Fox Sports Net Ohio finally has got Insight cable to play ball on HDTV, so what's the hold up with Time Warner? Insight announced today that it will carry all 33 FSN Ohio HDTV games on a new channel, Channel 929, starting with Opening Day. The 33 games will be available at no extra cost to Insight customers who already have a HDTV box and "digital choice" service. If you just got HDTV, it will cost you $67 a month for 12 months, with an Insight promotional package, says PR guy Jon Dobken.
DirecTV also will have the games in HDTV.
But with Opening Day 10 days away, still nothing with Time Warner, the region's biggest cable operator. Says Time Warner spokeswoman Karen Baxter: "We are not ready to make any kind of announcement yet."
What are the chances you'll make a deal before Opening Day?
"I don't know."
Why should we be surprised? Time Warner didn't make a deal for Channel 12's new CinCW channel until the day before it premiered last September.
Deal or no deal? I can't wait to read your comments on this one....
Time Warner has added exactly zero HD content in the last 2+ years. Why start now?
ReplyDeleteThis sort of "customer service" is why I left Time Warner over 5 years ago and will never do business with them again.
ReplyDeleteIt's DirecTV, CinBell, & Zoomtown for me.
Nothing like a good monopoly to feed the bottom line.
WLW still trying to work a deal with Paul Daugherty, our sports columnist, to do SportsTalk. They've been talking for a month.
ReplyDeleteTWC knows they have people who don't want to buy equipment and are scared of weather interruptions, so why should they care what anyone wants? If they did, TWC subscribers would have ESPNU and NFL Network.
ReplyDeleteBut the CW isn't in HDTV in Cincinnati and at least its available free over the air, unlike the Reds games
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I live in Northern Kentucky, where not do I get 10Mbps of High Speed Internet, but I also get to see my beloved Reds on HD.
ReplyDeleteThanks Insight!
MR RED!
John,
ReplyDeletePlease keep us updated about Time Warner. They have made the bare minimum committment to HD. I am very dissappointed in their service.
i was taught if you cant say anything nice dont say anything at all and with timewarner i dont have anything to say except that tw is a jerk of a company and we actually lost a hd channel inhd2 so we are yet again paying more for less
ReplyDeleteI don't have HD tv yet but intend to get a HD set in the near future. From everything I read here and from former experience with Time Warner it sure sounds like DirecTV is the way to go.
ReplyDeleteI guess Time Warner is still operating like they're the only game in town. Time for them to wake up and smell the coffee. I don't see any reason to put up with the games that they're playing. I have to think that they must be losing customers like crazy if this is how they treat them.
Why is anyone surprised by this?
ReplyDeleteIf there was real market demand for more HDTV channels, there would be more HDTV channels.
This speaks more to the lack of HDTV households in the Cincinnati market than anything about Time Warner cable.
Maybe when you can go into Target or Wal Mart and buy an HDTV without taking out a second mortgage, there will be more people owning them and demanding better HD content.
Speaking of HD content, is Time Warner going to add anything else to its HD tier. Their HD lineup is pathetic.
ReplyDeleteThis is good to hear. Owning a very large HDTV, this will add to my enjoyment. This is especially good to hear from FSN since they pretty much have the worst standard broadcast quality of any cable station. I hope they do the same thing for UK games next year (although they will be awful, but that is left for another blog)
ReplyDeleteWhat channel on DirecTv is Fox Sports Cincinnati in HD ? Will Tom Gamble being going back to the 2 Angry guys show once he is done with Sports Talk ?
ReplyDeleteWarner is terrible. I can't wait to
ReplyDeleteget them in my rear view mirror. Really missed my Bearcats on ESPNu,
don't get my sprintcars on the Speed Channel, how long ago did they axe
WOR because it was "repeat" programming. I told them to shove the broadband and their TV is next.
I hope Doc doesn't get the gig. His voice is about as exciting as my high
school latin teacher who was so boring he sometimes actually fell asleep while teaching.
Would somebody tell Gamble to shut up and take a call. God is he bombastic. I don't need your five minute opinion on everything TOM.
Especially at 100 decibals or whatever he is shouting at.
Note the digs Furman is getting in
on his new Downtowner column??? We
need a cage match to the death between these guys. I mean until they are all dead. Bring back Stoney and Tony Yates--that's time
capsule talk radio. Schlister's out, he'll even call you back after
the show.
Limited market size may be one thing, but I think it's more because we (the HD-loving consumers) don't make a big enough stink about it.
ReplyDeleteThere are enough of us to sway opinion at TWC offices. We just have to be heard. Thanks to Kiese for keeping it in the spotlight.
Props too to Insight for stepping up. Wish we had them on this side of the river.
True fans won't need to see the HD on opening day. (Being at the stadium is the only thing better than HD.) So really... TWC needs to get their act together by the next HD broadcast: game 2, April 4.
I hear that one of the Dayton stations is going to start local news in HDTV next month. Where are the Cincinnati stations on that?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely...Time Warner's HD line-up is nothing short of pathetic. Still no ESPN2 HD, for example. There are so many HD choices elsewhere, but not here. TWC's lack of caring is almost laughable.
ReplyDeleteJohn,
ReplyDeleteCan you give an update about TWC and FSN HD? Anything you can do would be appreciated.
I called TW just today, and they are still saying "They do not now offer FSN in HD".
ReplyDeleteColumbus TW does.
I certainly hope TW Cinci shows their appreciation to their loyal customers by offering home town HD coverage of the Reds.
Phil in Wilmington