TrueVisions May Stop Showing HBO, Cinemax Sunday

[spidermike007]

I am told they will cut all of the HBO channels, and the Cinemax channels. Will replace them with

 

Warner TV - Warner Channel  (currently referred as Warner TV in Asia) is a Latin American and Asian Pay TV channel owned by Time Warner's HBO Asia/HBO Latin America Group (as a joint venture with sister company Warner Bros.) that focuses on airing U.S. American-produced series and films.

 

Paramount TV - sounds like it is mostly classic films. http://www.thewrap.com/paramount-channel-launching-in-latin-america-viacom/

 

Sony TV - http://www.sonychannelasia.com

 

Fox Family - looks like it will be mostly animation and cartoons.

 

Fox Action. Looks like alot of older films? Here is what they have to say. FOX Action Movies HD explodes onto the television scene providing nonstop, action entertainment all day, every day. There is no other movie channel that defines action like FOX Action Movies HD. Dedicated to innovative programming themes and unique stunts, there is no better showcase of the biggest, most popular and most iconic action features from around the world. If you crave action, prepare yourself for a mind-blowing television experience with FOX Action Movies HD.          http://www.astro.com.my/whats-on/channel/fox-action-movies-hd/272

 

All in HD. Plus a Chinese movie channel in standard definition. Will it be worth it? Personally, other than a few good TV programs that I can download (without the nasty subtitles and the enormously distracting logos all over the screen) I did not find much good content on those channels. Will this be an improvement? I think I will give them a one month trial, before I cancel. 

[realenglish1]

22 hours ago, realenglish1 said:

Makes me feel good I dropped then  3 months ago because I am streaming now and its much better

 

True is on a loosing spriral

The real reason they are dropping those channels is their subscriber base is nose diving and they cannot financially support the channels anymore, Who are they kiddini

And the act of desperation for True was when I called to cancel and they offered my a big discount on my package to stay as a member

Give me a break

[rwill]

Food network can hardly be considered as a replacement.  True had food network and dropped it a few months ago.

 

[elgordo38]

5 hours ago, captspectre said:

I can only hope so! want to see them bankrupt and a "NEW" more professional company  created.

I think you have the italics on the wrong word. Try professional. 

[realenglish1]

3 hours ago, Barefoot said:

I wonder if dropping the movie channels is related to the recent lawsuit between Fox and Bangkok Bank over the bank failing to honor its guarantee to pay GMM Grammy and CTH Pay-TV operators.  In other words, is HBO balking at Bangkok Bank guaranteeing True's payment to HBO?

Probably not but it shows a real problem in general in the TV industry here in Thailand

[pkspeaker]

i think those hbo channels suck and will be happy to see a change, they play the same crap over and over again so lets try that SONY network or whatever, the 'good' one is supposed to be hbo signiture and even that sucks, all they are playing currently is old episodes of the sopranos like we havnt all seen those already, time for change.

[Pib]

21 hours ago, Dario said:

I'll be OK for the next 6 months. I've been accorded a 30% reduction on my Platinum package for the next 6 months. No need to ask for the support supervisor. The Truevision customer care staff has been authorized to give the 30%. She said in 6 months I can renegotiate with Truevision.

I just got off the phone with TrueVisions expressing my displeasure (again from last night) such as telling the replacement channels were in no way equal to the HBO channels being dropped.  Also discussed a discount otherwise I was going to cancel come January.  I'm on the Platinum cable plan.

 

I was initially offered 15% reduction for 3 months...further discussion got that to 30% for 3 months...I accepted.   Guess you are a better negotiator than me or the TrueVision management has given the Call/Service center new guidance on what can be offered to keep a customer, if they offer anything.

 

This gives TrueVisions and me more time to evaluate the situation...and maybe pricing/channel lineup will get better early next year with all the complaints flowing in and TrueVisions having some more time to further work the issue.  Time will tell. 

