Time Warner Cable Boycotting Epix Movie Channel Because It Did A Deal With Netflix

from the how-petty-can-you-get dept

Apparently Time Warner Cable can be incredibly petty and vindictive when it wants to be. The company has said that it's not interested in carrying Epix, the premium movie channel, because that channel did a deal with Netflix to help stream some movies to Netflix customers. It's hard to understand how this makes any sense at all. If I'm a Time Warner customer (and thankfully, I'm not), a move like this is just a reason to drop them (and to sign up with Netflix). Why treat your customers so badly, just because you don't like a little competition?
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Filed Under: cable, competition, epix, movies
Companies: netflix, time warner cable


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  1. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 17 Sep 2010 @ 3:11pm

    Sounds like a potential antitrust problem.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. icon
    Brandon (profile), 17 Sep 2010 @ 3:19pm

    Sounds like a great business model to me, AC. If every network streamed to Netflix and got dropped by cable providers as a result I would finally be able to ditch my cable TV and go online only. Yes please.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    BruceLD, 17 Sep 2010 @ 3:26pm

    Subject

    Comcast just placed a nail in its own coffin.

    Cable TV is eventually going to become a thing of the past. Streaming media is the future.

    This is going to turn in to a major advantage for Epix and Netflix. I haven't watched cable tv for about 10 years now as I just download whatever I want.

    When the streaming service arrives in Canada, I'm signing up for it. It sounds like something thats worth paying for.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. icon
    :Lobo Santo (profile), 17 Sep 2010 @ 3:32pm

    Re: Subject

    Ditto on the 'no TV for like 10 years'

    Netflix is well worth it. I watch what I want, when I want, without commercials.

    :D

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 17 Sep 2010 @ 3:44pm

    Re: Subject

    Comcast?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. icon
    Planespotter (profile), 17 Sep 2010 @ 3:45pm

    Mmmm... how long before they start lobbying to have their outdated business model propped up by the Government?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 17 Sep 2010 @ 3:47pm

    Re:

    Agreed, I hope cable does this for everyone who streams to Netflix. I sure would love to have Discovery/History Channels, especially since it would be On Demand. I think I may have just had a geekgasim at the thought

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 17 Sep 2010 @ 3:49pm

    Re: Re: Subject

    Comcast=Timewarner=CableOne, the cable monopoly that was "split up"

    link to this | view in thread ]

  9. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 17 Sep 2010 @ 3:54pm

    I um, I hope I'm not ruining this for everybody or anything, but are the TWC programming execs aware that Netflix works perfectly well over their internet service, which many of their subscribers have under the same plan? It's just that, well, it's not like their customers aren't going to get the Epix stuff if they want it.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  10. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 17 Sep 2010 @ 4:12pm

    I would rather see Epix on Netflix anyway.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  11. identicon
    JJC, 17 Sep 2010 @ 4:25pm

    Comcast, Nail in Coffin?

    Considering Comcast limits it's users monthly usage to 250 gigs and netflix movies average about 4 gigs apiece, I'd say its an effective means to limit netflix with thier customer base. Unfortunately, I have no other recourse in getting broadband internet where I'm at, non-monopoly my eye!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  12. identicon
    DS, 17 Sep 2010 @ 4:33pm

    Re: Re:

    Better yet, I could drop Time Warner.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  13. icon
    Jeremy7600 (profile), 17 Sep 2010 @ 4:39pm

    Re:

    I am a TW internet subscriber. Cancelled TV over a year and a half ago. Started netflix about 6 months after. They tried to cap and bill, but we protested and they backed off. Guess they want to DRIVE people to netflix. Maybe they think cap and bill will see the light of day and people will cancel netflix and stop watching hulu. Fat chance!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  14. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 17 Sep 2010 @ 4:44pm

    Re:

    The problem is that Time Warner is too big to fail and that exempts them from anti trust suits. Anti trust only applies to Google for being big yet not too big to fail.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  15. identicon
    trilobug, 17 Sep 2010 @ 4:46pm

    An epic decision

    Time Warner is only ISP provider in my area and I cannot get ESPN3.com. While a separate issue, I'm not surprised by this decision. If they had their druthers they would probably block Netflix all together if wouldn't piss too many off.

    I love Netflix and I spend too much time online anyway. I'm ditching DirecTV when my contract is up.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  16. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 17 Sep 2010 @ 4:46pm

    Unfortunately given no other reasonable choices, I'm stuck with TWC for internet and they have been "glitching" connections to Netflix for some time. It is not something easily provable but I can go days without any network problems pushing a meg a second over connections to work and such. But as soon as I bring up even non-hd tv show's on netflix my internet goes down for 10-15 seconds at a time about once an hour and I suffer huge loss of bandwidth which does not return unless I physically reset the cable modem.

    Sure wish there were some actual competition out here because I would most surely vote with my wallet and say FU TWC.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  17. identicon
    ChimpBush McHitlerBurton, 17 Sep 2010 @ 4:58pm

    Why???

    "Why treat your customers so badly, just because you don't like a little competition?"

    Because you're a Douche-Nozzle?

    Yep.

