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Comments on news posted 2013-08-05 12:22:56: The TV content blackout resulting from Time Warner Cable and CBS's retransmission fight is impacting more than just Time Warner Cable customers. ..

ADL
join:2000-12-20
USA

ADL

Member

SMH at CBS

CBS shouldn't be blocking internet users anyway.
TBBroadband
join:2012-10-26
Fremont, OH

TBBroadband

Member

TWC / BH

You should mention that TWC actually owns part of BH and some of those areas were in fact TWC before.

milnoc
join:2001-03-05
Ottawa

2 recommendations

milnoc

Member

BitTorrent and live streaming to the rescue!

Seriously. All these shenanigans will do is push more people into technologies where they can watch what they want, and bypass all of the blocks.

SSX4life
Hello World
Premium Member
join:2004-02-13

SSX4life

Premium Member

^ this

I just cancelled my TWC cable package over this. Called the company and they begged me not to leave.

Told them I was going to OTA and streaming due to this. this isn't the 1980's, enough with the content fights and just give people what they want, when they want it, and how they want.

Don't give them that and they will find other (non paid) means of obtaining it.
Kearnstd
Space Elf
Premium Member
join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ

Kearnstd to milnoc

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to milnoc
Bingo, Blacking out content will not stop people from watching it. They will either Google how to or have their friends/kids show them how to get it these days. If someone really wants their survivor they will get a pirate stream or torrent after the show completes.
SunnyD
join:2009-03-20
Madison, AL

SunnyD to SSX4life

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to SSX4life
quote:
I just cancelled my TWC cable package over this. Called the company and they begged me not to leave.
+1 for the "I support metered internet billing" column.

Realistically, that's all you did to TWC by cancelling in their eyes.
rjbasye
join:2000-05-24
Dry Ridge, KY

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to Kearnstd
Yep, It's a shame paying customers have to resort to Bit torrent and piracy in order to watch Dexter and Ray Donovan.

n2jtx
join:2001-01-13
Glen Head, NY

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to SSX4life
said by SSX4life:

^ this

I just cancelled my TWC cable package over this. Called the company and they begged me not to leave.

Told them I was going to OTA and streaming due to this. this isn't the 1980's, enough with the content fights and just give people what they want, when they want it, and how they want

...and charge them whatever you can get away with and then some.
ke4pym
Premium Member
join:2004-07-24
Charlotte, NC

ke4pym

Premium Member

The other story of blocking

Is that Raycom and Dish haven't come to terms either.

So many who watch CBS in markets served by Raycom stations are out of luck too. In this market it is WBTV who kept going to Facebook to please their innocence.
jasondean
join:2009-08-28
Brooklyn, NY

jasondean

Member

Fairly obvoius who cares less about their customers...

It's one thing for TWC to adhere to a contract and terminate a service that has expired. I think anyone in business would be ticked off if someone continued to use a service that had expired so you can't exactly point the finger at TWC for "removing" CBS owned content from their service.

CBS by intentionally blocking anyone with TWC as an ISP is basically saying to their viewers, "Screw you!" Most cable customers can't simply switch providers any more than we can switch our blood type. As most people mentioned here, CBS seems intent on driving their loyal viewers, their customers, to find either legal alternatives where available (such as sticking an antenna on your shiny, new HDTV) which net CBS no extra money and teach people that they really don't need cable (thereby screwing themselves since they would lose retrains fees) or it will drive customers to illegal methods OR, better yet, driving them to Aereo. As CBS leads the fight because they know they (theoretically) stand to lose the most, Aereo stands to be the biggest winner.

Personally, I believe TWC should have invested in buying a few hundred/thousand indoor antennas and gave them to any customer who requested one with basic instructions on how to use it and scan for channels. When the fight is over, it's not like customers can opt out of paying for the locals (as I believe the FCC made sure they have to be carried on the basic tier). Giving free antennas will give many customers the ability to watch all the locals and for those times where the cable goes out, it gives customers a way to watch until the cable is repaired.

I hope CBS gets nothing for their greed. I hope that they eventually get their licenses revoked by the FCC.
xsquid40
join:2010-03-18
Staunton, IL

xsquid40

Member

General Question....

What content is CBS blocking TWC customers from?

If they are blocking from authenticated (paywall) content, I get it since TWC subscribers are no longer authorized.

If they are blocking standard content available to anyone from the internet.......that seems like someone at CBS may get their hand slapped......

milnoc
join:2001-03-05
Ottawa

milnoc

Member

That's exactly what's happening. CBS is blocking TWC Internet subscribers from accessing their on-line content! It's completely insane!

batterup
I Can Not Tell A Lie.
Premium Member
join:2003-02-06
Netcong, NJ

batterup to xsquid40

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to xsquid40
said by xsquid40:

If they are blocking standard content available to anyone from the internet.......that seems like someone at CBS may get their hand slapped......

