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Verizon Finally Allowed to Offer MSG HD
Cablevision's Grip on Dolan-Owned Content at an End
Last January the FCC issued an order (pdf) designed to put an end to cable operators preventing competitors from accessing local sports channels owned by the cable company. The rules went into effect in June, and the FCC's Media Bureau ruled in September that Cablevision and MSG violated the agency's new rules by withholding HD versions of MSG and MSG-Plus from Verizon and AT&T. Last week that ruling was upheld, and Verizon is now saying they'll be offering MSG HD within a few weeks to FiOS TV customers. Comparing it to "a home team win in overtime," Verizon says the exact channel locations on your lineup will be determined closer to the mid-December launch date. Cablevision did file another appeal, but their case at this juncture isn't looking so hot.
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ciucca
join:2004-05-24
Westfield, NJ

ciucca

Member

YIPPIE!

When is this going to be available?

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5

Premium Member

Re: YIPPIE!

said by ciucca:

When is this going to be available?

Mid December.
.
mjmellin
join:2005-06-24
Englishtown, NJ

mjmellin

Member

They don't deserve it

They should not be allowed access to this. They forced a statewide franchise agreement changing the entire wired TV model with a promise to deploy to all territory. Then they choose to permanently halt all future deployments after cherry picking the locations they wanted to install into.

Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02

Karl Bode

News Guy

Re: They don't deserve it

Hah, damnit you're not supposed to understand full context! Just watch your funny games!

KCrimson
Premium Member
join:2001-02-25
Brooklyn, NY

KCrimson to mjmellin

Premium Member

to mjmellin
said by mjmellin:

They should not be allowed access to this. They forced a statewide franchise agreement changing the entire wired TV model with a promise to deploy to all territory. Then they choose to permanently halt all future deployments after cherry picking the locations they wanted to install into.

In what way has their action in the above adversely affected anyone in NJ? By "changing the entire wired TV model", they in fact introduced competition in the market, and most likely even your current (Cablevision) speed:$$$ ratio has benefited. By negotiating a statewide franchise agreement, they eliminated the never-ending hoops and hurdles that each and every local politician would place that would have delayed the deployment to your more fortunate neighbors. Yours sounds like sour grapes - instead of begrudging the company for halting its costly roll-out perhaps you should be hoping that the economic climate rebounds, and that Verizon is somehow incentivized to restart the buildout.
mjmellin
join:2005-06-24
Englishtown, NJ

mjmellin

Member

Re: They don't deserve it

Here is the real reason Verizon stopped the rollout!!!

When they started they were able to amortize the cost of the rollout over 100 years based on old telecom laws. Meanwhile cable only gets a 30 year amortization. The cable companies complained and Verizon was forced to the same schedule as the cable companies for this infrastructure hence making deployment not profitable anymore. That is why the deployment was stopped. They wanted to compete with an unfair advantage.

KCrimson
Premium Member
join:2001-02-25
Brooklyn, NY

KCrimson

Premium Member

Re: They don't deserve it

You're making this sound like the government was the lender that drew up the loans involved. As far as I know, "old telecom laws" didn't dictate the terms of new infrastructure buildout loans. I'm finding this difficult to digest - have you got a link that backs this theory up?
KCrimson

KCrimson to mjmellin

Premium Member

to mjmellin
said by mjmellin:

Here is the real reason Verizon stopped the rollout!!!

When they started they were able to amortize the cost of the rollout over 100 years based on old telecom laws. Meanwhile cable only gets a 30 year amortization. The cable companies complained and Verizon was forced to the same schedule as the cable companies for this infrastructure hence making deployment not profitable anymore. That is why the deployment was stopped. They wanted to compete with an unfair advantage.

One other thing - while a 70 year difference might be too much, the technical advantage offered by Verizon's FTP model over CV's hybrid fiber/coax SHOULD (IMHO) garner more years of amortization time.
mjmellin
join:2005-06-24
Englishtown, NJ

mjmellin

Member

Re: They don't deserve it

Can't find the proof as it was several years ago. Also a friend of mine in the industry explained it to me as well. I do think that Verizon requested Statewide franchises with the promise to deploy to the entire footprint and should be required to do so. Even if it is going to take them a little longer it should still be on the plans. They currently are even considering future deployments.
Joe12345678
join:2003-07-22
Des Plaines, IL

Joe12345678

Member

will they get the HD over flow feeds as well?

will they get the HD over flow feeds as well?

Directv has able to get them soon after the ruling.

They where cable vision only last year and the start of this year.

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5

Premium Member

Wonder what Verizon will have to pay Cablevision?

