By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow on X.
Former editor of Satellite DIRECT magazine. Reported on DIRECTV for 30 years.
TV Answer Man, everyone is all excited about DIRECTV having an opt out on local channels for $12 a month off. But hasn’t Dish been doing this for years and years? Isn’t this just another Dish rip off by DIRECTV? — Terry, Boise, Idaho.
Terry, DIRECTV on Sunday announced that satellite customers can opt-out of the local channels in their programming packages and get a $12 a month discount for doing so. The move was instantly declared ‘bold‘ and special by several publications. However, you’re right, Terry. Dish has offered the same local channel opt-out for seven years. The very same program with the same $12 a month discount. Terry, there is absolutely nothing new or innovative about DIRECTV’s new feature.
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I pointed this out on Sunday here and here. But my words apparently fell on deaf ears because one publication after another failed to note that this was hardly a new intiative.
But Dish today decided to alert the press that it was indeed doing this since 2017.
“In light of recent news regarding DirecTV’s introduction of its new opt-out feature for local channels, it’s important to highlight that DISH has been offering this capability to customers for the last seven years. DISH firmly believes in empowering its subscribers with the ability to customize their viewing experience according to their preferences,” Dish says today in a press statement.
And as for analysts and journalists who have been wondering whether DIRECTV has the legal authority to offer the local channel opt-out, I present Dish Network, the company that has been doing it for seven years.
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered the TV technology scene for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.
