Versus and DirecTV resumed negotiations about a week ago over their carriage dispute, but the talks evidently have yet to yield much light about a reconciliation. Comcast’s national sports network went dark on the No. 1 DBS operator on Sept. 1, when their contract expired. The sides remain apart, evidently entrenched over pricing and positioning issues, with DirecTV saying that Versus was seeking a 20% increase in license fees and that Versus should be located on a tier, as it is on Dish Network.
-lots more, with a recap of the history on Multichannel.com
Direct TV added complimentary access to the Universal Sports Channel through the end of September, right next to the now empty Versus channel in their lineup. The parties seem to be playing hardball.
BYU fans with DirecTv probably will not be too happy this weekend!
Wish some network (wish I had one) that could “piggyback” this game like how CBS and NBC did the NFL Network NE-NYG game a couple years ago. I would think Mountain West would go for that. Just have a feed for the Direct TV viewers of that game.
It really would be nice if Universal Sports would stay permanent. Great channel. One strange thing though, I keep getting cycling events when I tune in.
William, justin.tv. Just sayin’.
It would be nice to know how the Directv dropping of Versus has affected their ratings? Why can’t I find the IRL overnight ratings for Saturday’s Montegi race????
I just thought you might ALL LIKE TO KNOW, COMCAST OWNS DIRECT TV and to have them go public with having to call your DIRECT TV IS BULL, and if I am not mistaken, this is completely illegal advertising! Do your research, my family has made their phone calls to Comcast (owner) of Direct TV. WE ARE BEING PLAYED
Uhhh…Comcast DOES own Versus. But it doesn’t own DirecTV.
Comcast does not own DirecTV.
If you somehow really believe that you are being played.