NationStates Jolt Archive

Viacom programming could be yanked from Time Warner Cable

The cable giant Viacom has threatened to yank its channels – including Nickelodeon, MTV and Comedy Central – from Time Warner Cable at 12:01 a.m. Thursday if the two companies can’t reach an agreement over fees.

If Viacom makes good on its statements, that would mean the blackout of kids shows such as “Dora the Explorer” and “SpongeBob SquarePants” as well as Comedy Central’s popular “Daily Show” and “Colbert Report.”

Viacom’s announcement stems from a debate it’s having with Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) over carriage fees, the money the cable providers pay to air programming.

In a statement, Viacom says it’s asking for a reasonable increase of less than 25 cents per month, per subscriber. The company says that Americans spend 20 percent of their TV viewing time watching Viacom networks but that Viacom’s fees amount to just 2.5 percent of what Time Warner gets from the average customer.

The company has taken out advertisements in national newspapers in an effort to stir up customers.

Time Warner Cable has responded by saying that the dispute really stems from Viacom’s slumping ad revenue and that a fee increase would amount to a squeeze on the cable company’s customers.

“Advertising revenue stinks so they are looking to stick our customers for the difference," Alex Dudley, a Time Warner Cable spokesman, told the Los Angeles Times.

Link (http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2008/12/29/daily20.html)

I'm actually pretty apathetic about this, the shows that I watch that comes on Viacom's channels can be watched on Hulu.com, so I don't really care. I spend most of my time on the internet than on TV nowanddays anyways.

i dont care because i dont have time warner cable. but if i did i would be royally pissed if i lost those channels tomorrow.

I'd like to point out that if Viacom pulls it's programming, they will make nothing at all. :tongue:

If they win their fight, they will probably go after the other carriers as well.....

I dumped Time Warner cable because they put too much pressure on folks like Viacom to buckle in to their demands.
Living in the midwestern US, I wanted the Big Ten Network. It wasn't until a year after I dumped TW that they finally made a deal.
I'm not surprised they are losing networks. More should get on the bandwagon.

I'd like to point out that if Viacom pulls it's programming, they will make nothing at all. :tongue:

Not exactly true. Many other cable companies carry viacom networks.

I have Time Warner Cable and will be royally pissed if I lose Comedy Central -- especially The Daily Show. The other channels I don't think I care about.

Does Viacom own Cartoon Network?

Oh noez! Not Dora The explorer! What will we ever do without her? :(

Oh noez! Not Dora The explorer! What will we ever do without her? :(

Be forced to entertain our children ourselves. :p

Is there any specific reason Time Warner cannot offer "value packs" ? As in - "if you want the Viacom channels, pay X per month extra". I myself can simply choose which channels I get...

Be forced to entertain our children ourselves. :p
http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:Ix3zbNoLJhctbM:http://bp0.blogger.com/_RuslTYCtScI/RmtGlFGf6DI/AAAAAAAAAB0/UfSO6XsySO4/s400/lolcat6862632.jpg

Does Viacom own Cartoon Network?
Time/Warner actually owns Cartoon Network, so you're reasonable safe that your Time/Warner cable provider will continue to carry it. They actually own 37% of Comedy Central (Viacom owns 50%), so this almost plays like sibling rivalry.

Is there any specific reason Time Warner cannot offer "value packs" ? As in - "if you want the Viacom channels, pay X per month extra". I myself can simply choose which channels I get...

Why a la carte cable doesn't exist has been a big source of frustration for a really long time. I'm not going to watch some of these channels and I'd gladly swap them for SPEED or Sundance or Independent Movie Channel or BBC America or G4 instead of having to add a bunch of other channels I'm not going to watch to get them.

Time/Warner actually owns Cartoon Network, so you're reasonable safe that your Time/Warner cable provider will continue to carry it. They actually own 37% of Comedy Central (Viacom owns 50%), so this almost plays like sibling rivalry.

So I can still watch my Adult Swim, that's good.

Why a la carte cable doesn't exist has been a big source of frustration for a really long time. I'm not going to watch some of these channels and I'd gladly swap them for SPEED or Sundance or Independent Movie Channel or BBC America or G4 instead of having to add a bunch of other channels I'm not going to watch to get them.

I agree. I only watch a few of the channels of their entire lineup. Also I've heard good things about the Sundance channel.

Why a la carte cable doesn't exist has been a big source of frustration for a really long time. I'm not going to watch some of these channels and I'd gladly swap them for SPEED or Sundance or Independent Movie Channel or BBC America or G4 instead of having to add a bunch of other channels I'm not going to watch to get them.
if we got to choose our channels then no one would have any of the religious channels or the shopping channels.

then what would god and commerce do?

Get better PR people?:p

if we got to choose our channels then no one would have any of the religious channels or the shopping channels.

then what would god and commerce do?

Be forced to improve their programming?

I think the cable access channel would also suffer, because who watches those?

I think the cable access channel would also suffer, because who watches those?

Those are required by communities in exchange for the cable license, which is also why you don't get to choose your cable provider in most areas.

Those are required by communities in exchange for the cable license, which is also why you don't get to choose your cable provider in most areas.

They're still boring. I only watch that channel if I'm having trouble falling asleep.

So the company that owns one half of the TV channels worth watching is demanding more money from the company that owns the other half of the TV channels worth watching? Well, Time Warner has a cable service, Viacom doesn't. Let's see who wins.

To borrow a line that seems appropriate...

Whoever wins, we lose.

Man, I hope Viacom bites the dust. I don't remember why but there was a huge campaign against viacom on youtube a while back, I'm still angry at them but have no idea why I was. XD

Bankrupt Viacom! Go Time Warner!!

Well looks like Viacom backed down, all their channels are still showing up on the Time Warner Cable network.

Well looks like Viacom backed down, all their channels are still showing up on the Time Warner Cable network.

Did they mention what time zone they were going by?

Did they mention what time zone they were going by?

...nope...

Why a la carte cable doesn't exist has been a big source of frustration for a really long time. I'm not going to watch some of these channels and I'd gladly swap them for SPEED or Sundance or Independent Movie Channel or BBC America or G4 instead of having to add a bunch of other channels I'm not going to watch to get them.
I remember a while ago someone in Congress was trying to get this to happen, his reasoning being that people with children may be forced to buy channels inappropriate for the youth along with Nickelodeon and Discovery Kids. I don't know about that (I thought most TVs had V-chips anyway), but we would definitely get cable if we could pick and choose. It seems like the companies would get more business, too.

i dont care because i dont have time warner cable. but if i did i would be royally pissed if i lost those channels tomorrow.

a day without comedy central is a day without life itself.

Daily show & Colbert Report. What else is there besides "Ethnic Stereotype Extravaganza" and fifty reruns of last night's DS & CR?

I wake up this morning and, yep, they're all still on. I had a feeling when I first saw this scroll early morning yesterday that it was a bunch of bull. I'm pretty sure it is a smokescreen just so Time Warner can raise rates.