Although Comcast, DirecTV and Denver-based DISH Network have carried Altitude since its inception on Sept. 4, 2004, all three have dropped Altitude so that none of their subscribers are able to watch Altitude programming.
· AT&T/DirecTV, Xfinity/Comcast and Dish have painted Altitude Sports as being greedy in these negotiations, when in fact all three are insisting upon massive reductions in price and carriage from Altitude.
· AT&T/DirecTV, Xfinity/Comcast and Dish have adopted a hardball "take it or leave it" stance during these negotiations. They understand that they are in no danger of losing their customers so long as these three conglomerates present a united front.
· AT&T/DirecTV, which owns similar regional sports networks, has told its customers that Altitude forced them to take the channel down. They have not told their customers that their offer is for substantially less than what they've provided to their own regional sports network featuring the Colorado Rockies.
· Xfinity/Comcast has told its customers that Altitude forced them to take down the network. What they haven't said is that they understand that terms they have demanded would mean the elimination of this regional sports network.
· Both AT&T/DirecTV and Xfinity/Comcast collect monthly regional sports network fees of approximately $8 per month from their customers. Even though they no longer offer Altitude Sports to those customers they continue to collect those fees. AT&T/DirecTV require their customers to call them to ask for a refund. Xfinity/Comcast has offered refunds as low as $1.25 per household, even though they have eliminated one of the two networks in the region. They continue to collect up to $6.75 per month for AT&T Sports Net Rocky Mountain. We believe they are cheating their customers.
· In the case of AT&T/DirecTV and Xfinity/Comcast, they refuse to offer Altitude terms that are equal to the terms they offer their own regional sports networks when they negotiate these same agreements with them.
· In the case of Comcast, they are the exclusive cable operator in the vast majority of Denver. If our fans want cable service, they must utilize Comcast. They now have exercised the right to exclude Denver's fans of seeing their hometown teams, while continuing to collect fees for content they no longer provide.
We are asking that all sports fans in the region come together and call for an end to this terrible power play by these three companies. Join us in our fight for what's right. If you are a subscriber to Comcast, DIRECTV or DISH Network, please contact them now and demand that they bring back the hometown teams. They can be contacted at the following phone numbers: Comcast (1-800-934-6489), DirecTV (1-800-531-5000) or Dish (1-800-333-3474). You can also access them vie their websites.
We are asking anyone who currently subscribes to Comcast, DIRECTV or DISH Network programming to please make your voices be heard by calling, emailing and using social media platforms to tell them you want your hometown teams.
