Earlier this week, Cablevision sued broadcasting biggie Viacom for its practice of requiring cable and satellite carriers to buy a wide range of channels — many of them with small audiences — in order to be able to air the few stations with mass appeal. But it doesn’t look like Cablevision is open to the idea of giving customers the same level of choice. [More]
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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]
Will Dish Be First Big Cable Company To Enter Internet-Only TV Race?
By 9.27.12
For the last few years, cable and satellite providers have been making more and more channels available for live streaming over the Internet. But you had to be a subscriber to a standard TV package in order to reap that added benefit. Now a new report claims that Dish is trying to convince some broadcasting biggies to join them as they dip their toes into the Internet-only pool. [More]
Showtime Ruins Last Scene Of 'Dexter' Finale As Soon As You Start Blu-Ray Disc
By 8.20.12
If you’re a fan of the TV program “Dexter,” you will remember that something rather important happened in the last thirty seconds of the last episode of the last season. If you’ve never watched “Dexter,” imagine an equally important scene in a television program that you do care about. Or game-winning points scored by your favorite team right at the buzzer. Now imagine that you sit down to watch after some delay. In the case of reader K., that viewing is on DVD. That pivotal scene is the first thing you see, part of a promotional clip for… the very DVD you’ve just sat down to watch. So they’re spoiling something you’ve just rented or purchased, assuming that anyone who buys the DVDs had already watched the last season or failed to avoid spoilers? [More]
Viacom & DirecTV Stop Squabbling Long Enough To Finally End Blackout
By 7.20.12
A little more than a week into the epic contract battle between DirecTV and Viacom and a deal has finally been reached, despite Viacom’s statement on Wednesday that such an agreement wasn’t expected soon. The two companies kissed and made up early this morning, which means customers will now be reunited with their MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and VH1. [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 Puts Full Daily Show & Colbert Report Episodes Back Online
By 7.17.12
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 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]
There Are Now 500 Paramount Movies Available To Rent On YouTube
By 4.4.12
We’re not saying any of our fair readers have ever watched a two-hour movie in a series of 10-minute parts that shouldnt’ve have been posted to YouTube, but now there are even more options — YouTube will be adding around 500 Paramount films for rental on the site to its current lineup. All in one piece! [More]
Viacom & Amazon Are Close To Combining Powers Against Netflix In Video Service Deal
By 2.8.12
The video world, much like love, is a battlefield these days, with everyone pointing their guns at Netflix. On the heels of the Verizon/Redbox joint venture offering streaming video and DVD rentals, Viacom and Amazon are said to be close to signing on the dotted line in their effort to launch a standalone video subscription service. [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]
Could An NFL Lockout Force Networks To Run Even More Ads?
By 1.12.11
Now that the NFL’s postseason is in full swing (even though my beloved Eagles were so quickly eliminated), it’s time for many to start wondering if owners and players will be able to resolve their problems before the start of the next season. If not, the biggest losers could end up being the networks and, by extension, TV viewers — whether they watch football or not. [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]
Spike TV: Home Of The 10-Minute Commercial Breaks
By 9.13.10
How long can a cable channel run commercials before viewers forget what they were watching and — literally — tune out? That’s the question that the folks at Spike TV appear to be tacitly asking their audience, as it stretches the length of some of its commercial breaks well past existing standards — some to as long as 10 minutes. [More]