It is a contractual price, so we will probably never know. But you can't help wondering what Verizon has to pay Cablevision for the MSG channels. Sports channels are usually the expensive ones. And when Verizon raises their Cable TV rates they can blame Cablevision for the increase.
robjlevin
join:2002-10-30
Medford, NJ

robjlevin

Member

Re: Wonder what Verizon will have to pay Cablevision?

Part of the order is that the terms be fair and reasonable. IOW, no price gouging. It has to be in line with what everyone else is paying.

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5

Premium Member

Re: Wonder what Verizon will have to pay Cablevision?

Seems Cablevision hasn't given up yet. They are suing to stop Verizon from getting the channel no matter what the FCC says:
»www.multichannel.com/art ··· sion.php

sd425631
@comcast.net

sd425631

Anon

sunday ticket

them maybe the courts needs to loosen directtv grip on the sunday ticket.directtv is the only service that has the sunday ticket for football.
navyson
join:2011-07-15
Upper Marlboro, MD

navyson

Member

Re: sunday ticket

said by sd425631 :

them maybe the courts needs to loosen directtv grip on the sunday ticket.directtv is the only service that has the sunday ticket for football.

Not going to happen. Directv paid the NFL almost $700 million dollars to obtain the exclusive rights to Sunday Ticket. BTW, I thought you could order Sunday Ticket(broadband) without a Directv subscription.
robjlevin
join:2002-10-30
Medford, NJ

robjlevin

Member

Re: sunday ticket

That's $700 million/year.
Kearnstd
Space Elf
Premium Member
join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ

Kearnstd to sd425631

Premium Member

to sd425631
these are not really the same issues. Cablevision actually owns MSG(the station and the venue) so thats why this was seen as anti-competitive for them to not offer it to Verizon.

Sunday Ticket however is the NFL which is owned by the NFL, DTV just paid the carry rights.

clearly the deal with Direct TV is worth more than having Sunday Ticket on all MSOs though. I cant imagine the NFL would gimp their profits if it would make them more money to ahve this programming on Cable and Dish as well.

tuskenninja
@verizon.net

tuskenninja

Anon

Re: sunday ticket

It's not that the directtv deal is more money. It's about the nflnot wanting to pissoff the big 4 networks that pay the nfl for the right to carry the games over the air. If any mso could carry sunday ticket it definitely effect the next contract with the networks.
robjlevin
join:2002-10-30
Medford, NJ

robjlevin

Member

Re: sunday ticket

Not only that, but if it weren't exclusive the combined rights wouldn't be worth what DTV is paying on its own.
Joe12345678
join:2003-07-22
Des Plaines, IL

Joe12345678 to tuskenninja

Member

to tuskenninja
also the NFL wanted most people to be able to get it and going cable only would not fit that. Also as of last year in demand only had the room for 2 HD channels and there SD channels where maxed out as well. So the cable system have to find the room for at least 15 channels in SD + at the max 15 HD channels + more for a mix channel.
You can't double up and put 2 games on the same channel and you can't use the MLB / NHL channels or the NBA / MLS channels.

rit56
join:2000-12-01
New York, NY

rit56

Member

NBA

To bad there are no Knicks games and there may not be. For those of you who don't live in the NYC area Jim Dolan the owner of The Knicks, Rangers, MSG and a member of the Dolan Cablevision family is a complete idiot. Spoiled little rich kid. He has a band and they opened last year for the Allman Bros and Aretha Franklin among others because he is Jim Dolan and you know maybe if the agent gives him these slots they may get a favorable date for another client. His band is terrible and he destroyed the Knicks.

fifty nine
join:2002-09-25
Sussex, NJ

fifty nine

Member

Disappointing

Once again the heavy hand of big government takes away a cable company's competitive advantage. Can't wait to see Verizon cry about big government when cablevision folds and verizon the monopoly is boxed in a corner with regulation. You think the dolans are more evil than ma bell?

Pathfinder5
Dazed Confused
Premium Member
join:2000-03-26
New York, NY

Pathfinder5

Premium Member

Re: Disappointing

said by fifty nine:

You think the dolans are more evil than ma bell?

Yes!

fifty nine
join:2002-09-25
Sussex, NJ

fifty nine

Member

Re: Disappointing

said by Pathfinder5:

said by fifty nine:

You think the dolans are more evil than ma bell?

Yes!

In some respects yes, in many other respects no. To me, the large phone companies are far more evil.

