ACC Network Thread

[sutomcat]

Good article on the status of the negotiations between Disney and Charter, one of the biggest cable systems out there. The window for extending their agreement expired on Friday but both sides have agreed to keep talking.

Disney and Charter blow through deadline but keep talking about a new carriage agreement

The continued talks suggest that both sides hope to avoid a blackout of ESPN and other Disney channels.

www.cnbc.com

One of the sticking points is apparently the price ESPN is asking for ACCN subscriptions. Sounds like the ACC might do better than expected here. There are increasing rumors a deal with Charter is near.

If so, the #1, 3, 5 and 7th largest providers will be on board.

Rank	MSO name	Brand	Total subscribers	Technology
1	AT&T	AT&T Now, DirecTV, and AT&T U-verse	22,360,000[2]	Fiber/VDSL/IPTV/Satellite
2	Comcast	Xfinity	20,850,000[3]	Cable/Fiber/IPTV
3	Charter Communications	Spectrum	15,950,000[3]	Cable/Fiber/IPTV
4	Dish Network	Dish and Sling TV	12,060,000 [3]	Satellite/Fiber/IPTV
5	Verizon	Fios	4,400,000[3]	Fiber
6	Cox Communications	Contour	4,132,000[3]	Cable/Fiber/IPTV
7	Altice USA	Optimum, Suddenlink, Altice Business[3]	3,300,000[3]	Cable/Fiber

Adding Charter will get the ACCN up to about 60% of the subscribers in the Big Seven.

I think DISH will be next after Charter. DIIRECTTV (AT&T), DISH Are losing far more subscribers than the other big providers, probably because they don’t offer fast access to the Internet. Cord cutters can and often are retained as customers with the other providers.

DISH can’t afford to have another reason to lose subscribers, especially when DIRECTTV has already signed up.

Adding DISH would get subscriptions up to about 70% of the Big Seven, around 55 million. Add in the streaming services already on board, and hopefully YOUTUBE and things look really good. Really good.

 

[Libero2]

Any word regarding Comcast? Are they even at the table yet? Also assuming Comcast doesn’t pick up ACCN to start, what viewing options exist?

 

[Chris02M]

yes when i was on chat just now they said an agreement is close

 

[Chris02M]

in asked if they knew cable tier yet and they said not yet

 

[sutomcat]

Any word regarding Comcast? Are they even at the table yet? Also assuming Comcast doesn’t pick up ACCN to start, what viewing options exist?

This article says the existing agreements Dish, Comcast and Cox has with Disney do not expire for a couple of years. It may well be that they don’t add the network until after the season starts, or even years from now.

Sources: Comcast, Cox, Dish Unlikely To Carry ACC Net At Launch

John Swofford is bullish on ACC Network carriage, but some big players remain holdouts.

www.sportsbusinessdaily.com

The contract expiration date and the coverage map for the carrier have to be the two biggest factors driving when (or if) the ACCN will be added.

As a satellite based provider, Dish has a national footprint and there is no coverage map for its customers available. Its biggest competitor, Direct TV, is already on board with ACCN. Dish and Direct TV have been the two carriers most affected by cord cutting (they don’t offer high speed Internet services). They have been losing subscribers far more than the copper or fiber distribution based carriers and the trend towards cord cutting kills them. Things are not good for them right now.

So the company is hurting and their top competitor is on board with ACCN. Even though this contract is not expiring soon, they have to be feeling pressure from their sales folks to add the channel and not provide another reason for their customers to go elsewhere. I think they add ACCN but not until just before it goes on line, or a few weeks afterwards.

It should be noted that Dish owns Sling. I am going to assume this is not good news for Sling customers hoping to get the ACCN from day one. But again, it is hard for me to see them shunning the ACCN. Dish has a good relationship with Disney and ESPN and they are fighting for their lives right now.

Comcast does have a coverage map. They have a wide distribution over many states. While I would not say Comcast is a core provider in most ACC territories, it has a presence in many ACC territories, like Pennsylvania, Massachusetts Maryland, Virginia, Georgia and Florida. They are very strong in Illinois and they are a company where Notre Dame fans may play a big role in getting this deal done.

Comcast has a good relationship with Disney. They just entered an agreement with Disney regarding control over Hulu, selling their stake to Disney (this is why Hulu got on board with the ACCN so early).

I think they are in the same boat as Dish. I expect an agreement by the end of September but it might not happen from day one.

