Why DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket Might Be Illegal Under Antitrust Law

[glimmerman]

I just called to cancel or get a discount and to correct some other questions on my account. Apparently I'm already getting a $15/month discount on a base price around $48/month. I'll call back if I don't see the discount on the next statement.

Generally when I call I'm polite and I'll ask what's the best discount you can give me and if they say something like $5/month off is when I say i know you guys can do better. I'm sure if you actually threaten to cancel they'll give you 50% off.

Yeah that’s what they do for me. It’s not a discount on the ST it’s a discount on the bill. Got 25 bucks a month last year. It’s all ended last week. Lol.

 

[DallasEast]

If you have the internet, you should not miss any Cowboys games.

I stream the game if it's not on TV so...

Streaming is great if you can connect with a solid, non-buffering stream with practically zero signal delay. Many sports fans are located in areas (usually urban) where the technology infrastructure is very up-to-date (e.g. fiber optic transmission, etc.). Those advantages are not available to everyone though and streaming can be intermittently problematic.

Admittedly, broadcast/cable television has spoiled me--namely, presentation of games without worrying about experiencing any kinks during games. For instance, I could be online here, watch a game via streaming, and have a small but noticeable lag between what I just saw and what someone else has already seen. Another person may not even be watching with cable or satellite. They may be watching the same game via the same stream as I am but my connection may be slightly poorer. That sort of thing bugs me.

Even so, streaming is a great alternative for watching games. Unfortunately, streaming is not the best alternative for everyone.

 

[jwooten15]

I just called to cancel or get a discount and to correct some other questions on my account. Apparently I'm already getting a $15/month discount on a base price around $48/month. I'll call back if I don't see the discount on the next statement.

Generally when I call I'm polite and I'll ask what's the best discount you can give me and if they say something like $5/month off is when I say i know you guys can do better. I'm sure if you actually threaten to cancel they'll give you 50% off.

I thought that tactic would work for me as well, but it didn't! I was nice and respectful, yet they kept the "offer" ~$5 off/month, no budging at all. So I cancelled.

That was two years ago and it's probably one of the best decisions I've made. Too many other quality & cheaper options out there to keep getting gutted by satellite TV companies.

 

[InTheZone]

I thought that tactic would work for me as well, but it didn't! I was nice and respectful, yet they kept the "offer" ~$5 off/month, no budging at all. So I cancelled.

That was two years ago and it's probably one of the best decisions I've made. Too many other quality & cheaper options out there to keep getting gutted by satellite TV companies.

Lol well jokes on them because they should never take no money over some money.

 

[CouchCoach]

This is probably why DirecTV is not giving deals this year on NFL Ticket. Every year I'm able to swing a deal for it because I've been with them so long. Not this year though. They won't budge.

I'm seriously considering cancelling DirecTV as a result.

They stopped budging for me in 2017, got it free and $50 for the RZC for three years before that just by threatening to cancel. The threat worked for years and the last time I tried that the clerk didn't budge and then I got his manager and the guy actually told me he didn't care if I cancelled or not. I couldn't believe that and asked to be transferred to ATT central. When I got there, I told them to cancel everything, and got elevated quickly to a supervisor and told him what I was just told and he asked if I had the manager's name, which I didn't. He said he couldn't do anything about the TV side of it but he cuts me some deal on the fee and gave me HBO for free and about 3 hours later I get this call from some higher up and he tells me that he's giving me my entire ATT bill the next month a full credit and told me the problem has been dealt with.

They do get a lot of flak and I did cancel them when they did that sponsorship of the stadium and people lost jobs because of some execs getting to go to the games in their provided suite. But the other companies were worse.

The trick with ATT is to get "elevated" to someone that can actually do something and understands the value of a long time customer. However, that Sunday Ticket for free is gone because they're losing money on that 1.5B fee they pay the gridiron barons. And now they're trying an end run to add an internet carrier.

 

[Philmonroe]

This is probably why DirecTV is not giving deals this year on NFL Ticket. Every year I'm able to swing a deal for it because I've been with them so long. Not this year though. They won't budge.

I'm seriously considering cancelling DirecTV as a result.

They just don't like you and or you're a meanie because I always get it for free or at a discount. I don't know what package you have but having dang near every channel outside of some of the foreign ones probably helps.

 

[DallasEast]

Experiences negotiating Sunday Ticket pricing is highly likely varied among different subscribers in my opinion. My own experiences contain examples where I had zero luck with Directv's customer service representatives. I enjoyed greater success with their customer retention reps but the negotiated pricing would be different from year-to-year and was never free.

However, others have reported better outcomes than myself. Some have even said they had no problem getting deals through customer service without needing help from customer retention. Personally, I think it is always a matter of who the particular customer is, who the particular Directv rep is and how each party's tolerance level is not stretched to a breaking point during any given call. It is not the same give-and-take for everyone.

