When is HBO coming back ?

[Chbrown08]

Can someone please tell me when this fight between HBO and dish will end so I can go back to my subscription? This is getting old! I am tired of never knowing if my channels will be blacked out and for how long. Direct TV is starting to look more appealing. I hate Hallmark channel but I have like 3 or 4 of them. You guys took chiller away and replaced it with channels I hate! Actually, there are several channels I detest, such as MeTV, Paramount, logo, ictv, epic, and a lot of other BS channels that are a waste of my time and MONEY! and really? Replacing HBO with that one stupid movie channel that plays old movies that no one wants to watch? I used to love dish, now I really really hate it. I counted over 20 channels that I have never even checked out that are infomercials or some stupid crap that does not interest me at all. What th hell happened to this company??? I'm out!!! I'm moving on.

[Chadt4141]

There is no timeline for HBO. They are still actively negotiating.

Dish didn’t take Schiller away. Chiller closed. It no longer exists on any provider, which was the decision of NBCU.

The impasse is that ATT is demanding that non HBO subscribers pay for HBO, which makes no sense as it is an a la carte premium. Until that demand is dropped, it will remain off Dish. And if they make the same demand to other providers as their contracts expire, they will find themselves on the same predicament.

[Roadijeff]

Well, I do enjoy watching MeTV and I did not subscribe to HBO when it was available.  I certainly would not want to subsidize having HBO back and another bill price increase AGAIN. 

In the meantime, I'm enjoying the free Showtime extended weekend.  Check it out. 

[MikeSF]

@Chbrown08  If you really think Directv is looking better and better, look again. Since ATT took over Directv, service has gone downhill and the overall product has suffered while prices rose. A year ago we were forced to accept a new interface on our receivers (which made it look like ATT U-verse) and I was having to reset the receiver several times a month. I shared my complaints with 'customer service' and was eventually informed that many other customers had also complained and that their engineers were working on it. After six months of this I was fed up and returned to DISH in mid-November, knowing that DISH and HBO (also owned by ATT) were at an impasse. If you REALLY think you want to go to Directv, be prepared for the absolute worst customer service you will ever experience. I have only had to contact DISH once since installation and the chat support took care of my issue quickly--because I was chatting with a human being. My chat transcripts with Directv read like a comedy routine because it can take 15 to 20 minutes for the automated chat robot to turn you over to a human being.

P.S. There are a lot of people -- movie buffs -- who appreciate channels like HDNet Movies, TCM, and Epic.

[Theory2]

I too am beyond frustrated with the state of “cable tv”. It has become ridiculous.  You’re locked into contracts that allow the providers to drop whatever, whenever, and for as long as, well who ever knows.  I’ve lost cbs, hbo, others, for months with no recourse.  

Recently bit the bullet and started looking at online tv. Was able to get hbo and others through Hulu.  Much easier than I thought to watch tv this way. Thought I’d miss the dvr but everything is out there anyway on demand. I’m locked in to dish for months longer but this is as close to a la carte as one could get and may be the answer to these providers gouging and screwing us, repeatedly.

Just my 2 cents. 

[Chbrown08]

At the price I am paying, I don't want the highlight of my cable package to include episodes of murder she wrote, Matlock, and Hogan's heroes. I understand and accepted that my package would include channels I do not necessarily like. I applauded the attempt of dish to negotiate, assuming our channels would be restored in a timely manner. Until the HBO blackout. I love HBO, and it really irritated me that this decision was made with no heads up, no feedback from subscribers. We are the customers we are paying to have this service. And we are NOT receiving the service we are paying for. I loose 10 IQ points just watching a preview from those stupid Hallmark movies. And the hdnet that is the replacement for HBO? Are you freaking kidding me???? How is this considered a viable replacement? I have either seen those movies at least twice already or don't like them at all. Direct TV IS A BETTER OPTION at this point. What the heck do I have to loose???? I'm still paying a lot of money and I can't even get the channels I want.

[Chadt4141]

You’re not paying for HBO. In addition, customers feedback is why it went down. You just didn’t know that you and everyone else was already providing feedback. Less than 20% of Dish customers subscribed to HBO. ATT is demanding a minimum subscriber guarantee almost double what subscribed before. That means that the more than 80% of subscribers that do not want HBO would have had to pay for it. Those that did not subscribe, but paying for it, would still not have access to it. So the customers did inform what they felt about it. Also, viewing history. When you watch TV it is logged on what channel and how long. That data is used in negotiations as well. So even those that subscribed to HBO, but only watched it one hour a week/month, were also giving their feedback. It’s a small percentage of customers actually negatively impacted, and even out of them, the majority will stream it through something like HBONow. I personally am using HBOGo, with the login of a family member. I cast it to my TV from my phone.

[SadedraJ]

Hello Chbrown08. Thank you for taking time out of your day to provide us with your feedback about this unfortunate event.  We at DISH understand how frustrating missing your content can be. Your DISH bill will not be charged for any time without HBO/Cinemax.

We are actively negotiating and are open to a fair deal for the restoration of HBO. Once an agreement is reached, HBO’s channels will be restored and available immediately. I am sorry to hear that the you are not enjoying the free preview of HDNet movies.

Did you know that HBO has a streaming service called HBO NOW it is available for $14.99 per month. This is HBO’s direct-to-consumer product, and provides the same HBO content available through DISH. The service is available on a wide range of popular devices and services (Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Prime, Chromecast, Apple TV, Apple App Store and Google Play Store)

[Chbrown08]

What are you talking about??? Those who are not subscribing are still paying for it?? HBO offered to keep the channels live while negotiating. It was dish that blacked out out. No one offered me feedback and I SUBSCRIBED to HBO. If you are still being charged due to higher demands such as requirements of a certain number of subscriptions, then that is a DISH problem. I am just trying to watch what I am subscribed too and get decent programming, it has gone DOWN FAST! and I am afraid it's because of all the blackouts. This type of negotiating is extremely annoying and if you think they are doing it for us, think again.

[SadedraJ]

If you were subscribing to HBO/Cinemax, your DISH bill will not be charged as long as the services are not available. The fact is, only HBO can remove your access to their content. We welcome all feedback about anything DISH. To leave feedback about this negotiation, please do so here DISHPromise.com. The feedback left here is viewed daily.

We apologize you have been impacted by HBO’s decision to remove their programming from our lineup. We are working hard to reach a mutually beneficial agreement.