Rate hikes ahead for satellite TV fans

Cost of programming steers Dish Network and DirecTV away from a price war with cable rivals.

The story "Rate hikes ahead for satellite TV fans" published January 6, 2005 at 4:25 AM is no longer available on CNET News.

[marvin25]

Cable

The cost of my cable in Sierra Vista would be over 50 dollars a month for the same service as Dish network which is under 40 dollars a month. The fact of using digital cable would bring me close to 70 dollars a month which did is digital quality and get better reception than standard cable service. The person making the statement from the analyst point of view is correct in one respect that the rate increase is higher but I had Dish for over two years and I haven't had a rate increase while in cable I had rate increases in some cases in three month period. They just keep on raising the price with no better service. The analyst should learn to do better research. I save over 30 dollars a month or more with dish network than cable.

Like you...

Like you I haven't had an increases with DishNetwork. Cable on the other hand has raised rates over and over here. For the same programming I am getting for less than $100 (120 channels + all Premium channels) would cost me almost $150 with cable.

The only thing I don't like about DishNetwork is that once you become a subscriber they make it far too costly to keep you hardware updated. It likes all of the specials are for new subscribers and the old ones can pay through the nose for newer and better equipment. I don't think that is something that is going to work in the long run.

Cable is a rip-off. I just hope Sat. doesn't become one too. I don't know why it costs so much when most of what it on is crap or a commercial that makes someone else money. I don't see why we should have to pay a high price to watch and be annoyed by someone else's commericals.

I think they studios and networks are greedying themselves right out of business. I will not continue to pay more and more for the crap that is currently on. I don't need TV that much.

Robert