Not The 900 Number You Expected — Mac Geek Gab 900

Join John, Dave, and Pilot Pete as they celebrate the 900th episode of Mac Geek Gab. What will they do? They’ll answer your questions, share your tips, and ensure you (and they!) learn at least five new things, of course. That’s how it has worked for 899 episodes, so there’s no reason to think this one will be any different! Press play and enjoy hanging out with your three favorite geeks!

AT&T Raises Price of DirecTV Again

Despite losing millions of customers the last time it did this, AT&T decided to once again raise the price of DirecTV. Monthly rates will increase by US$8/mo starting on January 19, 2020.

The $8-per-month increase will apply to the DirecTV Premier plan that currently costs $189. A $7 increase will apply to the Ultimate package that costs $135 and to the Xtra package that costs $124; a $5 increase will apply to the Choice plan that costs $110; a $4 increase will apply to the Select package that costs $81 a month and to the Entertainment package that costs $93; and increases of $1 or $3 will apply to basic plans.

The DIRECTV - CBS Dispute is a Mess

CBS has blocked DirecTV’s CBS feed since July 19. Customers are angered. CBS All Access subscriptions have surged.( Duh.) Finger pointing abounds. Bloomberg writes: “CBS Blackout on DirecTV Is What’s Wrong With the TV Market.”

If the market for television and video-streaming services wasn’t frustrating enough for consumers, now comes news that millions paying for DirecTV suddenly can’t watch CBS, the most popular TV network in the U.S., due to a contract dispute between the media giants. The good news is that it’s not yet football season, and it’s also in both companies’ interests to reach an agreement soon. The bad news is that the channel-blackout trend is only getting worse.

I’d love to see Stephen Colbert’s take on this. If I could watch him.