DirecTV Drops Versus, Eight Flyers Games Hang in the Balance

by Ben Rothenberg on Sep 1, 2009 6:24 PM EDT in News

If you live in Europe, where today's date is written 1/9/09, you may have misread a calendar and turned on your TV in the hopes of seeing some good ol' January hockey. And if you have DirecTV in Europe (this is where the scenario loses some footing), and you tuned to Versus hoping to see hockey, you would have been met with the following message:

Versus is no longer available on this channel.

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

The Flyers are scheduled to play eight games this season on Versus (tied for third most in the league), plus many more as the Orange and Black make their way to the Stanley Cup Finals during next year's playoffs.

Odds are the tiff will be resolved by the start of the season. But if it's not--how would your hockey life be impacted by not getting Versus? Would you be willing to pay extra for it?

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People with Directv don’t get CSN, which means they can only see the Flyers on NBC or Versus, right?

If it wasn’t that important to see the other 65 or so games, I don’t see why Flyers fans should be complaining now.

by MarioD on Sep 1, 2009 6:53 PM EDT reply actions

directv does have CSN… im in Virginia, so it’s all Caps but we sometimes get a couple unCap related flyer games through the CSN feed. Center Ice through Directv hooked me up with about 75 flyer games… the local NBC station here blocked a couple saturday games from the area, showed basketball and a local very lame telethon instead. the people i know at the station claim it was the corporate NBC’s fault by not allowing the local to redirect the game on an affiliate station.

by fitzy first on Sep 2, 2009 10:50 AM EDT up reply actions

Not 100% positive … but I believe in market DirectTV does not get CNS so in Washington, Chicago, Philly, Boston, and LA(???) you do not get CNS from DirectTV, but if you leave the general market and into the greater market you will get it.

I have Comcast Cable just for the Flyers game.

by ic0n67 on Sep 2, 2009 11:50 AM EDT up reply actions

I know a lot of hockey fans in general dropping DirecTV. I’ve been cursed with a next door neighbor who happens to be a Pens fan (he has the damn flag hanging outside his house) and he recently got rid of it and switched to Fios.

Besides that, I agree with MarioD in that if you had DirecTV, you would have had to subscribe to Comcast cable as well just to get CSN. I prefer the games on CSN and NBC anyway—have always found the video quality on VS lacking, even if the announcers are superior to NBC most games. VS reminds me of old PRISM footage at times.

by doubleh on Sep 1, 2009 7:25 PM EDT reply actions

Watching Flyers Games

no you do not need to subscribe to CSN to watch the flyers games. You can’t get CSN outside of the local area. Direct TV offers a center ice package that allows me to watch all the games not on NBC or Versus. I lived in Florida and watched almost every game, The problem for people like me is that without versus we will miss eight flyers games. BTW, you came off as sort of a dick mario.

by philliesfan314 on Sep 1, 2009 7:29 PM EDT reply actions

Yep, Center Ice is what my next door neighbor has in order to watch his beloved Pens. You can now get that through Fios here so he dropped DirecTV.

by doubleh on Sep 1, 2009 7:32 PM EDT up reply actions

I use the internet at college. 20 bucks a month=every game thats not on local TV. BTW I go to school in Washington. Lots of Philly fans here though.

by philliesfan314 on Sep 1, 2009 7:34 PM EDT up reply actions

Who do you buy it through because $20 a month isn’t too bad? Center Ice?

by Mitchell Green on Sep 3, 2009 2:20 PM EDT up reply actions

And Center Ice gets local games blacked out. So, your post makes no sense.

by MarioD on Sep 1, 2009 11:17 PM EDT up reply actions

why would i need center ice for a LOCAL game. think before you post.

by philliesfan314 on Sep 2, 2009 7:39 AM EDT up reply actions

Do you even understand what we’re talking about here?

You would need center ice for a local game because Direct TV does not carry CSN Philly.

by MarioD on Sep 2, 2009 12:10 PM EDT up reply actions

Center ice does not broadcast the Flyers feed of any games…see my post below…

World Ph*cking Champs! That was fun - let's do it again...

by Jordan Ellel on Sep 2, 2009 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions

I should say most games…there are maybe 3-4 a year…

World Ph*cking Champs! That was fun - let's do it again...

by Jordan Ellel on Sep 2, 2009 12:17 PM EDT up reply actions

I wish people would stop making the connection between the Flyers and Versus, as if the organization may have had something to do with this.

by Ben Feldman on Sep 1, 2009 10:53 PM EDT reply actions

Soon I won’t have Versus anyway. I still have analog cable because free cable was one of the offers of moving in here. But now, from everything I’ve read, If you have analog cable your losing just about every channel above 30. Hurray for Comcast putting out ads saying “If you already have comcast cable, you don’t have to worry about the transition to High Def”

by Mark D on Sep 2, 2009 3:15 AM EDT reply actions

You’re comparing apples and oranges.

by MarioD on Sep 2, 2009 12:10 PM EDT up reply actions

Comcast can blow me...