 

[atlantacowboy]

Love sunday ticket but hate direct tv. It would be great if the NFL would just allow every cable provider to offer the NFL package to customers........then I might be able to watch a game even when it rains outside.

 

[BigStar]

Will this eventually apply to EA having exclusive rights and Madden? Hopefully...

 

[CouchCoach]

They just don't like you and or you're a meanie because I always get it for free or at a discount. I don't know what package you have but having dang near every channel outside of some of the foreign ones probably helps.

That's the trigger point for them. They rate customers based on the package they have and $ to DirecTV as well as ATT, how and when the bill is paid and payment history, longevity as a customer, etc. They know a hell of a lot about their customers before they call.

 

[CouchCoach]

Love sunday ticket but hate direct tv. It would be great if the NFL would just allow every cable provider to offer the NFL package to customers........then I might be able to watch a game even when it rains outside.

They should just do what they'll eventually do anyway, go PPV. Sell a season ticket package or single games to fans outside the home market area and have that game announced by the home boys for the true homer experience.

 

[glimmerman]

That's the trigger point for them. They rate customers based on the package they have and $ to DirecTV as well as ATT, how and when the bill is paid and payment history, longevity as a customer, etc. They know a hell of a lot about their customers before they call.

Yep. Rarely do they give the discount to ST. They give the discount to your account via free high definition at 10 bucks per box and the box fee of 5 bucks. I quit asking for money off the ST, it’s all about the discounts and they extend for the year instead of the 6 months you make payments for the ST.

 

[CouchCoach]

Yep. Rarely do they give the discount to ST. They give the discount to your account via free high definition at 10 bucks per box and the box fee of 5 bucks. I quit asking for money off the ST, it’s all about the discounts and they extend for the year instead of the 6 months you make payments for the ST.

The interesting thing I discovered was that I really didn't miss ST or RZC because after a whole Saturday chocked full of college ball and the ST/RZC on Sunday, I was footballed out and found myself passively just watching it with no passion at all.

I was spending 16 hours on Sat and 15 on Sunday watching football and pregame garbage and wasn't really entertained. I cut Sunday back to 3-9 hours and am much happier but the best thing I've done is the time shifting of the games but I had to make a RECORDING sign to put up by the TV to remind me.

 

[MCMetal69]

Besides the ice cold beer and hot women , it's why bars are around..................Any Dallas game not shown in the Tri-State area I mark down as a watering hole visit.....................

 

[cern]

I always start my conversations by informing them I am recording the conversation. I give them a verbatim "this call is being monitored for quality control purposes" and throw in possible legal wranglings. then I joke about how some of their calls have made for great viral tv. then it's down to business. I've always gotten my way with them. their customer service reps aren't exactly top attorneys. they're very easily manipulated. and always follow up the call with make sure you send me a customer satisfaction survey and i'll say good things about you.

 

[erod]

They just don't like you and or you're a meanie because I always get it for free or at a discount. I don't know what package you have but having dang near every channel outside of some of the foreign ones probably helps.

I've always gotten it for free or close to, but this year, those offers are dried up apparently.

And I have the select package with 7 televisions in my house.

 

[Tussinman]

I don’t like Zeke’s holdout- the timing of it especially. But I understand why he’s doing it and the owners greed is a big part of it.

100% disagree with that. Zeke is refusing to play on a contract that's top 5 in fully guaranteed money for his position and he received a cash advanced 65% of the total contract before ever having an NFL practice. If anything that's an a-hole move to ask for a cash advanced on a top 5 contract and then refused to finish it even though there's future protection injury wise.

It's also moot because if Zeke had been a later round pick they would of already extended him and made years 4 and 5 the guaranteed portion with the option of years 6 and 7 being low risk.

If anything Zeke is one of the few examples of him being the bad guy and not the owners

How do you go about doing that?

He probably has a computer hooked up the TV and does a Reddit NFL stream type website.

Those are extremely popular for all sports since sports is really the only thing most people watch live now a days

 

[Cowboysfan917]

I just got it for free. I haven't had to pay for it the past 7 years.

Teach me your ways

 

[Roland]

i wish you could just pay ala carte for the games you want.....its over priced at 300 for the season and at least half of the games we play are avaialbe in my market....essentially, i end up paying about 40-50 bucks per game i watch that isnt in my market...but i still pay bc its cheaper than going to the bar!

Absolutely, if I couldn't see my boys at home, then I was heading out to a bar to watch them. End up spending money on beer and food and the additional risk of much more when I drove home. That's how I reasoned with myself to pay the price of the Sunday Ticket. What I am curious about now is, since Direct TV has lost some channels, what happens if the Boys are playing on that channel that I do not have now. Will it be played on the Ticket? Guess I could just learn how to stream it after the game.

 

[coult44]

I want Sunday ticket and paid for it for over ten seasons. However, I HATE DTV.
Is there any way to get The Ticket without having a DTV dish?