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]
carriage fees
Viacom Takes Down Full Episodes Of TV Shows To Punish Everyone For DirecTV Dispute
By 7.12.12
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 7.11.12
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 7.11.12
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]
AT&T U-Verse Subscribers Get Their AMC Back; Dish Customers Get Movies They’ve Seen A Million Times Already
By 7.1.12
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 5.4.12
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 2.17.12
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 11.5.10
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 10.30.10
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 10.28.10
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 10.27.10
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 10.27.10
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]
No Resolution In Cablevision/Fox Fracas With Only Hours To Go To World Series Start
By 10.27.10
The World Series begins tonight on Fox, but it looks like 3 million Cablevision subscribers will have to resort to finding an antenna or watching elsewhere as the thumb-wrestling match between the cable provider and NewsCorp drags on without resolution. [More]
NFL Network Asks Cablevision: Hey, Where's Our Binding Arbitration?
By 10.26.10
During its ongoing staring contest with NewsCorp over carriage fees, Cablevision has repeatedly asked the broadcaster to enter into binding arbitration. This apparently has the folks at the NFL Network wondering why Cablevision isn’t so eager to sit down at the arbitration table with them. [More]
Will Fox's Cablevision Blackout Be Resolved Before The World Series?
By 10.22.10
We’re now in the middle of Day 7 of the Fox/Cablevision slap fight that has left millions of Cablevision subscribers from Connecticut to Pennsylvania without Fox stations. [More]
NJ Senators Call For FCC To Intervene In Cablevision/Fox Squabble
By 10.18.10
As Cablevision subscribers in the NYC and Philadelphia area go without access to their local Fox affilliates because of the protracted carriage fee fracas between the cable company and the broadcaster, the two U.S. Senators from the oft-maligned state of New Jersey have jointly penned a letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski asking for the Commission to intervene. [More]
Cablevision VP Blasts Fox Blackout As "Shameful"
By 10.18.10
Many people had predicted — or at least hoped — that the fee squabble that led to Fox’s Friday night decision to pull its local NYC and Philadelphia affiliates from Cablevision subscribers would have been sorted out in time for folks to enjoy Sunday afternoon football. Alas, that didn’t happen and hordes of Giants and Eagles fans were scrambling for antennas. [More]