CBS, like everyone else, can block IP addresses from accessing their servers. This isn't "Ma Bell" who had a tariff and could not deny anyone service as long as they paid the government price set bill.

Tamarisk
@rr.com

Tamarisk

Anon

Not Blocked Here

I'm on TWC in Ventura, CA. I can access cbs.com and just watched a few minutes of some shows. I also streamed KCAL 9 news.

Yucca Servic
join:2012-11-27
Rio Rancho, NM

Yucca Servic

Member

Just cut the cord!

it's time to cut the cord and tell them about the overpriced unwatched services you didn't like anyway
xsquid40
join:2010-03-18
Staunton, IL

xsquid40 to batterup

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to batterup

Re: Fairly obvoius who cares less about their customers...

CBS can block any IP addresses that they want from accessing their site and on the surface, it may seem to CBS to be a good move. I believe it is a mistake.

The leverage that CBS has in this negotiation is to generate outrage in the TWC customer if CBS isn't carried on the network. The longer the dispute continues, the shorter the CBS lever becomes.

As Aereo expands and especially if Aereo wins their lawsuit, Retrans fees will go down. Imagine looking at a Retrans contract now knowing this is a possibility. There's no downside for TWC to play hardball.

djrobx
Premium Member
join:2000-05-31
Reno, NV

djrobx to milnoc

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said by milnoc:

That's exactly what's happening. CBS is blocking TWC Internet subscribers from accessing their on-line content! It's completely insane!

And, they are not blocking paid content. My other half bought the Big Brother feeds. Those work just fine, but we can't watch other CBS shows.

They should not be blocking Time Warner internet subscribers from public content.
smcallah
join:2004-08-05
Home

smcallah

Member

TWC CEO sent open letter to CBS

TWC CEO Glenn Brit just sent an open letter to CBS, basically calling for CBS to allow a la carte pricing for CBS stations and TWC will send CBS the entire a la carte payment from everyone that chooses to pay for CBS.
TheKrell
join:2003-12-07
Fairfax, VA

TheKrell

Member

I like it! That way, CBS can explain to it's a la carte customers why they must pay through the nose to get programming they could have gotten OTA for free.
TBBroadband
join:2012-10-26
Fremont, OH

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Re: BitTorrent and live streaming to the rescue!

TWC did not cause this fight though. You are basically upset with something they can not control. I'm sure you would have said you would cancel them for TV as well if they agreed to the price increase and they raised your bill. Sorry, but customer's can't have it both ways unless they leave and actually stay gone. Which means don't switch to another pay TV provider.

rebus9
join:2002-03-26
Tampa Bay

rebus9 to ADL

Member

to ADL

Re: SMH at CBS

said by ADL:

CBS shouldn't be blocking internet users anyway.

I hope CBS receives the brunt of user anger. Blocking television retransmission is bad. Blocking INTERNET access-- clearly out of spite-- is WAY over the line.

If you try click the Watch Now link for content on the CBS website, first you get the banner saying Time Warner is blocked--- THEN they show you a propaganda video blaming Time Warner.

Childish, immature, heavy-handed. CBS can drop dead.
Kearnstd
Space Elf
Premium Member
join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ

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Re: BitTorrent and live streaming to the rescue!

said by rjbasye:

Yep, It's a shame paying customers have to resort to Bit torrent and piracy in order to watch Dexter and Ray Donovan.

Yep but the content owners have only themselves to blame when they start these fights.
rjbasye
join:2000-05-24
Dry Ridge, KY

rjbasye

Member

I agree with you there.
silbaco
Premium Member
join:2009-08-03
USA

silbaco to TheKrell

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Re: TWC CEO sent open letter to CBS

It's an interesting move, but the end result is a price increase for those customers who watch CBS. The a la carte model won't benefit anyone.

zoom314
join:2005-11-21
Yermo, CA

zoom314

Member

TV from Dish and ISP is TWC

Yet I still have KCBS and KCAL out of Los Angeles via a county owned Satellite Translator that is powered by Dish Network and yeah it's only 10 channels, but the cost is right, almost nothing...

TWC is just My isp, nothing more.

This 1992 law needs to be repealed, but I doubt that will happen anytime soon.

antdude
Matrix Ant
Premium Member
join:2001-03-25
US

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Re: BitTorrent and live streaming to the rescue!

Did they offer discounts? Hehe.

Swindle
Shattered Dreams
join:2006-07-24
Tampa, FL

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Re: TV from Dish and ISP is TWC

I'm still for this black-out ... I've been tired of TV providers caving in time and time again. Time to stand their ground.