[grantbkk]

My exchange with the the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission today. Also sent it to the Consumer Protection Commission

Sent: December 27, 2016 12:21 PM
To: '1200 Group'
Subject: FW: Formal Complaint Against True Visions Group Company Limited

Thank you for your prompt reply. On your advice I will wait until next week for the results of the commission meeting. If I find the terms satisfactory I will withdraw my formal complaint.

Happy New Year.

From: 1200 Group [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: December 27, 2016 12:12 PM
To:
Subject: RE: Formal Complaint Against True Visions Group Company Limited

Dear Mr.

TrueVisions would present a commission-approved compensation plan to customers on Tuesday. Please waitting for The result of NBTC's Committee Meeting and we will announce about remedial measures on broadcasting as soon as possible.

Best Regarding,
Call Center 1200
Data Operation Center Bureau
The Office of The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission
Tel. : 1200
Fax : 1200 press 6
Address : 87 Phaholyothin Rd. Samsennai Phayathai Bangkok THAILAND 10400
Office Hours : Mon-Sat 08.00-21.00 Sun 09.30-16.30


To: "'1200 Group'"
From:
Date: 27/12/2016 11:51
Subject: RE: Formal Complaint Against True Visions Group Company Limited

Dear Col Natee Sukonrat,

Thank you for your quick reply. I understand that there may be some remedial measures for the True Vision customer however that is not my reason for contacting your office. I want to make sure True Visions Group is investigated for incompetence, unfair business practices and possible criminal negligence as it would apply to the cancelling of the all the HBO Channels and Cinemax.

This is not an isolated incident. Several years ago True Visions did exactly the same illegal act by cancelling the ASN channel with absolutely no notice to subscribers. This effectively blocked consumers from American football from October through February. Again a couple of years ago True Visions lost the English Premier League games to CTH that threw soccer coverage into disarray for almost two years. These are not isolated incidents that should be allowed to be swept under the carpet only to occur again in a few short months. If not your commission who should I file a complaint with to try to stop this pattern of illegal activity by the True Visions Group?


From: 1200 Group [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: December 27, 2016 11:28 AM
To:
Subject: Re: Formal Complaint Against True Visions Group Company Limited

Dear Mr.

Col Natee Sukonrat, chairman of the NBTC's broadcasting committee, said that The committee will ask its broadcasting consumers protection department to talk with the company about remedial measures for its customers, which may include allowing customers to change or cancel their subscription packages. NBTC will announce about remedial measures on broadcasting as soon as possible.

Best regarding,
Call Center 1200
Data Operation Center Bureau
The Office of The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission
Tel. : 1200
Fax : 1200 press 6
Address : 87 Phaholyothin Rd. Samsennai Phayathai Bangkok THAILAND 10400
Office Hours : Mon-Sat 08.00-21.00


Date: 27/12/2016 11:06
Subject: Formal Complaint Against True Visions Group Company Limited

To: Office Of The National Broadcasting Telecommunications Commission

This correspondence is to serve as a formal complaint citing The True Visions Group with violation of your rules regarding 30 day notification when a television channel is cancelled. Additionally, a second complaint citing unfair business practices for cheating subscribers of premium movie content, original programming while charging the highest cable and Satellite rates in the Kingdom.

I have been with True Visions (or UBC) for more than 13 years. True Visions has consistently sold its premium packages touting HBO and Cinemax, with their outstanding award winning original programming, as the "BEST" available anywhere. True Visions also sell premium packages by offering same day broadcasts as the USA for some of the original programming content.

As you read this complaint True Visions is advertising HBO as next year’s Academy Awards channel. How will True Visions provide subscribers with the Academy Awards, original programming such as Westworld, Game of Thrones, Divorce, Vice Principals and Veep? The list goes on and on.

At the very least this debacle reeks of corporate incompetence boarding on criminal negligence. How long was NBTC kept in the dark about negotiations for the now cancelled HBO/Cinemax channels? As a premium content subscriber I read about this fiasco online as a rumor yesterday.