Live in Phoenix (boo Balsillie!)…have Directv and get the Center Ice to watch Flyers games (and non-locally televised Coyotes games…)…unfortunately, due to an exemption that Comcast got pushed through Congress, we do not get CSN Philly (get CSN for other markets (San Fran, Washington, etc.), so we do not get the Philly feeds broadcast for the Flyers or Phillies. I only get to watch the Philly broadcast if it is otherwise not televised or on My17 (or whatever that station is called these days). It is a load of crap, generally, and having to listen to blowhards like Denis Potvin and Jack Edwards call games is probably the most grating thing ever…

To further compound the problems, there is a general 2-3 hour time difference (depending on daylight savings time since we don’t do that here), and I will tape games and try to watch when I get home from work…losing the 8 games on Versus, while unfortunate, won’t make a huge difference…missing playoff games would be wholly unacceptable…

World Ph*cking Champs! That was fun - let's do it again...

by Jordan Ellel on Sep 2, 2009 12:10 PM EDT reply actions

this just plain sucks. i get center ice because i want to see every flyers game. even missing eight games would be a complete downer. and like moridin said, not seeing playoff games would be the ulimate travesty as a hockey fan. hopefully this dispute will get resolved.

by shawman35 on Sep 2, 2009 2:26 PM EDT reply actions

DIRECTV cannot get csn, due to when comcast started they said that the only way a company can broadcast their station is if they have a hard line service, that is the reason why Verizon Fios was able to get it. Not too mention why in the hell would you have directv the service is so inconsitent, comcast is better and i hate comcast. Plus Versus can suck it they are a horrible station I cant stand it when the flyers play on their network.

by ritter82 on Sep 2, 2009 2:27 PM EDT reply actions

FiOS only has CSN for i THINK 5 years. They contracted the channel from Comcast much the same way Comcast is trying to do with DirectTV. In 5 years your CSN could disappear from FiOS if there isn’t a new agreement before then.

by ic0n67 on Sep 2, 2009 3:17 PM EDT up reply actions

No more name calling folks. It will get deleted, so don’t bother.

The Daily Forehand -- SB Nation's Tennis Destination.
Broad Street Hockey.

by Ben Rothenberg on Sep 2, 2009 7:40 PM EDT reply actions

Sorry Ben, just frustrated with the way certain bloggers treat everyone else.

by Billsfly48 on Sep 2, 2009 7:45 PM EDT reply actions

How can Comcast consider this to be a good strategy? Aren’t they better off getting their channel out to fans of their hockey team? Having more viewers see their commercials? Keep their fledgling POS channel going? Do I have to switch and root for the Sharks, just because I live in Northern California?

by DonVito on Sep 3, 2009 2:28 PM EDT reply actions

youre right- it doesnt make any sense, especially since NFL network now is on comcast after much debate… shows how bad business creates bad business headed by the greedy monopoly mongers… directv show no class either with their little announcement of so-called “outrageous demands”. i feel outraged every time i look at my directv bill…!!!

by fitzy first on Sep 3, 2009 2:36 PM EDT up reply actions

The two outfits argue and spar constantly, and it just shows that neither one is really committed to the product – they are so interested in turning the screws tighter on the other that they loose sight of what is truly important. I am convinced that the pissing match extends to the Comcast HD feeds shown on DirecTV are often delayed, often without sound at first, each one points fingers at the other. DirecTV has no vested interest in the product, but Comcast does – WHICH MAKES THIS WHOLE ABSOLUTELY MIND BLOWING. It is not like hockey, (sadly, but realistically) PBR, (which still means something else) cycling, fishing, and whatever else they show to take up timeslots are ‘name your price’ type of programming.

by DonVito on Sep 3, 2009 5:03 PM EDT up reply actions

don’t forget ultimate fighting… whatever happens i think we; as directv customers, will be paying for it… versus might become part of the sports pack or even worse “pay-per-view”… what’s most likely going to happen is a ‘Setenta sports’ (soccer) type deal – 15 bucks extra a month… sh*t rolls down hill and the consumer will be forced to step in it.

by fitzy first on Sep 4, 2009 11:04 AM EDT up reply actions

I would pay extra to see my Flyers play any day anytime. I’m moving to AZ soon and plan on getting packages just so I don’t miss a single game. I hate missing my hockey and watching those boys in action, especially when they stick it to pansies like the Caps or Penguins. Champions or not Penguins are nothing more then the NHLs ticket to more money and a bunch of diving guys who rarely play real hockey. As for the Caps they’re just a bunch of whiny idiots. either way if they take versus so be I will still watch my Flyers one way or another

by C_Daab on Sep 5, 2009 10:44 PM EDT reply actions