Food voyeurs can rest easy, the the Scripps channels are back on U-Verse after a short blackout.
The two sides had been gearing up for a public PR battle, but apparently we’ll be spared that pain. We at Consumerist are especially grateful, because we’re really getting sick of writing about these blackouts.
Apparently people get quite annoyed when you take their food porn away:
“AT&T U-verse customers, we have been overwhelmed by your loyalty and support of (HGTV) and our other networks — DIY, Food Network, Cooking Channel and GAC,” AT&T said in a statement.
Reader Ed says he was able to call U-Verse and get a $50 credit and a movie channel package free for 6 months, so at least there’s that.
Food Network, HGTV, back on U-verse [Chicago Tribune]
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Gawd, how did people manage to get by without Food Network Cake Competitions, which have already been rebroadcast 300 times. (grin)
Yeah, can I DROP those channels and save the money on my bill that U-Verse would be paying them from my pocket?
(rhetorical question)
HGTV and DIY network. For when theres nothing else on and the DVR seems empty
YYAAAAAYYYYY. Now I won’t have to figure out how to “aquire” the new Good Eats episode for this week. It’s especially important you know, because it’s about Pumpkin Pie. #pumpkinlust
Thank you for the heads up!
Personally I could do without those channels. Of course there are other channels I wouldn’t want to lose. I would think that most networks outside of the major ones don’t have too much bargaining power with the cable companies. If this battle was over money, then they can’t agree to pay too much more to the network if the statistics show they aren’t popular channels. And if people want these channels they need to let the cable company know they want them. Of course I don’t know what the disagreement was in this case.
FYI – They were already offering the free 6 month movie package prior to this blackout.
I hate U-verse. They push it like it’s Soylent Green around here, but it costs more and we’d lose one of our DVRs and local channels into the bargain. No thanks.
Hmmm. There’s a new product advertised to you that does not give you as good a deal as your current product. So you hate the new product? The totally voluntary one which you don’t have and are not being forced to switch to?
Do you see a therapist once or twice a week?
Yes, totally voluntary, except that I can’t opt out of the nigh-relentless pushing of said product by AT&T. See, if you’re an AT&T customer (which I am, because they’re pretty much the only game in town) you’re a captive audience.
Add to that the fact that I almost had U-verse installed, only to find out that the sales rep had lied and omitted certain facts about it when the installer arrived.
So yes, I hate U-verse. I hate AT&T. And frankly, after that snide and condescending comment of yours, I’m not liking you whole lot either.
Uhh… they have Total Home DVR. One DVR = DVR access in every room of the house. Also, every package they offer includes local channels. Unless you’re not talking about U-Verse, and instead are talking about AT&T’s DirectTV offerings, which have nothing to do with U-Verse whatsoever.
U-Verse’s cable, internet, and phone service is completely different from normal AT&T services, and has pretty freaking high customer satisfaction compared to most other big cable providers, with the biggest complaint usually being that it’s not available in a lot of places still.
Oh, for Pete’s sake! Regardless of the (inexplicable) love for AT&T you guys are showing, for me, U-verse is an over-hyped, unnecessary, sucky step backward.
Currently, we have TWO DVR capable receivers, so going to ONE would be less, get it? With TWO, there are no arguments between my kids and what they want to record in the family room and my mother who never wants to give up the living room TV. See how that’s more convenient?
Second, what do you consider local? We live smack in the middle between two major cities. We currently get the channels from one, but if we got U-verse, we would get nothing but the channels from the other. We don’t want the channels from the other city.
And for these inconveniences, we wouldn’t be paying any less.
Now, may I please be allowed the luxury of my own opinion about AT&T, U-verse and pretty much anything else that affects my life and for which total strangers (you know who you are) have limited (or no) frame of reference? Yeah, thanks.
PBScreate makes a good substitute for the foodie channels… and its free OTA.
This Old House is way better than anything on HGTV too (other than maybe Holmes on Homes).
Didn’t even notice they were gone.
I was pissed last night when I couldnt see a re-broadcast of a 5 year old Holmes on Holmes episode…. no, really, I was…. I love that show.
Sounds like he sat people from AT&T and Scripps down and told them to (dons sunglasses) make it right.
I was so upset Friday night when I got home and NO HGTV! I was too upset to do anything about it this weekend but I was going to call them Monday and cancel and go to Comcast. Thank goodness it was all settled.
“a movie channel package free for 6 months, so at least there’s that. “
Be careful, I still wouldn’t trust them. I’d look for details such as you have to call and cancel the service before the 6-month period is over, otherwise you’ll get automatically billed for the once ‘free’ channels.
You do have to call to cancel before the 6 mo is over to avoid being billed.
can uverse bring back hallmark channel, please please please