People seem to forget that OOL was the best game in town a few years ago, running 10Mbit/s when everyone else was running 1.5Mbps. Meanwhile the phone company was plodding along with slow DSL while taking your money for network improvements which never happened. It's only when they realized they could get into the TV business and make money that they decided to build out FiOS. And what did they do? They forced local Governments to change laws to make it easier for THEM to set up shop and largely relinquishing home rule over cable TV service. The real kick in the balls is when they decided to stop rolling out their new fiber service and prod the federal Gov't to hand over more spectrum, claiming it was for rural broadband among other things.

I won't even get into the more evil things that phone companies have done in the past - phone rental, outrageous long distance charges etc.
majortom1029
join:2006-10-19
Medford, NY

majortom1029 to fifty nine

Member

to fifty nine
said by fifty nine:

Once again the heavy hand of big government takes away a cable company's competitive advantage. Can't wait to see Verizon cry about big government when cablevision folds and verizon the monopoly is boxed in a corner with regulation. You think the dolans are more evil than ma bell?

Will never happen because BIG chunks of Cablevisions service area will never get fios because vernon stopped the roll out.
hofs1
join:2007-10-12
Little Falls, NJ

1 recommendation

hofs1 to fifty nine

Member

to fifty nine
Yup Dolan is the biggest POS out there.

Bill Neilson
Premium Member
join:2009-07-08
Alexandria, VA

Bill Neilson to fifty nine

Premium Member

to fifty nine
said by fifty nine:

Once again the heavy hand of big government takes away a cable company's competitive advantage.

Yea, the poor old cable companies just get absolutely killed by the big, bad government.

How they stay in business is beyond me. What...with their millions spent writing the laws, record profits or near record profits, etc....

Poor guys

cypherstream
MVM
join:2004-12-02
Reading, PA
·PenTeleData
ARRIS SB8200

cypherstream

MVM

Does this pave way for Comcast Sportsnet Philly on DirecTV?

I'd like to know if this ruling will set the bar to accelerating the process of allowing Comcast to offer Sportsnet Philly to DirecTV and Dish Network.

I know we are talking about different companies, but this judgement could be used as basis of things yet to come.
Os
join:2011-01-26
US

Os

Member

Re: Does this pave way for Comcast Sportsnet Philly on DirecTV?

They already have closed the terrestrial exception.

Dish and DTV don't want to pay whatever price Comcast has offered them for CSN.
JPL
Premium Member
join:2007-04-04
Downingtown, PA

JPL

Premium Member

Re: Does this pave way for Comcast Sportsnet Philly on DirecTV?

said by Os:

They already have closed the terrestrial exception.

Dish and DTV don't want to pay whatever price Comcast has offered them for CSN.

No... this isn't correct at all. The loophole isn't closed by default. Providers have to petition the FCC to get access to channels that are covered by the loophole. From what I understand, DirecTV and Dish have done that for CSN Philly. Both would have to wait on a decision by the FCC mandating Comcast and the DBS providers to come to terms. That's the hold-up here - not that DirecTV/Dish don't want the channel. They most definitely do.

WK2
Premium Member
join:2006-12-28
united state

WK2

Premium Member

Cue the choir!

So happy!

Greg2600
join:2008-05-20
Belleville, NJ

Greg2600

Member

Finally

I will celebrate this addition, and have a great hearty LAUGH at those defending Cablevision against the government boogeyman! HA HA HA HA HA.
reslor1
join:2003-01-10
Hackettstown, NJ

reslor1

Member

wow

If I had a hi def tv or cablevision or verizon I might actually care.

Reilly
@verizon.net

Reilly

Anon

Re: wow

said by reslor1:

If I had a hi def tv or cablevision or verizon I might actually care.

Yet you took the time to read the article and reply to it.
45612019 (banned)
join:2004-02-05
New York, NY

1 recommendation

45612019 (banned) to reslor1

Member

to reslor1
Riveting tale, chap.

dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
Premium Member
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ

dvd536

Premium Member

Any bets?

That other providers will get a degraded hd stream?

ok we'll give you MSG HD but we'll bitstarve it before sending it out.

••••
rody_44
Premium Member
join:2004-02-20
Quakertown, PA

rody_44

Premium Member

Lol

You people are not getting it mid december.

Manny Raz
@verizon.net

Manny Raz

Anon

MSG HD

For all your information, Verizon wants to become available in all areas in NY, however cablevision has denied access to all these locations. It doesn't deserve the rights to both blocking MSG HD to verizon and also its location rights. I'm a huge Ranger and Knick Fan and as a New Yorker I deserve the right to watch my teams in HD no matter what cable provider I have. Monopolies were supposed to be over a long time ago.