Versus channel

[DaveBrawl]

I hope no one on here with Directv has any desire to watch the Versus channel any time soon. I was flipping through the stations a few minutes ago and came across this bulletin on the screen instead of what they normally show.


"Versus is no longer available on this station.

Comcast, which owns Versus, has forced us to take down the channel because we will not submit to their unfair and outrageous demands.

For more information go to www.directv.com/versus"

[DaveBrawl]

CHANNEL NEWS 2009-09-01 Versus on DIRECTV
Dear DIRECTV Customer:

We want you to know we're doing everything we can to keep your favorite sports programming on DIRECTV but we've simply reached an impasse with Comcast over its Versus channel.

In sports, we all expect fair play and a level playing field - a competitor that plays by the rules. Evidently that's not the rule book Comcast plays by. Its unreasonable demands are the economic equivalent of juicing to gain an advantage over its competitors. And our fear is that their egregiously greedy behavior may ultimately kill coverage of your favorite sports on television.

The deal that just expired was well above market value and beyond what other significant distributors were paying. To add insult to injury Comcast demanded we carry Versus at a 20 percent premium in a new deal, thereby forcing us to take down the channel. We're not happy about this, but we hope you understand that we must hold the line on programming costs in order to protect our customers from unwarranted price increases in this difficult economic climate.

We have successfully negotiated hundreds of carriage deals, but sometimes you need to stand up to a bully and there is a strong possibility that if Comcast makes these same demands to other distributors, they will also be forced to drop Versus resulting in significantly reduced exposure and availability of the sports you like to watch on Versus. Maybe that's what Comcast wants; other than greed it's the only other explanation.

You have our commitment that we will continue to negotiate in good faith with Versus to try and reach a fair settlement. We truly appreciate your patience and understanding during this time.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Derek Chang
Executive Vice President, Content Strategy and Development
DIRECTV, Inc.


For more information, please read our FAQs below. You can also contact us at versus@directv.com.

On-air message says Versus is not available. Why?
Our contract with Comcast expired August 31 and we were unable to reach agreement on a renewal. Comcast was not only demanding renewal terms that did not reflect market value for the channel but also demanding carriage terms that were discriminatory. Comcast forced us to drop Versus unless we agreed to their unreasonable terms.

With Versus no longer available, how will DIRECTV make up for the loss?
We will communicate with you and do what we can to ensure your continued satisfaction and loyalty until the matter is resolved. We will continue to negotiate with Comcast to resolve this matter. In the meantime, you'll still be able to watch plenty of similar sports programming on other channels we carry.

•College football — available on Big Ten Network, CBS College Sports, ESPN, ESPNU, ESPN GamePlan, The Mtn., local channels and your RSN.
•NHL — available on NHL Network, NHL Center Ice, and your RSN.
•Mixed Martial Arts — available on HDNet, Spike TV, and UFC on DIRECTV Pay-Per-View.
•Auto Racing — IRL on ABC, Formula 1 on Fox and Speed
•Bull riding — available on ESPN2 and the Houston Rodeo on DIRECTV Pay-Per-View.
•Hunting and fishing — available on ESPN2, The Sportsman Channel, The Outdoor Channel, and Pursuit TV.

What's keeping you from reaching an agreement?
Comcast is asking for terms which do not reflect the market and which they are not asking of all other distributors. They claim their offer is status quo when in reality, they are asking for almost a 20% increase in fees. DIRECTV wants to keep your monthly fees low, so it's doing everything it can to avoid paying exorbitant programming fees.

Should I switch to DISH or cable?
No. There's no need to consider switching providers. DIRECTV has the best variety of exclusive and premium content available anywhere and we have similar programming on other channels (see above). If you are concerned about NHL, we still have time to negotiate with Comcast before the start of the NHL season. For PBR fans, we offered to carry PBR programming, but PBR events are exclusive to Versus and cannot be made available to DIRECTV.

Is this all just so DIRECTV can save money?
Not at all, this is about DIRECTV getting treated fairly and not wanting to pass on high programming fees to our customers.

[DaveBrawl]

Sucks if you want to watch WEC, and the movies they show. Hopefully they can get it resolved before NHL season though, because that's pretty much all I have to see most teams unless they're playing the Caps.

[Droford]

I found it funny that VS was #61 out of 71 in most watched national channels on Directv (doesnt include networks or premiums).

Not gonna help VS/Comcast's case to up the fee by nearly double.

Plus the brand new UFL's games will be on VS too, not gonna help them much.

[DaveBrawl]

Yeah, to be honest outside of the occasional WEC match, movie, or hockey matchup I seldom watched it.

Edit: Forgot about the IRL races they show, watch some of those too.

[Rammsteinmad]

What does the Versus channel show?

At first I thought you were on about that website where they make bugs fight each other.

[DaveBrawl]

It's basically a sports channel that shows a lot of outdoor sports. Tour De France, IRL Racing, WEC, NHL and some hunting and fishing.

[Emperor Smeat]

Used to be OLN (Outdoor Life Network) for years then around the time they won the right to show NHL games, they changed it to Versus.

[Destor]

What does the Versus channel show?

At first I thought you were on about that website where they make bugs fight each other.
Wait, what? link me to bug kombat please

[Rammsteinmad]

Wait, what? link me to bug kombat please

http://www.japanesebugfights.com/

Enjoy.

[DaveBrawl]

Ok it seems to be back up now.

Versus has returned to the DIRECTV channel lineup, available to DIRECTV customers on channel 603 in standard and high definition. Sports fans can now enjoy more sports than ever on DIRECTV.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. and PHILADELPHIA, March 15, 2010 –– DIRECTV and Comcast have reached an agreement to return VERSUS to the DIRECTV programming lineup today. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

VERSUS will return to the same DIRECTV programming packages it was in at the end of August 2009.

"We are pleased that both sides were able to work out a satisfactory deal to bring this programming back to our customers," said Derek Chang, executive vice president, Content Strategy and Development, DIRECTV.

We're excited that we were able to come to a fair agreement that puts VERSUS back in millions of homes with DIRECTV in time for our busy spring programming schedule," said Jamie Davis, president of VERSUS. "We look forward to super–serving these fans with NHL regular–season and playoff coverage, our first live UFC event and much more."