Question need to be answered from the subscribers and the NBTC regarding good faith negotiations not readily apparent in this case. True Vision continues to cheat subscribers. I bring up the English Premier League True Visions/CTH chaos from just a couple of years ago. Who made money by failing to win the bid for EPL content? It was True Visions of course. Meanwhile your lack of intervention drove fans to illegal downloading of EPL games, illegal satellite services and exposed CTH as a company that could not provide promised services.

Do not let True Visions walk all over the NBTC again. True Visions will continue with bait and switch tactics, negligence and/or criminal activities until such time the government steps in and puts a stop to these questionable business practices. This is just another True Visions embarrassment to the Kingdom of Thailand that should not be ignored yet again.

Sincerely,

[Beats56]

2 hours ago, Khon Kaen Dave said:

Titter you may,but i would gladly sell my soul to any company that would give me the Universal channel.I  loved to watch The Grimm,Chicago Fire,Chicago PD.Also loved In it to win it,with the strange tubby compare.

pleeeeze some give me Universal.

Use to have that channel with CTH. But they just resently removed it. Not a whole lot to watch..some news and that's it. I don't  care as they are going tit's up and wasn't paying for it anyway.  I just use netflix or all the movies I have on my 2tb portable hard drive. 

 

[richthai]

What options are best for streaming movie channels?

[petedk]

6 hours ago, Estrada said:

If he means Astro TV from Malaysia it is just as bad as the new "TrueMisery TV" that we will be getting. I think the single Gate Way project is designed to help True and stop us getting HBO and BBC Entertainment via the internet outside of Thailand.

 

I have also noticed that my torrenting has virtually stopped the last few days. As soon as I use a VPN I can download again.

[pkspeaker]

I think ultimately, especially when the Thai consumer is concerned, the only reason people pay 1600 or 2200/month is for the sport.. services like True exist to serve the Thai customer that can give a rats ass about these stupid 'movie' channels.. why would anyone want a channell that plays mostly bad movies, often in repetition, at times you cannot control AND edit's naughty parts out to boot-often ruining the film?  in this day i age there are many services where you can simply select which movie you would like to see and when.. 'HBO' is so early 80's it's ridiculous, these channes are completly useless and I could cre less if they AX them, I can't beleive there are so many people on this thread that will cancell because they loose HBO's CRAPPY ass movies when they can get all those movies and much more streamed over the internet.  Thai people NEVER watch those channells and Thai people are 99% of True customers and they're all watching EPL.  2200 a month for HBO! cmon people get with the times and just stream whatever movie you want and that way you might even see a good one! name one HBO/Cinemax movie that doesn't suck.  Oh i'm so gonna miss that edited version of 'first blood' or 'demolition man'  yea like havn't seen that garbage 20 years ago  GOOd RIDDENCE to HBO!

[anotheruser]

Well on the bright side.... Some of the people living up in Isaan, that moved there years ago to be away from modern society will be able to rediscover their love affair with the Thai countryside.

Spend more timewith with their in laws, perhaps read a book or learn some Thai, heck even chat with their wives a bit. This could be the second honeymoon some people desperately needed with out even realizing it.

[emoji4]


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

[richthai]

Good points being raised.  Time to use the internet for streaming movies at much lower cost and greater flexibility.  

 

What is the recommended streaming service?  Netflix?  Other?

 

[Pib]

30 minutes ago, pkspeaker said:

I think ultimately, especially when the Thai consumer is concerned, the only reason people pay 1600 or 2200/month is for the sport.. services like True exist to serve the Thai customer that can give a rats ass about these stupid 'movie' channels.. why would anyone want a channell that plays mostly bad movies, often in repetition, at times you cannot control AND edit's naughty parts out to boot-often ruining the film?  in this day i age there are many services where you can simply select which movie you would like to see and when.. 'HBO' is so early 80's it's ridiculous, these channes are completly useless and I could cre less if they AX them, I can't beleive there are so many people on this thread that will cancell because they loose HBO's CRAPPY ass movies when they can get all those movies and much more streamed over the internet.  Thai people NEVER watch those channells and Thai people are 99% of True customers and they're all watching EPL.  2200 a month for HBO! cmon people get with the times and just stream whatever movie you want and that way you might even see a good one! name one HBO/Cinemax movie that doesn't suck.  Oh i'm so gonna miss that edited version of 'first blood' or 'demolition man'  yea like havn't seen that garbage 20 years ago  GOOd RIDDENCE to HBO!

