Category

Digital TV

Ever Wonder About the Costs That Make Up Your Monthly Local TV Bill?

By | Digital TV
Because we are a hometown business, we are invested in our community, our employee and our customers. With Network fees dramatically increasing and impacting your monthly bill, we wanted to help you better understand the economics of the TV business. All Satellite and Cable providers pay each Network owner (Programmer) a fee for every household that receives a particular Network – regardless of whether anyone in the household actually watches it.
  • These Network fees have increased dramatically at 3 ½ times the rate of inflation over the past 15 years.¹
  • Five media companies control 90% of the Networks, and while we work hard to keep these costs under control, they continue to use their power to demand more money.²
  • Programmers are securing long-term contracts with significant guaranteed Network fee increases, regardless of how many people watch.
(source: tvonmyside.com/pottawatomie; 1 SNL Kagan; 2 Ben Bagdikian, The Media Monopoly)

Dramatically Increasing Programming Costs vs PTC Price Increases

By | Digital TV
In recent years, programmers, specifically sports and local broadcast channels have taken advantage of their popularity to demand extraordinary rate increases of the cable industry. Before 2017, PTC has worked hard to avoid rate increases by keeping our prices low. As you can see in the chart below, programming costs have risen 100% since 2007 while PTC has only had two increases in the past ten years.

New Essential TV Package Now Available

By | Digital TV
Pottawatomie Telephone Company is changing our Digital cable TV by offering a new slimmed down lower cost TV package starting March 1, 2017. In response to rising programming costs and customers’ requests for smaller packages, we will begin offering a slimmed down package at a new rate of $25 per month. The new package will include local broadcast channels like NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox as well as some of your favorites like The Weather Channel, QVC, OETA Kids and The CW. Of course all of our other great channels will still be available in our Expanded TV package that still includes ESPN, Fox News, Disney, TBS and much more for $75 per month.