Versus, DirecTV Deal Expires Aug. 31

UPDATE: VERSUS has given FanHouse the following statement: "Since our last deal with DirecTV, VERSUS has added many marquee properties and has become the fastest growing sports cable network in the country. Despite this tremendous momentum, we are offering DirecTV the ability to carry VERSUS the same way it does today at the market price for the network. We continue to talk and are hopeful that we will reach an agreement."

Wednesday was the day that the NHL announced their national television schedules for the upcoming season. The league's main United States television partner, Versus, has a slate of 54 games that begins on the first night of NHL play, Oct. 1.

FanHouse has learned, however, that millions of fans might not have access to those games. Major satellite provider DirecTV is in a contract dispute with Versus that threatens to take the network off the service.

DirecTV says their contract with Versus expires Aug. 31, and while they note that negotiations are ongoing, their message to customers makes it clear that the network could be removed from DirecTV if a deal is not reached.

A brief question and answer on DirecTV's website puts the blame for this issue on Versus.

Versus is asking for terms which do not reflect the market and which they are not asking of all other distributors. DIRECTV wants to keep your monthly fees low, so it's doing everything it can to avoid paying exorbitant programming fees.

Obviously, the NHL is affected, as they are the main anchor of Versus' programming.

Also impacted are fans of college football. Versus is scheduled to air games out of the Big 12, Pac 10, and Mountain West this fall, starting with Texas at Wyoming Sept. 12.

There are still more than 10 days left before this contract expires. However, in the light of the NHL's improved ratings and overall exposure nationally last year, this is not good news.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

8-21-2009 @ 12:56AM

JonBoy said...

Versus can be blamed because they picked up the Indy Racing League (IndyCar and their junior series, Indy Lights) on a 10-yr deal, paying who knows how many millions of dollars more than it was worth, and guaranteeing the IRL they'd broadcast extensive pre-and-post race coverage too.

Problem is that practically nobody watches or cares for IRL IndyCar, and even fewer watch or care for IRL Indy Lights. The numbers this year on Versus have been Awful (with a capital 'A'!) and despite Versus proving that they CAN draw the IRL's "key demographic" for other sports (Tour de France, Dakar, etc), they've also proved that the 'key demographic' has next-to-no interest in what IndyCar has to offer.

Yet IndyCar (and I have to assume Versus) think that this is just part of the expected 'growing pains', and that their product will take off next year. IRL is ALWAYS about 'next year'. But IRL never delivers.

The last 3 IndyCar events on Versus drew a 0.24 national rating, a 0.14, and a 0.2 - hardly the kinds of numbers that broadcast sponsors are going to get excited about. So which companies run the majority of ads during IndyCar broadcasts? Answer: Honda (sole engine supplier to IndyCar, by default as everyone else jumped the sinking ship long ago), Apex Brazil (IndyCar's ethanol fuel supplier, who I understand tells viewers in their ads to "Buy Brazilian!", which is a huge slap in the face to all American vieweers suffering due to the current terrible US economy), Gilette - who have ads that feature IndyCar driver Marco Andretti shaving with a Mach-something-or-other razor (the only reason he has a sponsor is because of his last name; he is short on talent - his 1 IndyCar career win was gifted to him by a teammate), and Peak Antifreeze - who have the gall to have Danica Patrick tell viewers "When you Peak, you win", when the truth is "when she won, she'd peaked" - a single win in 10 years as a pro racing driver is all she has to show for herself, and that was gifted to her by the then race leader who claimed afterwards, "I thought she was a lap down so when my crew chief said let her by, I didn't question it". Barring another fluke, a win is not likely to be in her future again - she, like her Andretti-Green teammate Marco is just not that good of a driver).

Yet this is what the current IRL is built on. "All the cars, all the stars", ain't it great?

No. But Versus has 9 more years to pay for, and new broadcast sponsors aren't in sight, so hello DirecTV, just tell your subscribers that this 'premium' programming is worth a few dollars more each month and I'm sure they'll understand.

NOT!

8-24-2009 @ 3:04PM

Jaye said...

Just because Versus made a bad decision with the IRL, it doesn't make sense to pass the cost on to DirecTV and ultimately bull riding, hockey and cycling fans. If they want to attribute this to "growing pains," then they should suffer the brunt of it and not expect others to take on the burden.

I really can't stand Versus anyway. They show sleazy commercials during prime time, reschedule events in haphazard ways and if it weren't for the fact that I was a fan of the PBR, I wouldn't watch them at all.

Ultimately, if Versus doesn't come to an agreement with DirecTV, they and their parent company, Comcast, will be the big losers.

And I can't help but wonder if the fact that Comcast is a major competitor of DirecTV doesn't play a part in all this.

8-25-2009 @ 11:47AM

TABOO9BK said...

As a NHL fan this "problem" would effect my season greatly. I have a suggestion. Those of use who pay extra for NHL Center Ice can receive the Versus feed only during hockey season and continue to pay extra for the Center Ice Package like we do now. I do not watch Versus any other time except when a hockey game is on. I could care less about the other programming Versus offers. I only want to watch the NHL games. It could be set up the same way Center Ice does it now. I don't get the "Altitude" channel (the Avalanche station)feed in the offseason, I only get to watch that station during the Avalanche game. Can't they set up the Versus feed the same way? I hope the NHL, DireTV, and Versus come up with something or there will be alot of sad hockey fans.

8-29-2009 @ 9:42AM

shauna said...

You are so right! The ONLY thing I watch on VS is the hockey games. I don't pay for the Center Ice-I think it's ENTIRELY too expensive, so I get to watch more hockey because of the deal with Versus. The NHL better step in-they are the biggest losers in this deal. What good is it going to be to have a TV contract with a network that doesn't even broadcast on one of the biggest satellite companies?? If I were the NHL, I would be pushing BOTH DirecTV and Versus to get it together! Man! Screwed again by the satellite company!

8-29-2009 @ 3:04PM

From an L.A. Times column earlier this week:
--
Terry Angstadt, president of the commercial division for IndyCar's parent, the Indy Racing League, referred to DirecTV's stance as "a little negotiation going on" and said IRL officials "think they'll find a solution."

The Times on Saturday also quoted a DirecTV spokesman as saying Versus' "overall ratings are poor," but ANGSTADT SAID INDYCAR'S FIRST-YEAR RATINGS HAVE EXCEEDED VERSUS' FORECAST and IndyCar continued to view Versus as "an outstanding move" for the series "especially a year from now, two years from now."
----
Sorry, what? A 0.24 IndyCar season average EXCEEDS their forecasts? (I haven't seen any numbers published by Indy Lights #s must be 0.0x). No wonder DirecTV is telling them to go stuff themselves!