satelite tv and viacom

[Mr.mike]

for some reason viacom wants alot more money from tv things that show their channels. so then satelite wouldnt be making a profit and have to raise their prices but they didnt want to do that so they just took off those channels so now i cant watch comedy central, cbs, the mtv channels, and nick(i think thats all):mad:

[mikey101]

yea, i'm pissed too. i hope they get this resolved soon

[-Jôker-]

yea it kinda makes me mad but o well... maybe viacom will realize they arent worth all that much and just shut up:rolleyes:

[PyRo]

That sucks about comedy central, the rest you can live without :)

[yeahthatsme]

spike tv, and vh1 are gone as well.

[poolshark5226]

im pissed about Comdey Central, vh1, and Spike TV...if I miss the Chappel show...watch out yall

[1stdeadeye]

Get cable then. Everything is still on!:D

[cphilip]

What Sattelite company you with?

Um...we not got Cable out here in the sticks so thats no good for me. But seems all my stuff is still there...

[poolshark5226]

we're with Dish Network

the problem in my area is that the only cable provider forces you to get digital cable, and to get digital cable with a good amount of channels costs a rediculous amount of $$$

personally I hate sattelite tv in pretty much every way I can, but whatever...the record/pause/rewind/etc options are fun

[cphilip]

Hmm.... I am on Dish too...

[Brak]

seriously, switch to direcTV, my friend has it and it rules, and youll get those channels back

[yeahthatsme]

the channels arent going off yet but they will soon, if i understand the situation correctly.

[Emily]

Originally posted by yeahthatsme
the channels arent going off yet but they will soon, if i understand the situation correctly.

I have dish network and the channels are all off except my cbs channels. My cbs channels are not owned by viacom. We won't miss the other channels but I'll be changing to direct tv in july.

[cphilip]

Well I had Direct at one time. Didn't like it at all... I liked the selection of Dish better. And Disney owns part of it and I suspect they will deal with it. In fact I thought Dish was trying to buy out Direct. Not sure the FCC will ever approve it but Dish has a bit more leverage than Direct does in the business world. I interested to see what happens. I don't watch much of the channels you list there though. But I suspect someone will keel over under the pressure eventually. Its a matter of time when each of thier contracts get negotiated. So if its happening to Dish its going to happen at Direct at some point.

At this time all of mine seem to be working...

[chizle97]

the chizle loves his basic cable!:D

[-Jôker-]

they were cut off today

[cphilip]

Ok I see em now. Only one I ever watched of those anymore is Comedy Channel. BET, VH1, Nick and MTV are the only other ones I see?

Spike is still there.

I think a fight is going on now eh? I predict Viacom will lose this one.

[logamus]

a similar thing happened here a few years ago, but with cable. our broadcast nbc station started to demand money from the cable company to broadcast their programming so the cable company just dropped them. when the station was NOT overwhelmed with letters of support they backed down. sometimes people get overly cocky and need a boot square to the crack to get them in line again.

[ZAust]

directv still has all the viacom owned channels. it is dish network that is losing em.. personally, i would never use anything but my directv with tivo. it is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

[cphilip]

Originally posted by ZAust
directv still has all the viacom owned channels. it is dish network that is losing em.. personally, i would never use anything but my directv with tivo. it is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Thats just because their contract is not up yet. When it is I suspect a major fight. I have no idea when Directs contract is due up for renewal.

Supposedly this same fight went on with Viacom and Time Warner Cable a few years back. Seems they settled but I do not know who came out the winner or loser in that one. Would need to research it.

But expect it to be an issue with all of them at contract renewal time. So be carefull jumping. You might jump into the fray in another one of these down the line. And you contract is for a full year before you can change back without huge penalty.

The only thing is the CBS contract seems to be the National Feeds not the local channel contracts. So if you have local feeds you still got CBS though your local channels contract. Seperate contract from what I can tell. And not affected.

[RRfireblade]

Originally posted by cphilip
Well I had Direct at one time. Didn't like it at all... I liked the selection of Dish better.


The funny thing is they're both owned by the same company,Echostar.;)

[cphilip]

I asked that earlier if that sale ever got approved by the FCC. I was not aware of the outcome. If it has then they still maintaining seperate contracts and such at this time...

[RRfireblade]

They've always been and likely will always be run as seperate entities.

Echostar however,is THE major player in DSS TV mostly due to the fact that they own all the satillites that carry the programming for the majority of all the broadcasting suppliers.;)

It's easy to run the game when you own the all cards.:)

[cphilip]

I cannot see any evidence that merger went through at all. However I do see where GM sold most of them to another company recently. Direct TV that is... But at this point I do not think that that merger ever came about.

But you are right. Dish is the bigger player and will most likely bend Viacom over a tree stump before its all done. Someone has to tow the line at some point or they all will get in line for a reaming. Dish probably feels it can force the issue with Viacom better than anyone. Dish has a couple of plusses still in its field. Its free 500 model giving essentially free TiVo and some of its charges are lower or free. And depending on what kind of coverage you want its a bit better in some areas. Some of course will like Directs line up better. I did not.

