FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 31, 2014
TVfreedom.org Releases New Video Exposing the Greed of Pay-TV Operators: “Someone’s Not Being Honest, They’re Trying to Cheat You”
Washington, D.C. – TVfreedom.org today released a new video, titled: “Someone’s Not Being Honest, They’re Trying to Cheat You,” which builds on the Coalition’s public education and awareness campaign about the unscrupulous pay-TV industry practices that have led to ever-increasing monthly bills for consumers.
The video fully illustrates the hypocrisy of the pay-TV industry’s efforts to create a false political campaign around the impact of TV programming costs on consumers and, as a result, is asking for special regulatory treatment in Washington, D.C. under false pretenses.
“TVfreedom.org is committed to fighting for consumers’ interests and continues asking the tough questions of pay-TV operators about the true reasons for skyrocketing monthly bills,” said Coalition spokesman, Robert C. Kenny. “Consumers want more answers from the pay-TV industry and this new video provides helpful facts and figures to consumers so that they can better understand the truth about why their pay-TV costs so much.”
A new Consumer Reports’ analysis released last week on the pay-TV industry shows that consumers are unhappy with the unscrupulous practices and service-related gimmicks by pay-TV operators that have led to higher monthly bills. The analysis ultimately shows that consumers’ monthly cable and satellite TV bills have increased at double the rate of inflation in each of the past 15 years through 2012.
The Coalition’s new video clearly demonstrates that consumers’ monthly pay-TV bills are dramatically increasing because of the rising costs of less popular cable networks – many of which are owned by the largest cable multichannel video providers (MVPDs). Moreover, cable rates have skyrocketed in recent years because of pay TV price-gouging for set-top boxes and DVRs, unnecessary one-time ‘change-of-service’ charges and hefty “early-termination fees” that can be as high as $480 for switching to a competitor.
In 2013, cable networks were compensated nearly 10 times more than local TV broadcasters for video content. Despite this fact, pay-TV providers are choosing to itemize the cost of popular broadcast TV programming on consumers’ monthly bills, while the cost of rarely-watched but higher-priced cable channels remain hidden from consumers.
“The facts and figures in this video expose the pay-TV industry’s greed and hypocrisy,” said Kenny. “Pay-TV operators must be held accountable for the ever-increasing monthly bills consumers are paying, and for trying to shift the blame to local broadcasters.”
To watch the new TVfreedom.org video and learn more about why consumers’ monthly cable and satellite TV bills continue to increase, please click here.
About Us
TVfreedom.org, is a coalition of local broadcasters, community advocates, network television affiliate associations, multicast networks, manufacturers and other independent broadcaster-related organizations committed to helping protect consumer interests, ensure emergency and weather related programming access, promote the value of broadcast-TV programming, and preserve a fair and free video marketplace. In the coming weeks and months, the coalition will look to add to its charter membership and will work closely with consumer and community groups, as well as public safety and law enforcement organizations.