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Briefing: Comcast burns SCI FI, viewers

Darren @GateWorld  | 
| August 9, 2005
The following is an editorial.

Chicago fans of Stargate, Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, and a host of other SCI FI fare just got a rude awakening: The SCI FI Channel has gone dark. Instead of quality genre dramas like SG-1 and Atlantis — not to mention reruns of old-school favorites and quality B movies about overcrown bugs — those who tune in to SCI FI on Comcast basic have nothing.

Comcast has moved The SCI FI Channel to its digital service, which will run devoted fans another $9.99 per month, up from Comcast’s basic price tag of $46.99. Oh, and don’t forget the required converter box at another $4.85 per month. And taxes and fees.

With 1.7 million subscribers, two-thirds of whom pay for basic cable, Comcast has instantly shrunk SCI FI’s audience by more than a million potential viewers — and in a major metropolitan market at that. It seems almost impossible that viewership for the network’s vital SCI FI Friday shows will go unscathed. (And it is apparently only SCI FI that has been moved.)

Comcast’s view of the situation? “I think a lot of people won’t even pay attention to the change,” Comcast’s Pat Keenan told the Chicago Tribune.

Ka-ching.

Here at GateWorld, our senior editor has recently ditched Comcast cable. There is an excellent solution for Comcast subscribers who find themselves with no SCI FI, and thus no Stargate.

It’s a wonderful service we call “DirecTV.” You’ll get more channels (including SCI FI), a better signal, a vastly superior on-screen program guide, all your local channels — all for less than the cost of Comcast cable. That’s right — get better TV, better service, for less money.

No, we aren’t satellite resellers. We’ll make no money from this little endorsement. What we hope to do is get as many customers as possible to flee the Comcast beast and let them know that their decision to remove The SCI FI Channel from their basic line-up was a bad one … and to watch more Stargate!

If you’d rather stick with Comcast, though, be sure to let them know how unhappy you are about their decision. Their phone number is 800-COMCAST. And if you are leaving Comcast, be sure to let them know why. (We’re also told that digital subscribers will also have to look for SCI FI on a different channel now.)

Now, more news bytes from the Stargate universe:

  • Stargate script coordinator Alex Levine has updated his blog at SciFi.com. (And he’s a GateWorld reader! Hey, Alex!) In this installment, Alex tackles that most profound of mysteries, “Can a Wraith eat an Ori?”
  • Director Martin Wood reveals the first details about the upcoming Atlantis episode “Grace Under Pressure” in an upcoming interview with Stargate-Project: “Think about […] SG-1‘s episode called ‘Grace’ and then think of McKay — by himself — under 4,000 meters of sea water — stuck in the back of a Puddle Jumper …”
  • Canada’s The Movie Network is now airing the new minute-long Atlantis opening sequence, starting with Monday’s “Duet.” The sequence includes the full, Emmy-nominated score.
  • The Official Jason Momoa FanClub has published a new interview with Atlantis‘s newest cast member.
  • Recurring SG-1 guest star Bill Dow (“Dr. Bill Lee”) has launched a new official Web site at BillDow.net! (Don’t believe ’em, though … his character’s first name is not Seymour, despite Jack’s allusion to “Little Shop of Horrors” in last year’s “Zero Hour.”)
  • Here at GateWorld, we’ve updated The Stargate Omnipedia with dozens of brand new entries from the first four episodes of the new seasons of SG-1 and Atlantis! We plan to keep the online encyclopedia up-to-date every week, as we continue to also add hundreds of entries from past seasons.

    (Thanks to Morjana, Harald Cylobzik, Thor, Gilles Nuytens, Jamieson, Phil, and Anna for contributing)