Obviously you never met my Thai wife.   And sports is the last thing on earth she would watch.   

 

Me thinks you obviously have a different viewing preference....and that's OK because everyone does.

 

[OJAS]

So, to sum up, we have lost in recent months, or are about to lose, the following 5 channels without any replacements:-

 

DMAX

EVE

Turbo

CBeebies

BBC Entertainment

 

And we are about to lose the following 6 channels with inferior replacements if reports on here are to be believed:-

 

Cinemax

HBO

HBO Hits

HBO Hits HD

HBO Family

Red

 

We should also not forget the recent merger of the NGC and NGC HD documentary channels - although, admittedly, this is more likely to have been an NGC rather than a True decision.

 

Finally, it may not have escaped notice that one of True's own documentary channels (Explore Life) is now exclusively Thai language (it used to include some interesting English-language programming up until a few weeks ago).

 

And whilst mention has been made on this thread about how much True may have forked out for EPL rights, the result appears to have been some "cheap Charlie" arrangement with Bein, which is nowhere near on a par with the level of service provided by CTH under the previous deal in my view at any rate.

[Jeffrey346]

4 minutes ago, OJAS said:

So, to sum up, we have lost in recent months, or are about to lose, the following 5 channels without any replacements:-

 

DMAX

EVE

Turbo

CBeebies

BBC Entertainment

 

And we are about to lose the following 6 channels with inferior replacements if reports on here are to be believed:-

 

Cinemax

HBO

HBO Hits

HBO Hits HD

HBO Family

Red

 

We should also not forget the recent merger of the NGC and NGC HD documentary channels - although, admittedly, this is more likely to have been an NGC rather than a True decision.

 

Finally, it may not have escaped notice that one of True's own documentary channels (Explore Life) is now exclusively Thai language (it used to include some interesting English-language programming up until a few weeks ago).

 

And whilst mention has been made on this thread about how much True may have forked out for EPL rights, the result appears to have been some "cheap Charlie" arrangement with Bein, which is nowhere near on a par with the level of service provided by CTH under the previous deal in my view at any rate.

just talked to True.. They are replacing HBO with  the following:

 

223  Warner TV

224  Paramount TV

225  Sony TV

226 Fox Family

227 Fox Action

 

In addition.. The Food Channel will be restored.

[worrab]

I received the following today......With reference to your e-mail,  we apologize to inform you that due to the HBO contract expiring this 31st Dec 2016, TrueVisions has tried our best effort to extend the contract but we’re not successful. As such we have immediately sourced new & exciting pay tv channels for our subscribers total numbering 8 channels namely Warner TV, Sony Channel, Paramount, Fox Action Movies, Celestial Classic Movies, True Film HD2, Food Network and more which will gradually begin broadcast from 1st January 2017 onwards.

 

Hope this clarifies some points.

[Pib]

17 minutes ago, worrab said:

I received the following today......With reference to your e-mail,  we apologize to inform you that due to the HBO contract expiring this 31st Dec 2016, TrueVisions has tried our best effort to extend the contract but we’re not successful. As such we have immediately sourced new & exciting pay tv channels for our subscribers total numbering 8 channels namely Warner TV, Sony Channel, Paramount, Fox Action Movies, Celestial Classic Movies, True Film HD2, Food Network and more which will gradually begin broadcast from 1st January 2017 onwards.

 

Hope this clarifies some points.

 

We'll, since they are ....new & exciting pay tv channels...how can anyone complain.   This is great!   

