Has your TV-viewing life been missing a pair of friends sitting on the couch exclaiming “This sucks!” or an angsty teen dealing with her bubbly sister and other perils of high school? They’ll soon be making a reappearance, as MTV bets that folks are feeling nostalgic enough for the ’90s and early aughts to justify its new MTV Classic channel. [More]
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Sony’s Online Pay-TV Service To Launch With Channels You Might Actually Want To Watch
By 9.10.14
After what seemed like an eternity of news leaks, rumors, and promises of an online-only pay-TV service from Sony, the company has finally announced that it will indeed be launching that cloud-based service, and that it will start with a slate of channels including some that humans actually watch. [More]
Court Won’t Let Viacom Stop Cablevision’s Anti-Bundling Lawsuit
By 6.23.14
Sick of being forced to accept Viacom’s massive bundle of barely watched cable channels — Palladia and MTV Hits, anyone? — just to get the handful that its subscribers want to watch (MTV, Comedy Central, BET, Nickelodeon), New York-based Cablevision sued Viacom in early 2013, alleging the broadcaster was violating federal antitrust laws. Viacom has since tried to have the case dismissed, but a U.S. District Court has ruled that the case can move forward. [More]
Sick Of Being Forced To Pay For Channels No One Watches, Cablevision Sues Viacom
By 2.26.13
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]
“No Deal In Sight” To End Viacom Blackout On DirecTV
By 7.18.12
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 Tells DirecTV Customers To Complain In Order To Get Free Stuff
By 7.13.12
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 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]
Abercrombie & Fitch Offers To Pay "The Situation" To Stop Wearing Its Clothes
By 8.17.11
Abercrombie & Fitch issued a press release last night saying that they would pay Michael ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino from The Jersey Shore to stop wearing its products. Is it stunt marketing or trying to preempt an anti-all-things-Jersey-Shore-related backlash? [More]
Daily Show & Colbert Report Returning To Hulu
By 2.3.11
It’s been almost a year since a squabble between Viacom and Hulu ended up with Comedy Central’s one-two punch of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report being pulled from the online video site. But now the two sides have reached an accord that will bring both of these shows, along with a bunch of other Viacom content, back to Hulu. [More]
New Nicktoons Show Called Out For Being Just One Huge Skechers Ad
By 9.15.10
Viacom must be really hurting for cash. First, they give Spike viewers 10-minute commercial breaks during Entourage and in October, their Nicktoons channel will begin airing Zevo-3, which a children’s advocacy group says is nothing but an extended ad for Skechers. [More]
MTV Stops Pretending They Still Show Music
By 2.10.10
Nearly 18 years after MTV aired the first episode of The Real World, opening the floodgates that would let in the likes of Laguna Beach, The Hills, Jersey Shore and countless other non-music programs, the original 24-hour music channel has finally admitted that, well… it just really doesn’t show music anymore, and it’s updating its logo to reflect this sad fact. [More]
Gibson Sues Makers Of Guitar Hero And Rock Band For Patent Infringement
By 4.2.08
Gibson is suing Activision, Harmonix, Electronic Arts, and MTV over alleged patent infringement over the companies’ involvement in Rock Band and the Guitar Hero series. The lawsuit is not over Guitar Hero’s use of the iconic Les Paul, SG, and Explorer guitars as controllers, but for violation of a decade-old patent for….drumroll please… “a method for simulating a live performance using a musical instrument, a 3D headset with stereo speakers, and a pre-recorded concert.” (US Patent 5,990,405) Gibson does not rock, at all…
Stunning MTV HD Ad Something to Crow About
By 4.26.06
Stunning work from the wunderlab that is the Psyop motion graphics studio.
