Responding to a post earlier this week in which college football fan Matt complained about not being able to watch certain college football games in HD on an ESPN channel due to programming decisions, Mike from ESPN’s communications department wrote in to clear the air: [More]
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ESPN Drives Football Fans Crazy With Arbitrary HD Blackouts
By 10.4.10
Once you become addicted to watching football in HD, it’s tough to go back to standard definition. And when you realize that people in other parts of the country are getting to watch the game in dazzling HD while you suffer through your grainy, small-screen 1985 version thanks to a nonsensical decision by ESPN, it’s darn near maddening. [More]
Time Warner Cable Reaches Deal With Disney, Customers To Get ESPN 3 Access
By 9.3.10
On the last day of the NFL pre-season, football fans are rejoicing — or at least the ones who subscribe to Time Warner Cable. The company has finally reached an agreement with Walt Disney Co. that will keep Disney-owned channels like ESPN from being blacked out during the first week of the the NCAA and NFL seasons. And TWC customers will now have access to ESPN’s online video portal ESPN3. [More]
Time Warner Cable & Disney To Kiss And Make Up Before Football Season Starts
By 8.30.10
With only days to go before the NCAA and NFL football seasons kick off, many Time Warner Cable customers have been worried that their cable provider wouldn’t be able to hash out an agreement with Walt Disney Co. and that they’d be without ESPN when they needed it most. But it looks like that crisis will be averted and the companies will work out their differences soon. [More]
DISH Network Ditches 4 HD Channels Over Squabble With Disney
By 6.23.10
DISH Network customers may have noticed that some of their favorite channels no longer seem as high-def as they were a few days ago. That’s because the satellite provider has dropped four Disney-owned channels in a dispute with the Mouse over carriage fees. [More]
ESPN3 Coming To Some Xbox Live Consoles
By 6.15.10
Have a Gold Xbox Live account? Want to catch the latest in bass fishing, Aussie rules football and high school volleyball? You may just be in luck. ESPN has cut a deal with Microsoft to provide its streaming ESPN3 service — which includes all of these events, as well as the latest in cricket and poker — to many Xbox 360 owners with Gold accounts. Okay, you’re not limited to just those sports. ESPN3 also has the FIFA World Cup, a selection of MLB games — and the Scripps National Spelling Bee. [More]
The Last Days Of ESPN Zone
By 6.9.10
It looks like Times Square will be losing one of its most venerated eateries with the news today that the Walt Disney Co. has decided to close almost all of their ESPN Zone restaurants. [More]
List Of Subscriber Fees Shows What You Pay For Channels You Hate
By 3.9.10
After the spat between Cablevision and Disney invaded the Oscar telecast last Sunday, the fees channels charge cable companies (who then pass them along to you) have come into the spotlight. All Things Digital posted a list from industry analyst SNL Kagan that shows the wholesale prices each channel charges cable companies for their product. [More]
Microsoft May Start Streaming ESPN On Xbox 360
By 1.19.10
Microsoft is in talks to stream ESPN programming through the Xbox 360, the New York Times reports. [More]
Why A Comcast/NBC Merger Is Bad News
By 12.3.09
As the Comcast/NBC mergepocalypse draws near, we wanted to remind readers of the ways that this is going to harm consumers (beyond the obvious things like 30 Rock being promised to come on between 6 and 10 pm and actually airing at 11:30). Join us for a sad look into the future. [More]
Best Buy Caught Using Sneaky Sneaky Tricks To Sell HDTV Calibration Service
By 11.3.08
I’ve read some bad Best Buy stories in my time here at The Consumerist, but this one really takes the asshole cake. To sell its special HDTV calibration service, this Best Buy in NC set up two identical model HDTVs, both showing ESPN. As seen in the picture tipster Robert took, the “calibrated” one is noticeably better. That’s because it’s showing ESPN HD and the one on the left is showing just regular ESPN. You can also see how a set of box have been placed in front of the non-calibrated tv on the left so you can’t see that’s it not ESPN HD. That, my friends, is quintessential deceptive marketing. Robert’s story of what he saw, and the rivers of bullshit and non-answer that came out of the Best Buy employees’ mouths when he confronted them about it, inside…
HOWTO: Remove Annoying Announcers From Sports
By 12.9.06
If you’re like us and you’re sick of listening to Joe Theismann overstate everything on Monday Night Football, this might be the tip for you. Joe seems like he’s just stepped out of the womb, doesn’t he? Every touchdown is a game winner to Joe. Anyway, here’s a feature you didn’t know you were getting when you sunk that cash into a 5.1 system.
