According to comcast's new digital packages FSW is moving to a more expensive tier. So unless I upgrade I'll lose FSW.
That happened where I live when Comcast took over AT&T. Informed of the change, I called them and told them that the only reason I got digital in the first place was FSW, and that if this is the only way I can keep it, I'm getting a dish. Turns out they were able to put together a package for me that increased my rates, but nowhere near as much as they said they would... in fact, it was pretty much the same increase that we usually get every year anyway. I lost Showtime movie channels, but picked up a bunch of others that I check out every now and then. So, try making them work for you first. Not saying it will work for you, but it's worked for me so far (going on a year now).
Comcast I had Comcast digital service in central Pa. The only reason I bought the digital tier was for FSW. I let them know that several times. One random day (not the beginning or end of a month) I came home from work and all of a sudden FSW did not appear. I spoke with 5 different service reps (and managers) - none of whom could tell me why I no longer had it, only that it was no longer offered on any tier. There was no prior announcement or warning--it just disappeared. I since moved to Dish, and have been a very happy man. Eleven months later Comcast still owes me a check for half a month (I disabled Comcast mid-month). Comcast is a nightmare. I'm glad I woke up.
I think Ollie said that even though Comcast has ties to FOX Sports Net, they believe that FSW could make a bid for Tour de France, which Ollie says is to Comcast-owned Outdoor Life Network as EPL is to FSW- meaning that OLN would be doomed if FSW got Tour de France. So in many parts of the country, Comcast is eliminating FSW when carriage agreements expire to ensure that FSW doesn't have the revenue/distribution to bid for Tour de France. Funny thing is, Tour de France has no real ties to NewsCorp- ITV televises it in Britain and I believe a lot of other free broadcasters carry it elsewhere in Europe.
It's not just the Tour de France franchise that Comcast is protecting for OLN. OLN now has a ton of international sports properties, including skiing, yachting, triathlons, etc. All of these properties sell ads. Not to mention that OLN has been able to undercut the competion (ESPN/ESPN2 and FOX Sports Net) by offering cut-rate TV time to independent sports TV producers who want to get their products in front of 50+ million households. One way to protect OLN is to make sure that FOX Sports World will not be able to compete equally against OLN. Comcast, which owns OLN, is in a unique position to screw FOX Sports World because Comcast controls over 22 million cable households. Also note that Microsoft owns a significant percentage of Comcast (around 10% if my memory is correct). Brian Roberts knows how to employ Bill Gates-like tactics and he isn't afraid to use them against Rupert Murdoch and Associates.