
This is beginning to sound a bit like some of the drawn-out feuds that DISH Network is well-known for.
Knowing cable companies as I do (I had cable TV for a decade or so before switching to DISH), it’s easy for me to pick sides on this one. In my experience cable companies are notorious for price increases, which leads me to doubt Comcast’s story and believe what DirecTV is saying about a big price increase. I’ve been on that side of the table when dealing with cable companies as well. Unfortunately, I did not have the clout that would afford me the opportunity to negotiate a better price.