Verizon Settles With Active Video. Nearing Deals With Pac-12 and BeIn Sports.

[mm112]

Verizon has settled a lawsuit with active video where verizon was accused of using active video's patents to form a part of fios tv without their permission. The settlement is for 260 million dollars but what active video was looking for was not only the money but to shut down fios tv too. That of course had to do more with the fact that verizon's competitors like cablevision and comcast are now active video clients where they have lost customers to fios as they are doing everything that they can to prevent verizon from adding as many customers as verizon can. A three judge panel decided that it was too much to shut down an entire tv company to leave verizon's customers without tv and the judges decided that the penalty of 260 million would suffice since active video will not be hurt in the long run since they have comcast and cablevision among other companies as their clients. Bloomberg news has the press release if you want to see it. In the meantime verizon will be coming to agreements soon with the Pac-12 network and BeIn Sports where people wil be able to watch games on those channels. Now the Pac-12 deal from what i can tell is set to launch on the west coast only but that could change since verizon's competition comcast also offers that channel nationally but it is not available in a big market like the new york/new jersey area. BeIn sports just came to an agreement with comcast and it is nearing one with verizon but just because the deal is about to happen it does not mean that it will be up just like that. They have to make sure that there is no issue with the signal and the schedules are right among other things. If you have the spanish package it will be included in your deal if you do not then you will have to get the sports package to see the games if you are a soccer/futbol fan and want to see some of the world's best soccer players and best teams play.

[Coachdny]

You are mistaken, GOL TV was NOT dropped by DIRECTV.. and DirectV offers it in HD (http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/content/sports/sports_pack?footernavtype=-1&lpos=header)!  

I left Directv for FIOS last month.. im truly starting to regret that decision.  There should be NO reason why a competing provider can offer GOL TV and Bein in HD .. I thought FIOS with all its bandwith and fiber optic technolgy was meant for HD Programming... very misleading truths out in the real world about FIOS...  might be switching back soon... and just keep phone and internet..

[mm112]

Google direct tv gol tv to see the story that was reported ten days ago in the philadelphia enquirer where direct tv will be dropping the gol tv in english feed on september 13. The story came out on august 30. The english language feed will be dropped from their lineup for BeIn sports which direct tv came to an agreement with. Gol tv used to have the rights to the spanish league and the italian cup competition but since al jazeera bought the rights to those games gol tv is now seen as a channel that is pointless to have where gol tv in spanish will eventually go away too because BeIn sports now has the rights to the best teams that play soccer in spanish. If you want to read the official statement from gol tv where they confirm that direct tv will be dropping them on september 13 then feel free to do so. If someone wants to post the link on here from the philadelphia inquirer to prove my point by googling direct tv gol tv and clicking on the left hand side of the page on the google news story then they are free to do it. Now while i empathize with people who only want to watch their favorite sports teams only you can put the necessary pressure that has to be put on not only verizon but whichever channel it is that you would like to be added. The channels that i have mentioned on here will be added at some point but no one can give you a definitive date or say whether they will be in hd. 

[JohninMalibu]

Verizon needs to tell us something before we switch to DISH which now has the PAC12 Network.

[orlortiz]

Thank you very much for your helpful information....

[ChristianS]

If Verizon FIOS does not begin to carry the beIN network I will seriously consider swithching to Comcast

[ZDM1197]

I called to cancel my Verizon contarct today. I have a $120 penalty for cancelling early. My contract is up in 2014...no big deal. Along with the early cancellation fee I would accountable for  a pro-rata portion of my monthly charges, again no big deal.

 We are huge soccer fans and along with soccer I understand that beIN Sports will carry the World Superbike motorcycle racing Championship (which was recently dropped by that inept NASCAR I mean SPEED Channel) I'm also a huge motorcycle racing enthusiast. I know motorcycle racings fans pale in comparison to soccer fans but it's icing on the cake.

 I'm giving Verizon until March 1st to see what happens, if not I'll pay my early termination penalty and hop on over to comcast. I just don't trust Verizon, they say beIN negoiations are "hot and heavy" at the moment....but this could last months and months, it already has.

 My advice to Verizon...."GET IT DONE ASAP" before subscribers  go some where else.

[doc1949]

Verizon, don't make the same mistake that Comcast ALMOST did when they picked up the PAC12 network last summer! Initially, they were only going to offer it on the West Coast, but they received so many complaints form PAC12 alums on the east coast that they expanded the channel to other areas like Metro Philly.

Also, offer this network in HD not SD please!

[doc1949]

Verizon, don't make the same mistake that Comcast ALMOST did when they picked up the PAC12 network last summer! Initially, they were only going to offer it on the West Coast, but they received so many complaints form PAC12 alums on the east coast that they expanded the channel to other areas like Metro Philly.

Also, offer this network in HD not SD please!

[mm112]

I thought i would give people who are out there an update as to what is going on with the pac 12 network. Verizon is holding off on signing the contract until they open up more hd space on the fios guide for the channels who they have come to agreements with so that those channels can be added first before they do the pac 12 network deal. Verizon has signed contracts with a bunch of channels to have their hd feeds added to the guide but there is no space on the guide to add them so the pac 12 deal is being delayed. Some of the hd channels that are on the way are espn deportes hd, univision deportes hd, sony movie channel hd, ultra tainment hd (a entertainment hd channel from mexico which will be added at channel 1517), tv guide hd (for those who do not have it), msg plus 2 hd , and some byron allen owned hd channels just to name a few. I've also found out that byron allen is going to be creating some family friendly programming so there are going to be more additions of those .tv hd channels some time next year where channels for children and family programming are currently being worked on by byron allen's entertainment studios. So until verizon's employees create more hd space on the fios guide you should not expect to see any major channel additions to it. Some smaller sd channels like those me-tv type channels may be added but not the hd content that people want. This fall is when a lot of major changes will be happening for fios tv customers where the channels that i have mentioned on here will be added along with the availability of the six tuner dvr which will not be made available to all customers at the same time. Owners of mottorola boxes will get the first shot at those new dvrs then eventually the people who have cisqo boxes. Then there is the guide provider switch where verizon will be dropping fyi television of grand prarie texas for tribune media services of chicago illinois. Fios tv customers can expect that change to happen in september or october where they will be getting a notification by verizon about changes to the guide that are on the way. Tribune media is responsible for the tv listings that you see in newspapers throughout the country in the tv section about what will be on tv and they are rsponsible for the guide data that is on the tivo guide. So if someone has a tivo dvr because they did not trust verizon's guide data provider fyi television now verizon will be using that same guide data provider that tivo uses so customers can now get a verizon dvr quite possibly one of those new six tuner ones this fall when it is made available.  

[celticpride1]

I wish it was fall already i cant wait! Hmmm! maybe they can throw a bone to us tivo owners to switch to the 6 tuner fios dvr? At the very  least inculde us with the motorola users to be first in line for the new box! Boy do i have decision coming up this fall stay with fios and maybe try  for the new media center ? or switch to directv for the 5 tuner genie?(sorry tivo i just cant afford to pay another $1500.00 to but 2 new tivos with lifetime service! And i need more than 2 tuners!!!)