The Weather Channel Isn’t Impressed With DirecTV’s Replacements
The Weather Channel isn’t overly impressed with the options DirecTV is giving their subscribers at the moment.
Shortly after the provider decided to ditch the weather service, they picked up something called WeatherNation. In addition to giving folks access to The Weather Channel’s competition, they also hooked subscribers up folks with some options regarding local weather reports.
Not surprisingly, a spokesperson for the Weather Channel said the company isn’t at all impressed with the replacements DirecTV recently selected for their customers. The network said the provider should simply reinstate the channel if it wishes to fix the lack of coverage.
The statement explained:
“For over 30 years, The Weather Channel has invested millions of dollars in great local weather coverage. These investments include precise local forecasts, live field coverage with trusted experts, Local on the 8?s, and most recently, a 24/7 local all the time scroll. We are not surprised that DirecTV needs to expend substantial additional resources on local, although the best solution would be that they simply return The Weather Channel to their lineup.”
According to FierceCable, DirecTV subscribers can access local forecasts by tuning into WeatherNation. With the press of a button, folks can check out what sort of stuff is going down in their neck of the woods. The info, which is similar to The Weather Channel’s Weatherscan Local reports, will reportedly update every 10 minutes.
DirecTV is also offering up something called Severe Weather Mix, a service that will alert subscribers about potentially life-threatening storms near their homes. The provider hopes to have this up and running at some point in March.
If the boys and girls at The Weather Channel were hoping to change DirecTV’s mind about its decision to drop the channel, then they’d better reassess the situation. Judging from these recent additions, the provider doesn’t plan to welcome them back anytime soon.
DirecTV CEO Michael White previously stated that the company decided to drop the channel due to decreased viewership and increased complaints about programming. Instead of paying outrages prices for the service, White decided to kick them to the curb.
The Weather Channel was clearly irritated by the move. In addition to criticizing their research, the network suggested that White was simply looking at DirecTV’s profit margins.
“If dropping The Weather Channel saves them money then their customers should soon see a rebate or price cut. Most importantly, we are extremely confident in our value and give no credence to DirecTV’s ‘studies,” the company said in a statement.
Are you happy with DirecTV’s decision to drop The Weather Channel?
