Are you a Brighthouse customer? Do you like the Indianapolis Colts? Or how about some other popular shows that appear on the CBS network? Maybe you’ve heard of some of these. I think they’re pretty popular:
- Survivor
- The Amazing Race
- CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
- CSI:NY
- CSI:Miami
- Criminal Minds
- How I Met Your Mother
- The Unit
- Without a Trace
That’s quite a line-up to go dark because of some negotiations failing between WISH/Lin Broadcasting and Brighthouse.
“We’ve been able to make arrangements with all other carriage providers, with AT&T, DirectTV, DISH and Comcast, where we didn’t have to go through what we’re going through now,” said WISH-TV general manager Jeff White.
What do you do? I know what I’d be doing.
If I were a customer, I’d be canceling my Brighthouse service and jumping to one of those other providers in a heart beat.
If I were WISHTV/Lin Broadcasting I’d be leaving the negotiating table and never walk back. I’d then help promote and migrate Brighthouse customers with the other local options available.
If I were Brighthouse, I’d be up a creek.
Let me see if I have this right. CBS, NBC and ABC are all stations that are free to the public. The operative word here is FREE. As a Brighthouse customer I think CBS is way out of line to diss it's customers through pure greed. We are all being railroaded by the HDTV all digital, let's get rid of analog debacle. Which makes Brighthouse equally culpable. These issues should have been completely resolved well before it became a problem for Brighthouse customers who are paying their bills and still not getting the services promised in the contract. Both are wrong! And I, for one, think Brighthouse customers should get a retroactive rebate on their bills once it's settled. It isn't like we have a choice in Indiana about who our cable providers are!
Thanks for your comments Chris and Amy. Good to hear from other side and see what existing customers have to say. I'm just curious now if the other networks who did agree with the new requests from LIN caved too soon? If the costs aren't passed on to the customer who are they passed on to? My opinion is that the customer is the one using the service, the costs should be passed on to them.
I am a Bright House customer. And I'm with Bright House in this fight. I think Lin/WISH is the one being greedy. Frankly, if it weren't for the Colts games, I wouldn't miss WISH one bit.
If I were Bright House, I'd hold out while still negotiating so the money that LIN is asking for isn't passed along to the customer.
Roger thanks for catching that oversight on my part. I saw the article on the WTHR website and then just started typing it each time. Thanks again!
Jason, Please check your Call Letters:
WTHR 13 NBC
WISH 8 CBS – Lin Broadcasting