 

And here I thought TrueVisions was just boning us....I feel so ashamed now thinking what I did about True.   

 

And from my phone call today with TrueVisions I think the rep also used the "new and exciting" phrase.  Surely the script they must respond with when communicating with customers.

[Jonmarleesco]

11 hours ago, webfact said:

TrueVisions cans 6 channels after contract failure

Well, given just how good and competent TrueVisions has always been, and with the BBC entertainment channel on the way out, too, might as well do what I've been considering and dump True.

[GreasyFingers]

9 hours ago, Estrada said:

Astro is the local Satellite TV in Malaysia including Kota Kinabalu (KK). Lived there 2 years and no problem receiving it on a standard dish.

 

That is interesting. I emailed Astro and they replied that they did not service Thailand (or at least where I am).

[richthai]

True customer service also said they may offer a discount.  However, this change is happening in less than the required 30 days notification requirement.  I doubt there will be a discount.

[edwinchester]

3 minutes ago, GreasyFingers said:

 

That is interesting. I emailed Astro and they replied that they did not service Thailand (or at least where I am).

There are a few suppliers of box and subscription in Thailand which has to be paid a year upfront.

[GreasyFingers]

Just now, edwinchester said:

There are a few suppliers of box and subscription in Thailand which has to be paid a year upfront.

 

Any chance of the name of a supplier. Astro has a good sports coverage and the commentary is usually in English and not Thai as it is with most of True

[edwinchester]

4 minutes ago, GreasyFingers said:

 

Any chance of the name of a supplier. Astro has a good sports coverage and the commentary is usually in English and not Thai as it is with most of True

http://www.satthai.tv/2008/index.php

 

Dealt with these in the past with no complaints. You may also want to look at Skynet the Burmese offering. Pretty sure it uses the same sat as TRUE so easy setup.

I had to use a 2 metre dish for a reliable reception using ASTRO and a mate in Buriram needed a 10 foot dish!

Edited December 27, 2016 by edwinchester

[MJCM]

9 minutes ago, GreasyFingers said:

 

That is interesting. I emailed Astro and they replied that they did not service Thailand (or at least where I am).

 

 You can but too my understanding you need to arrange it via an agent which can get it for you.

 

In which part of Thailand are you because the higher up the bigger the dish and the smaller the footprint of the satellite.

[edwinchester]

4 minutes ago, GreasyFingers said:

 

Any chance of the name of a supplier. Astro has a good sports coverage and the commentary is usually in English and not Thai as it is with most of True

http://www.satthai.tv/2008/index.php

 

Dealt with these in the past with no complaints. You may also want to look at Skynet the Burmese offering. Pretty sure it uses the same sat as TRUE so easy setup.

I had to use a 2 metre dish for a reliable reception using ASTRO and a mate in Buriram needed a 10 foot dish!

[GreasyFingers]

2 minutes ago, edwinchester said:

http://www.satthai.tv/2008/index.php

 

Dealt with these in the past with no complaints. You may also want to look at Skynet the Burmese offering. Pretty sure it uses the same sat as TRUE so easy setup.

I had to use a 2 metre dish for a reliable reception using ASTRO and a mate in Buriram needed a 10 foot dish!

 

Thanks

[Pib]

14 minutes ago, richthai said:

True customer service also said they may offer a discount.  However, this change is happening in less than the required 30 days notification requirement.  I doubt there will be a discount.

I called today and got a 30% discount for 3 months.   This gives me time to see what the new channels look like and True time to maybe come  up with some more replacement channels or maybe offer new/permanent reduced prices.   Another TV poster got 30% for 6 months by calling yesterday/Sunday.

[GreasyFingers]

21 minutes ago, MJCM said:

In which part of Thailand are you because the higher up the bigger the dish and the smaller the footprint of the satellite.

 

Up in the mountains at Khao Kho, Phetchabun province

Edited December 27, 2016 by GreasyFingers