Pressure on DirecTV mounts while no deal with Pac-12 is in sight

Tensions between satellite service provider DirecTv and the Pac-12 Networks continue to escalate as more and more angry college football fans write letters of complaint about not being able to watch their favorite sports games.

According to Pac-12, over 80,000 customers have written to DirecTv so far, although the company has claimed that one of the reasons it refused to renew the contract with Pac-12 was that there is no significant viewer demand for college football and basketball. In retaliation, Pac-12 continues to urge unsatisfied customers to simply switch providers if they wish to continue viewing the daily sports coverage and over 800 live events that Pac-12 plans to feature each year.

Pac 12 commissioner Larry Scott, who has been providing regular updates on the progress of negotiations with DirecTv, was present at the Arizona State vs. Colorado game last Thursday. "They're showing no signs of taking it any time very soon. We've offered them the deal on the same basis that everyone has taken it, so we know it's a fair deal", said Scott, who had previously mentioned that he has remained largely optimistic about the future of Pac-12's relationships with DirecTV, and that he hopes the latter will soon realize there is a significant demand for Pac-12 games among DirecTv's customers.

DirecTv representatives have refrained from public commentary, though the satellite company did release an official statement, which said that "DirecTV wants to make Pac-12 Network available to the fans who want it. To do that, Pac 12 either needs to agree to a price to make it affordable for all of our customers, or allow Pac 12 fans to buy the network separately or purchase individual games on demand." The nation's larges satellite provider has also been updating its directvpromise.com site with information on how and where fans can listen to Pac-12 games over the radio.

As long as neither company is willing to compromise, it doesn't look like significant progress is going to be made any time soon. In the meantime, viewers who want to watch their favorite college football games have the option to sign up with other cable carriers, like DISH, Comcast, or even local providers.

While both the public and the industry press increase the pressure, urging the company to come to some sort of agreement with Pac-12 sooner rather than later, DirecTv has recently released a new whole home HD digital video recorder. DirecTv's Genie DVR provides a range of interesting features, like the ability to record 5 independent shows at once, storing up to 200 hours of high definition content, and playing up to 4 shows simultaneously on different TV sets within the house.