Among the biggest bones of contention in the now-frequent carriage fee disputes between broadcasters and cable/satellite companies is broadcasters’ insistence that carriers buy an entire bundle of channels just to get the one or two networks people actually watch. Today, Cablevision declared “Enough!” and filed suit against Viacom. [More]
Sick Of Being Forced To Pay For Channels No One Watches, Cablevision Sues Viacom
By February 26, 2013
DirecTV To Raise Rates By 4.5% Starting In February
By December 27, 2012
You are all familiar with the now-common vitriolic disputes between cable/satellite providers and broadcasters every time a contract comes up for renewal. Most of these fights end with both sides shaking hands and smiling — because it’s the consumer who gets screwed in the end. [More]
Time Warner Cable CEO Says It’s Time To Thin The Cable Channel Herd
By December 3, 2012
Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt has made no secret of his distaste for the bundles of channels his and other cable companies are forced to accept in order to carry the few channels that customers actually watch. Now, says Britt, it’s time to actually do something about it. [More]
“No Deal In Sight” To End Viacom Blackout On DirecTV
By July 18, 2012
It’s been a week since DirecTV and Viacom’s contract dispute resulted in nearly 20 million satellite customers staring at blank screens instead of MTV, Comedy Central, Vh1, Nickelodeon and several other Viacom-owned stations. Now the broadcaster is telling viewers not to get their hopes up for a quick resolution. [More]
Viacom Puts Full Daily Show & Colbert Report Episodes Back Online
By July 17, 2012
For DirecTV subscribers, the ongoing Viacom blackout means it’s been nearly a week since they’ve been able to watch MTV, Comedy Central, Vh1, or Nickelodeon — at least without going to the neighbor’s house. In a move to win viewers over to its side of the battle, Viacom has decided that maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to remove those full episodes of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report from the Comedy Central website. [More]
Viacom Tells DirecTV Customers To Complain In Order To Get Free Stuff
By July 13, 2012
We’re now a few days into the fight between Viacom and DirecTV that has left nearly 20 million of the satellite service’s customers without 26 channels, including MTV, Nickelodeon, and Comedy Central. And while the two parties are reportedly trying to hammer out a resolution, Viacom’s Twitter account is only stoking the anti-DirecTV fires. [More]
Viacom Takes Down Full Episodes Of TV Shows To Punish Everyone For DirecTV Dispute
By July 12, 2012
The catfight between DirecTV and Viacom took a nasty turn this afternoon, as the broadcaster decided that it would temporarily stop streaming full episodes of some its shows simply because DirecTV pointed out to its ticked-off customers they could get some of their blacked-out favorites online. [More]
Should DirecTV Customers Get Refunds For Going Without Viacom Channels?
By July 11, 2012
It’s one day into the standoff between DirecTV and Viacom and neither side is showing signs of backing down (though, the way these things go, they could be kissing and making up within the hour). In the meantime, millions of DirecTV customers have to go to their friends’ houses to watch Teen Mom reruns. So what’s the satellite company doing to make up for the 26 missing channels? [More]
MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, Others Disappear From DirecTV
By July 11, 2012
As we reported early Tuesday morning, contract negotiations between DirecTV and Viacom had broken down in recent days, meaning nearly 20 million satellite subscribers could be without 26 channels, including basic cable mainstays like MTV, Vh1, Comedy Central, and Nickelodeon. The deadline has come and gone, and those channels have vanished from DirecTV. [More]
DirecTV Customers May Lose Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Others Tonight At Midnight
By July 10, 2012
AT&T U-Verse Subscribers Get Their AMC Back; Dish Customers Get Movies They’ve Seen A Million Times Already
By July 1, 2012
The deadline AMC Networks — the people behind quality programs like Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and the first couple episodes of The Killing, and also a handful of channels no one watches — faced two contract deadlines this weekend; one with Dish Network and the other with AT&T U-verse. In the former standoff, the satellite provider stood firm in its decision to axe AMC; while in the latter, some sort of vague agreement has been reached. [More]
Oh Look, TV Viewers About To Get Screwed Over In Another Fee Dispute
By May 4, 2012
If you have Dish Network satellite service, we hope you don’t like Mad Men, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead or anything else on AMC, the Sundance Channel, IFC or WE TV. The company says it’s dropping all four channels when their contract ends June 30. [More]
Time Warner Cable & MSG End Squabble, Allow Knicks Fans To Enjoy Linsanity
By February 17, 2012
While New York Knicks fans have been enjoying the sudden success of point guard Jeremy Lin, a lot of them haven’t actually been able to watch the games on TV thanks to a lengthy dispute between Time Warner Cable and the MSG Network. But now they won’t need to wait for the highlights on the evening news to enjoy the Linsanity, as the 48-day staring contest has come to an end. [More]
AT&T U-Verse Axes Food Network, HGTV, Others In Latest Cable Cockfight
By November 5, 2010
2.7 million AT&T U-Verse customers are now without their Alton Brown or Iron Chef after the cable company was unable to come to an agreement with Scripps Networks about fees and other issues regarding their channels like the Food Network, HGTV, DIY Network, Cooking Channel and Great American Country. [More]
Cablevision & Fox Put Differences Aside, Work Together To Screw Customers
By October 30, 2010
Just in time for Game 3 of a World Series that very few people in its viewing audience care seriously about, Cablevision and Fox have ended their two-week standoff. Which means Cablevision customers will have Fox stations back on the air — and they’ll be paying more for them! [More]
Cablevision Customers File $450 Million Class-Action Suit Over Fox Blackout
By October 28, 2010
This is what happens when you take Glee away from people — they file an almost half-billion dollar lawsuit against you. Or at least that’s what some Cablevision customers in New York have done as the standoff between the cable company and Fox nears the end of its second week. [More]
Fox Says No To Cablevision Offer
By October 27, 2010
First it seemed there was no chance Cablevision and Fox would settle their differences today. And then Cablevision said it was okay to pay Fox a butt load of cash… but only for one year. And now, we learn Fox has rebuffed this last-minute attempt to end the stand-off in time for Game 1 of the World Series. [More]
Cablevision Offers 1-Year Deal To Fox To End Stand-Off
By October 27, 2010
We may have spoken too soon when we wrote that no resolution appeared to be on the horizon in the Fox/Cablevision water balloon war over carriage fees. [More]