You can liken this to that Smart Parts thing. But in this case Dish did not roll over. I sticking with them just for taking a stand. Pluss I got my 500 model and do not see anything but Comedy channel I ever watch. I got local feed for CBS. Nick at night is one I have watched but very rarely.

[RRfireblade]

The whole story in a nut shell if anyones interested:

Over the weekend, many cable and satellite TV viewers were introduced to the conflict between EchoStar and Viacom over programming content and fees. Viacom began inserting a scrolling message over their owned stations that warned viewers "DishNetwork will stop offering BET, MTV, Nick at Night, Comedy Central...and many others. DishNetwork subscribers, call DishNetwork and tell them you want to keep the channels you paid for." This was the latest salvo in a long running dispute between the two where Dish Network's owner EchoStar has refused carry additional Viacom channels in exchange for the rights to broadcast local CBS stations. Viacom threatened to pull broadcasts of CBS stations in several major media markets shortly before the Super Bowl, but EchoStar received a restraining order preventing the action. That restraining order runs out at midnight tonight and unless a deal can be struck before then, EchoStar must cease broadcasting Viacom owned CBS and UPN local channels along with other channels (MTV, Comedy Central, BET, Nickelodeon...).

The No. 2 U.S. satellite service, based in Englewood, Colorado, has balked at what it has described as Viacom's demands that it carry new additional channels such as the new Nicktoons channel in exchange for the rights to broadcast CBS. . .Viacom has dismissed EchoStar's legal claims and has called its lawsuit an attempt to strong-arm the broadcaster in the long-running contract talks.

Tensions between broadcasters and cable/satellite providers are nothing new. Fees and forced programming bundling were the focus of Congressional hearings investigating cable TV rate hikes that far outpaced the rate of inflation. Cox Communications has also balked at increasing broadcast rights fees for carrying the ESPN networks and even went to the lengths of setting up a "Make Them Play Fair" website while threatening to drop the sports stations altogether. It would be refreshing to see a provider stand up and refuse to cave in to broadcaster bundling requirements and EchoStar says they would rather drop stations than accede to Viacom's demands. But some analysts say it is likely a deal will be hammered out before the midnight deadline, EchoStar cannot afford to lose subscribers to their DirecTV rival.

Update: The deadline has passed and EchoStar announced they are at an impasse with Viacom over negotiation rights for carrying CBS channels in 16 U.S. markets. At midnight Pacific time EchoStar removed Viacom owned and operated CBS stations and 10 other nationally distributed channels in those markets. They will be providing a US$1 monthly credit to Dish Network markets that lose CBS channels, and an additional US$1 credit (total) for other channels that were removed.

"DISH Network customers in the cities with CBS owned-and-operated stations are entitled to keep up with local news and events distributed over publicly owned airwaves, and Viacom is interfering with that right," said Charles Ergen, chairman and chief executive officer of EchoStar. "DISH Network will always have a place for CBS and we're willing to pay for retransmission rights, but Viacom is holding the public airwaves hostage, trying to extract concessions and higher rates on programming unrelated to CBS."

The die has now been cast and about 1.6 million Dish Network subscribers will be affected by this move. For many of those customers, their anger will be directed towards EchoStar/Dish Network for lost channels and programming when they are actually trying to shield customers from programming fee induced rate hikes. Unfortunately, the customers are being caught in the crossfire and will feel the brunt of this decision. Past changes in media consolidation rules have allowed corporations like Viacom to amass a wide variety of channels, and they have used this clout by threatening to withhold popular stations unless content distributors paid up and/or carried less popular channels. In effect, customers end up subsidizing the programming of channels they never watch. It will be interesting to see who holds the best cards in this saga and how it plays out. If Viacom holds the upper hand, all customers (cable/satellite) will see a continuation of higher rates and forced bundling of channels. If EchoStar has an ace in the hole, it may mean rate concessions for Viacom while helping pave the way for true customer choice in the form of ala carte pricing.

From- http://www.arstechnica.com/news/posts/1078792897.html

[cphilip]

Yes its a big deal that I am not certain the other companies are willing to fight. And not only that they are taking advantage of it by offering sign up deals trying to gain from it. But when their turn comes you will see them suffer if Echostar is not successfull. But they not going to tell you that now. Shame there cannot be a industry wide stance on this to quash it now. But thats the bussiness for ya.

[dansim]

Originally posted by -Jôker-
yea it kinda makes me mad but o well... maybe viacom will realize they arent worth all that much and just shut up:rolleyes:

but to say viacom is not worth much and to complain about your viacom channels in the same post is kinda hypocrytical

[cphilip]

Agreement reached. Channels are back on.

Not sure what the agreement was. I do see all but one small local one back here on my set and an announcement on 101 about the agreement being made.

[RRfireblade]

Good for you guys,it'd really stink to get cut off like that.:)

Fortunately I get all the channels,all the time (DirectTV) so I haven't had to worry about to much of that.;)

Jay.

(Phil,you get my PM from a little while back?)

[cphilip]

Well hopefully Dish didn't cave and this will not affect you Direct people down the line. I mean if they did I think we would know about it by now right? So if they got consessions then that assists Direct when their contract comes up for renewal. Whenever that is.

PM? Um... not seen one recently? How far back? But my PM's have stunk lately while the board has been screwing up...