re: DirecTV / AT&T customers - might lose ESPN this weekend

And I pay 32 a month for the DirectTV XTRA package AND got a $200 gift card. So what? It doesn't invalidate the point I was making. Go read AT&T's recent financial reporting that discusses their subscription TV units. They're losing customers like crazy and had to resort to giving people like you and me crazy deals to get us to stick around. However, supposedly one of their latest efforts is to stop chasing the overall subscriber number and focus more on revenue per customer. That means they're eventually going to let negotiators like us leave without getting some killer deal meant to retain us.

Everyone should play hardball and negotiate with their TV provider. I'm pro-consumer, so I want consumers to get as much for their dollar as they can. But, Disney/ESPN is the MOST expensive set of channels that providers feel mandated to carry. Their channels actually make up a substantial part of your monthly bill.

ESPN charges a ridiculous amount per month per subscriber.