DIRECTV has recently informed subscribers that a handful of channels have been removed from their lineups because they apparently weren’t watching them. The channels include The History Channel, A&E Network, Vice, and Lifetime Movies, according to subscribers who have posted complaints on social media sites. All four channels are owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture owned by Disney and Hearst.
See update at the bottom of this article.
The satcaster has notified the subscribers that they can get the channels back at no extra cost by visiting directv.com/channel-opt-in .
The unusual policy came to light today when the TV Answer Man asked DIRECTV about Sen. Chuck Grassley’s Twitter post from Saturday in which he said The History Channel was pulled from his lineup. A DIRECTV spokesman this evening issued this e-mail response to our inquiry:
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“We recently informed customers who have not actively engaged in History and other select channels that the content will no longer appear in their lineup. Any interested customers who are not seeing it yet want to add it back at no additional cost can visit www.directv.com/channel-opt-in.”
It’s unclear if Grassley lost The History Channel due to not ‘actively engaging’ in the channel, or whether it was because The History Channel, A&E Network, Vice and Lifetime Movie Channel were recently removed from DIRECTV’s Entertainment plan regardless of whether subscribers were watching them or not.
However, the four channels are still listed in DIRECTV’s Choice plan, which is $5 to $20 a month extra than Entertainment. And Grassley later tweeted that he learned that he would have to pay extra to get The History Channel, which could suggest he lost it from the Entertainment package.
The TV Answer Man has asked DIRECTV for further clarification such as whether the opt-in policy includes other channels, how it is determined whether the subscriber is “actively engaging” in the channels, and whether Sen. Grassley lost The History Channel due to the new policy or because it was removed from the Entertainment package.
We have also asked Sen. Grassley’s office for a comment and will report back here if we get more information from DIRECTV or the senator.
The opt-in removals has caught many subscribers by surprise.
“I’m furious, got a email from DirecTV that they are removing vice, history and A&E to opt in for the channels free of charge go to the link and it says thanks the channels will be removed! WTH!,” tweeted @harsty19901 last month.
One upset customer posted a notice from DIRECTV saying the channels will be removed unless they opt-in to return them. The notice was posted at satelliteguys.us.
“I received a card in the mail from @Directv saying that I will lose History and A&E channels on December 8th unless I choose to opt in for these channels for no additional charge. Is this legit?” tweeted @Doublejgrimes.
DIRECTV’s Twitter customer service team responded that it was indeed true.
“Let us bring some light into this,” @DIRECTVHelp wrote. “That’s correct, there are going to be some changes in the content, however no worries, you can log into your online account here: direc.tv/30bTXl7 and following the steps to request to keep the channels.”
Update: NextTV.com reported on Wednesday, December 15, that DIRECTV has restored the four A&E channels to the lineup of existing customers without them having to opt-in. The removal generated significant criticism online which apparently led to DIRECTV returning the A&E networks. However, they remain off the Entertainment package for new customers.
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Where to begin on this one !!
We shall “observe” the assclowns at DRECTV” and their “ANTICS” and MY BET is that any way you cut it, they WIIL be charging you FOR MORE THOSE CHANNELS ( all while bleeding OVER 10000 customers a DAY TOO !!)…they can “OPT IN” A-F-T-E_R you sign up for a fatter package THAT is my bet AFTER all is said and done…AS TO WHY they are doing this ? EZ,,,saves money they pay for channels they DOPN’T OWN.
For once, a Directv decision worthy of Dave’s ire.
I’ve never heard of a subscriber to actually ask a provider to remove a station because not enough people tune to that station. It sound very creative — but contrived.
Of course I realize the History channel may not offer history of our country as it really was. What is asked is a biased perspective instead. I compare it our latest statue removal mentality for they don’t fit the narrative.
I am a former AT&T corporate, now current DIRECTV employee post spinoff. Specially I work in Loyalty for DTV, UVerse, Internet.
Our internal documentation told us a month ago regarding the loss of A&E channels.
The opt-in isn’t the only recourse in this sense. Our documents say we are applying it proactively on customer accounts, presumably on accounts with “high view time” of the affected content.
However, we have been doing some form of this for years now. There is no way to tell yourself, but over time we will add channels on al-a-carte. There’s no clear pattern but generally it’s high tenured customers on low tier packages.
To us, it shows up as a set of $0 line items on the account with channel names, indicating that they will remain present in the guide regardless of package.
I’ve seen customers with Fox Sports 2, NFL Network, OWN, POP and so on and the package tier they’re in doesn’t include it.
Not defending any price hikes or channel losses, believe me, I know that loss of channels, sudden price jumps, and misrepresentations of cost is a huge problem with AT&T/DIRECTV.
It appears we do however take into consideration customers who watch the channels we end up moving to a higher package tier before we actually decide to yank it off their guide.
How do you know if a customer is watching a channel ?
We don’t watch ALL channels continuously. But do channel surf for a interesting show. DON’T REMOVE any Channels.
WHY don’t you put ALL the NON sports channels in a Package
for NON sports customers ?
We don’t want to PAY for Sports tiers when we NEVER watch sports
just to get a NON sports channel.
DirecTV’s “SELECT” Package is close, but it is lacking a few channels.
Destination America Channel, Disc Life, DIY, FLIX, FYI,
Great Am Country – (CMT), Lifetime MOVIE Channel, OWN,
Science Channel, Sundance, The Travel Channel,
The REAL Weather Channel.
I found you added the Travel Channel. Is this permanent ?