    CBMHB

    link to this | view in thread ]

  18. identicon
    TWC wack job, 17 Sep 2010 @ 7:22pm

    Hmm...

    As an employee of TWC, I can attest to the fact it is petty and vindictive. Not only to the other players, but to their employees and customers as well.

    If any of you has TWC for your carrier, you know that it is overloaded, over utilized and no capital is being spent to improve the situation.

    I look forward to the day when Google TV, Apple TV, Boxxee, HULU and the others are viable. Currently, it's close, but it's not quite there. When I can get my shows from the IP broadcast, I will gladly hand in my badge....even though I work on the "high speed" side.

    Let's all pray it comes together soon for IPTV. It is time for streaming media to take over from the cable companies who are trying to drain the customer's bank accounts. Isn't it amazing the pay rates aren't going up, but your cable bill continues to climb?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  19. identicon
    TWC wack job, 17 Sep 2010 @ 7:22pm

    Hmm...

    As an employee of TWC, I can attest to the fact it is petty and vindictive. Not only to the other players, but to their employees and customers as well.

    If any of you has TWC for your carrier, you know that it is overloaded, over utilized and no capital is being spent to improve the situation.

    I look forward to the day when Google TV, Apple TV, Boxxee, HULU and the others are viable. Currently, it's close, but it's not quite there. When I can get my shows from the IP broadcast, I will gladly hand in my badge....even though I work on the "high speed" side.

    Let's all pray it comes together soon for IPTV. It is time for streaming media to take over from the cable companies who are trying to drain the customer's bank accounts. Isn't it amazing the pay rates aren't going up, but your cable bill continues to climb?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  20. identicon
    AW, 17 Sep 2010 @ 7:38pm

    Oddly I can't really complain about my TWC people, granted we are the only town they service as a separate node of a larger branch, but I would much rather have TWC than Comcast as Comcast is almost double what I pay for TWC and has horrible customer service. I have noticed some throttling and that they block certain inbound attempts, but I watch tons of Netflix and have never had an issue. Literally the only thing keeping us on cable right now is my wife's stupid workout program.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  21. icon
    taoareyou (profile), 17 Sep 2010 @ 8:13pm

    Re: Re:

    Cap and Bill will never make if off the ground in the U.S. for one reason: Internet ads. If people are going to have caps on their usage that can cost them $$ they are going to take every measure available to block 100% of ad content that tries to get delivered to them. Sure there are people who use AdBlock now, but multiply that by millions and watch ad revenues plummet, and then watch sites that depend on ad revenue have to cut back or shut down.

    It can happen in other countries, but we all know the U.S. is the world's leading consumer and advertisers do not want us shutting them out in massive quantities.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  22. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 17 Sep 2010 @ 8:58pm

    Some people could be their own neighborhood netflix.

    I see some times people claiming they have 3 thousand DVD's, that is a lot of DVD's, if they set up a server they could provide endless joy to their own little communities LoL

    Netflix should got that way, building local servers where people can build things on it, it would be a boom to their business, they would control local storage and servers, that people could visit. I know the idea its not new but the twist may be.

    Now one thing I wonder, if netflix would go to France would their customers be disconnected from the internet for streaming movies?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  23. identicon
    TPBer, 18 Sep 2010 @ 11:22am

    Re:

    5TB and growing, I am the family's version of netflix. We have not used DVDs or any plastic for several years.

    All modern tvs worth buying (the operative word) have some sort of media player and usb ports. Just connect any one of the TB drives and access to approx 1000 movies at a time.

    The bigger Visios have 3 usb media ports, thatss 3000 at a time.

    Why would you even bother to burn to dvd?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  24. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 18 Sep 2010 @ 4:24pm

    Re: Re:

    5TB is approximately 2000 DVD's, I hope you have backups, that is the one problem with HDD's, you need to have a backup to make it last.

    About the USB have you tried a port expansion?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  25. icon
    DanVan (profile), 19 Sep 2010 @ 12:08pm

    There is a reason nobody I know remotely likes Time Warner. They are a crap company with crap products and most of their own customers would switch in a heartbeat if they had another company that could compete with Time Warner in their area which has been monopolized

    link to this | view in thread ]

  26. icon
    A Dan (profile), 20 Sep 2010 @ 7:36am

    Re: Comcast, Nail in Coffin?

    You could throttle your own connection, so Netflix doesn't run at the HD resolution. That's what I'm trying to do now.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  27. icon
    A Dan (profile), 20 Sep 2010 @ 7:41am

    Re:

    I just had to switch from Time Warner to Comcast. I can honestly say that I loved Time Warner in comparison.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  28. identicon
    JoeNYC, 20 Sep 2010 @ 10:18am

    Just switched from TWC to Verizon FiOS-- much better picture-- and so sick of TWC lousy customer service.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  29. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 20 Sep 2010 @ 2:36pm

    Re: Re:

    Um....I'm pretty sure that's not how it works.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  30. identicon
    pete, 18 Apr 2012 @ 9:56pm

    time warner cable

    time warner cable suck because they are changing too much and every year it go up up and up.

    link to this | view in thread ]


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