Xfinity Availability & Coverage Map | BroadbandNow

As the Comcast coverage map above makes clear, Xfinity is the largest cable company in the USA. The Comcast Internet availability area covers [ProviderStateCount] states and offers service to a population of [ProviderPopCount], with the widest statewide coverage in [ProviderTopStates] as of...

broadbandnow.com

The coverage map for Cox is not a great one for the ACC. They don’t have a great presence along the Eastern seaboard and while i don’t see a bad realationship between them and Disney, I don’t see a strong one either. If I had to guess who will be the last big carrier to get on board with the ACCN, it would be Cox.

Cox Internet: Coverage & Availability Map | BroadbandNow.com

 

[Libero2]

This article says the existing agreements Dish, Comcast and Cox has with Disney do not expire for a couple of years. It may well be that they don’t add the network until after the season starts, or even years from now.

Sources: Comcast, Cox, Dish Unlikely To Carry ACC Net At Launch

John Swofford is bullish on ACC Network carriage, but some big players remain holdouts.

www.sportsbusinessdaily.com

The contract expiration date and the coverage map for the carrier have to be the two biggest factors driving when (or if) the ACCN will be added.

As a satellite based provider, Dish has a national footprint and there is no coverage map for its customers available. Its biggest competitor, Direct TV, is already on board with ACCN. Dish and Direct TV have been the two carriers most affected by cord cutting (they don’t offer high speed Internet services). They have been losing subscribers far more than the copper or fiber distribution based carriers and the trend towards cord cutting kills them. Things are not good for them right now.

So the company is hurting and their top competitor is on board with ACCN. Even though this contract is not expiring soon, they have to be feeling pressure from their sales folks to add the channel and not provide another reason for their customers to go elsewhere. I think they add ACCN but not until just before it goes on line, or a few weeks afterwards.

It should be noted that Dish owns Sling. I am going to assume this is not good news for Sling customers hoping to get the ACCN from day one. But again, it is hard for me to see them shunning the ACCN. Dish has a good relationship with Disney and ESPN and they are fighting for their lives right now.

Comcast does have a coverage map. They have a wide distribution over many states. While I would not say Comcast is a core provider in most ACC territories, it has a presence in many ACC territories, like Pennsylvania, Massachusetts Maryland, Virginia, Georgia and Florida. They are very strong in Illinois and they are a company where Notre Dame fans may play a big role in getting this deal done.

Comcast has a good relationship with Disney. They just entered an agreement with Disney regarding control over Hulu, selling their stake to Disney (this is why Hulu got on board with the ACCN so early).

I think they are in the same boat as Dish. I expect an agreement by the end of September but it might not happen from day one.

Xfinity Availability & Coverage Map | BroadbandNow

As the Comcast coverage map above makes clear, Xfinity is the largest cable company in the USA. The Comcast Internet availability area covers [ProviderStateCount] states and offers service to a population of [ProviderPopCount], with the widest statewide coverage in [ProviderTopStates] as of...

broadbandnow.com

The coverage map for Cox is not a great one for the ACC. They don’t have a great presence along the Eastern seaboard and while i don’t see a bad realationship between them and Disney, I don’t see a strong one either. If I had to guess who will be the last big carrier to get on board with the ACCN, it would be Cox.

Cox Internet: Coverage & Availability Map | BroadbandNow.com

Thank you for the detailed response. Here’s hoping Comcast gets on board quickly

 

[Moontan]

Dish and Direct TV have been the two carriers most affected by cord cutting (they don’t offer high speed Internet services). They have been losing subscribers far more than the copper or fiber distribution based carriers and the trend towards cord cutting kills them. Things are not good for them right now.

...

The coverage map for Cox is not a great one for the ACC. They don’t have a great presence along the Eastern seaboard and while i don’t see a bad realationship between them and Disney, I don’t see a strong one either. If I had to guess who will be the last big carrier to get on board with the ACCN, it would be Cox.

Cox Internet: Coverage & Availability Map | BroadbandNow.com

Two items...

1. DirecTV is now owned by AT&T which offers Internet service just about everywhere in the country. You get bundled packages that include Internet.
   
   We migrated fromAT&T's U-Verse to DirecTV when AT&T refused to renew our U-Verse discounts (they clearly want to move from U-Verse to DirecTV & DirecTV Now). The big draw for us with U-Verse and DirecTV is wireless STBs. We typically watch 3-4 college football games on our deck. This year's Clemson game will be one of those as the wife's Gators and the Atlanta United play at the same time. Don't worry, I have already claimed audio for night.
   Streaming apps on AppleTV and other devices (Firestick, Roku) may open things up when we next re-evaluate things.
   
   
2. One thing that has hurt Cox are government restrictions. Cox is based in Atlanta.. in the middle of SEC & ACC country. They also own television stations and newspapers. Due to that they were not allowed to get into the cable business close to home. Word on the street is that they may now be selling their Atlanta based TV stations. Perhaps they can try to buy into the local market.

 

[Vorony]

Are there any rumblings about DirecTV NOW adding the ACCN? I figured they’d be in, since DirecTV was one of the early commits. But radio silence from the cord cutting streaming platform that bears the same name. We get a deal on DirecTV NOW through my wife’s cell plan with AT&T, and are grandfathered into one of their earlier packages with more channel options. So I really don’t want to switch providers if I don’t need to.

 

[upperdeck]

locally New Visions is on board. except for the fact they are so far behind the install band wagon most people in their footprint cant get a signal. We are over a yr behind the install window we were promised.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[FloridaFan]

Huge pickup

 

[UnknownOrange]

Zero reason why you shouldn’t carry YouTube TV now. I am it’s biggest supporter. It is SO worth it

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Zero reason why you shouldn’t carry YouTube TV now. I am it’s biggest supporter. It is SO worth it

I'm digging it.

Now digging it even more.

Also, everybody should watch Cobra Kai.

No, shut up.

Watch it.

 

[gbo]

Will there be a stand alone app?

 

[JeffCuse]

It would be easier just to list all the networks that aren't carrying the ACCN yet.

Comcast

 

[TexanMark]

Great news for me and a few others here

YouTube TV is Adding The ACC Network Joining PlayStation Vue & Hulu - Cord Cutters News

 

[llandz]

So looks like as a Cox area, we will be left out. I guess I will have to pay for a YouTube subscription or find some other streaming method...my son will hook me up with something. Or some nice person will give me their remote sign in password...Nice person?

 

[Stevenson]

Great news for me and a few others here

YouTube TV is Adding The ACC Network Joining PlayStation Vue & Hulu - Cord Cutters News

How much is YouTube Tv a month?

 

[bevosu]

How much is YouTube Tv a month?

Here's a list of their channels and the cost per month...

YouTube TV - Watch & DVR Live Sports, Shows & News

 

[TexanMark]

How much is YouTube Tv a month?

About $50

 

[nzm136]

Here's a list of their channels and the cost per month...

YouTube TV - Watch & DVR Live Sports, Shows & News

So $50 a month for YES, the Smithsonian Channel/Nat Geo (there’s no way they’re both good), the ACCN, Cartoon Network, and the BBC?

(I won’t actually pirate, but I’m also not paying $50’s a month for 5 channels +/- the occasional Vandy game on the SECN.)

 

[TexanMark]

So $50 a month for YES, the Smithsonian Channel/Nat Geo (there’s no way they’re both good), the ACCN, Cartoon Network, and the BBC?

(I won’t actually pirate, but I’m also not paying $50’s a month for 5 channels +/- the occasional Vandy game on the SECN.)

To the adults out there: They are offering a free two week trial.

NZM fortunately has his Mom's sign-in.

 

[GoCuse08]

So $50 a month for YES, the Smithsonian Channel/Nat Geo (there’s no way they’re both good), the ACCN, Cartoon Network, and the BBC?

(I won’t actually pirate, but I’m also not paying $50’s a month for 5 channels +/- the occasional Vandy game on the SECN.)

5 channels? There are way more than 5. Its way cheaper than spectrum and Fios. Not sure what you have.

 

[SyracuseMiami]

So $50 a month for YES, the Smithsonian Channel/Nat Geo (there’s no way they’re both good), the ACCN, Cartoon Network, and the BBC?

(I won’t actually pirate, but I’m also not paying $50’s a month for 5 channels +/- the occasional Vandy game on the SECN.)

Ummm... more like 70+ Channels including locals, and all the ones you’d want for news and sports. It’s a replacement for cable not an add on. Geez.

YouTube TV - Watch & DVR Live Sports, Shows & News

Stream live TV from ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN & popular cable networks in English and Spanish. Record without DVR storage space limits. Try it free. Cancel anytime.

tv.youtube.com

 

[Offthedome]

I will fly the YouTubeTv banner proudly. If you like sports and hate being tied to traditional cable companies it is the best thing out there. The only thing it doesn't have is the NFL Network. I'm not a huge NFL person, so I can live with the games just on the major networks. It has Big Ten Network, MLB Network, YES, SNY,
4 ESPN channels, Olympic sports channels, CBSSports, TBS. Just awesome.