WHY don’t you notify us when you ADD a channel ?
These channels cost pennies, look at the Weather channel, Adding these would ADD Customers and give DirecTV more money. Why not do it?
This would give DirecTV the edge,
making DirecTV the BEST in the Business Again.
WHY did you discontinue the “SELECT” Package for new customers ?
It is your most popular Package.
This is why we stick with DTV. Gives us a BIG choice of channels,
unlike subscribing to a Zillion Streaming Packages.
DTV does a good job of NOT many Black Outs at price negotiations,
BUT you need to tell the Providers the customers
will NOT tolerate the Price GOUGING they have done.
Look at your LOSS of Customers, “MILLIONS” that adds up to a LOT of money for DTV.
LOWER the Prices and give us the Packages we want.
Sports packages: Regional, ESPN/FOX, NFL, etc.
NON Sports package, (COMPLETE SELECT Package)
and Movie add on’s.
DirecTV has the HD Package, now with ONLY 8 Channels.
To Reduce the “SELECT” Price. Remove the following MOVIE Channels:
AMC, FLIX, FXM, Hallmark MOVIE Channel, Independent Film Channel,
Lifetime MOVIE Network, Ovation, REELZ, Sundance & TCM Channels.
and ADD them into the DirecTV HD Package, (18 Channels)
Change the name to DirecTV MOVIE Package and Charge $ 6.00
Have ALL Channels in HD – NO Extra Charge for HD
(NEW customers DON’T PAY for it)
But us Long time Loyal Customers get the Shaft.
You will get a LOT of customers back.
Try it, what do you have to loose ?
MOVE ALL Customer Service BACK to the USA.
This is MANDATORY
Remember DTV “USED” to be the GOLD Standard
before AT&T / Randall Stephenson Destroyed it.
Honey, in DirecTV’S almost NON EXISTANT defense, ( UNDERLINE NON EXISTANT) “SPORTS” CHANNELS almost ALWAYS “MANDATE” that they be carried on the lowest or lower “tier” of programming thereby shoving it up the ass of NON-SPORTS viewers and letting the sports clowns FREELOAD on your back TO HELP PAY THE BILL. there ARE FEW THINGS ON
THE PLANET THAT THE WA WA WA OF THE sports clowns THAT WOULD HAVE TO PAY triple (OR MORE) FOR THEIR “HABIT” SO YOU GUYS THAT could care less ABOUT sports ARE HELPING FOOT THEIR BILL !!
The cancer OF ESPN, IS JUST one OF THE prime OFENDERS AND many cable companies HAVE TOLD ESPN THE F off AND dropped IT ALL TOGHTHER AND WENT TO streaming AND LET THE sports clown FOOT their owN bill…ESPN HAS single handedly BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR AT least 40% (OR more) OF THE basic cable rate increases (REMEMBER THAT WHEN YOU next BEND OVER AND VISIT
‘DISNOID LAND too)…SO, THER YA GO BABE…enjoy !!
YES STEPHENSON is a “SHORT BUS RIDER” for a fact (AND REMEMBER THAT Walmart HIRED THIS MORON AS their new CEO…(WALTON is STILL SPINNING IN HIS GRAVE !!)
AT&T gave the idiot 3 mill a YEAR till he is DEAD TOO after the “BOARD” forced him to GET OUT !!)
Now you DTV addicts should ALSO KNOW that DTV is BLEEDING OVER 10000 SUBCRIBERS A D-A-Y and they have publicly stated that they
will N-O-T launch ANY replacement satellites SO, when the station keeping fuel goes BYE BYE, SO DOES DTV !!
(if you are a “recent DTV within the last few years, YOU ALREADY KNOW that you DO NOT watch DTV in BAD WEATHER for mins., to HOURS)
YOU will have ONLY DISH NET or STREAMING to SAVE YOUR TV habit.
THIS IS FACT !!
AT&T can NOT afford to put ANY new satellites up and they have
N-O-T-H-I-N-G left to “SELL” that will even REMOTELY come close to the OVER150 BILLION the NIT WIT STEPHENSON BLEW( again”RUPERT” laughed ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK with AT&T’s CHECK !!)
SO, the DTV days are numbered and oh ya,STANKER (or whatever they call “Randal’s” replacement has the IQ of a HOUSEPLANT and the ONLY THING AT&T is doing NOW is to keep everything they can to keep their PAYCHECKS coming NTIL, the LIGHTS GO OUT at AT&T.
IF you DO NOT THINK AT&T can GO BYE BYE,then ask where SEARS K MART and MANY OTHERS (including what is LEFT of GM) went…
I REST MY CASE LOL
How about dropping ALL the shopping channels and religious channels that I never watch?
i heard they PAY DTV to be on their service.
Buy, YES they do CLUTTER up the air waves and programming.
THEY “CLUTER UP” NOTHING and ARE WATCHED BY MANY…YOU ALREADY KNOW YOU CAN DELETE and skip right OVER THEM IN YOUR SURFING so STOP with your NONSENCE!!
SHOPPING CHANNELS AND RELIGIOUS CHANNELS ARE FREE DUDE NO COST, ZIP…DON’T WATCH THEM but I ASSURE YOU THAT THEY ALLHAVE MANY MANY FANS>>>
I am paying almost $200 dollars a month and the channels that I used to watch are no longer a part of my package and my family have been customers for over 25 years does AT&T care about losing subscribers due to poor customer service
Absolutely NOT, from a former customer
We want our NEWSMAX !