[g1313]

Actually, lots of broadcasters and cable-channel owners have launched jihads against DirecTV during carriage negotiations. What's really uniquely hard-ball about this situation is that DirecTV has created its own weather station to replace Weather Channel.

Practically every cable executive I speak to is worried sick about the upward pressure on cable bills and the growing specter of cord-cutting by disgruntled customers. Cord-cutting used to be something of a scary campfire story, but in the past year it's become statistically measurable for the first time. I think the Weather Channel's fight with DirecTV is one more sign that the Pac-12 Network is not going to join the DirecTV lineup unless the conference blinks.

Not that I disagree in the long term, but the data I've seen this year shows a drop in cable subscriptions but it is mostly explained by a move to satellite or fiber, not pure cable-cutting as in only using Netflix and piracy. I'd be curious if you could refute this.

[g1313]

Actually, lots of broadcasters and cable-channel owners have launched jihads against DirecTV during carriage negotiations. What's really uniquely hard-ball about this situation is that DirecTV has created its own weather station to replace Weather Channel.

Practically every cable executive I speak to is worried sick about the upward pressure on cable bills and the growing specter of cord-cutting by disgruntled customers. Cord-cutting used to be something of a scary campfire story, but in the past year it's become statistically measurable for the first time. I think the Weather Channel's fight with DirecTV is one more sign that the Pac-12 Network is not going to join the DirecTV lineup unless the conference blinks.

Not that I disagree in the long term, but the data I've seen this year shows a drop in cable subscriptions but it is mostly explained by a move to satellite or fiber, not pure cable-cutting as in only using Netflix and piracy. I'd be curious if you could refute this.