Zuffa Still Toeing the Line on Versus vs. DirecTV

by Luke Thomas on Sep 3, 2009 11:41 AM EDT in News Comment 7 comments

Wec_logo_medium UFC President Dana White sticks to reconciliation argument:

On the same day DirecTV pulled the plug on Versus, rival satellite television provider DISH Network made Versus available as a free preview to its subscribers for a three month period, which includes the Oct. 10 WEC event.

While WEC officials had not responded at the time of publication, UFC president Dana White recently commented on the situation.

"I have a new TV deal on Versus. I have a great relationship with them and they’re owned by Comcast. Trust me when I tell you, them and DirecTV are gonna work it out. Maybe they’ll keep butting heads and go off the air for a little while, but we’re talking about Comcast. We’re not talking about some wimpy little network or something like that. They’re gonna figure it out."

Bear in mind we are talking about an arrangement where actions being taken by one side are described as "non-negotiable" or "non-starter" or even "deal breaker" by the other. Do I have similar hopes as Zuffa brass for reconciliation? I suppose, but one wonders if that isn't just intellectual autopilot taking over to think "they'll work it out because they always do".

And for purposes of disclosure: I am a DirecTV customer. In fact, I upgraded in January to one of their HD packages after purchasing a new television. Part of the motivation for my upgrade was Versus in HD, which I confess to enjoying greatly during WEC broadcasts. This doesn't make me regret my purchasing decision on a 24 month contract for HD service, but it does have the odd effect of reinforcing how utterly bootleg the fledgling Versus appears next to ESPN.

Oh yeah: props to Dish Network for helping out even if just a little.

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Read More: zuffa, versus, comcast, directv, wec, dana white, dish network

Comments

the loser here is the fans

and since Comcast sucks balls (I’m a Comcast customer sadly) and they own Versus, I blame them.

Follow me on Twitter @KidNate

by Kid Nate on Sep 3, 2009 11:41 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs

+1

I miss HDNet.

by Chris Nelson on Sep 3, 2009 11:48 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I have had both

Comcast and DirectTV. I hate both. I wish it could be like the mid 90s again, when I had a black box and all was right in the world.

BOOSH

by Farthammer on Sep 3, 2009 1:16 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

That was the best.

by Phildo on Sep 3, 2009 1:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thats how I watched UFC 1.
=)

by MMASuPreMaCy on Sep 3, 2009 2:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Cable providers are the problem

A lot of other cable providers have versus as a basic cable channel and not as a sports tier package. The problem is with cable companies trying to bundle and sell it as a specialized channel that is causing this problem. There’s a simple solution instead of this posturing.

by cyke on Sep 3, 2009 1:23 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

That’s not the whole problem because the network owners don’t want their channels on the sports tier, because then they’ll be in a lot less homes, and the network will get less money.

by Phildo on Sep 3, 2009 1:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs