Viacom threatens to pull MTV off Time Warner Cable (Comedy Channel, Nickelodeon, 16 others)

KFSM ^ | 12/30/08

[Libloather]

Viacom threatens to pull MTV off Time Warner Cable
Associated Press - December 30, 2008 10:33 PM ET

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Viacom is threatening to pull MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon and 16 other channels from Time Warner Cable if a new carriage fee deal is not agreed upon by midnight Wednesday.

A Time Warner spokesman says Viacom is seeking "an exorbitant increase in their carriage fees."

Viacom has asked for fee increases of between 22 and 36% per channel, adding up to tens of millions of dollars per year, an amount that Time Warner says would cause an increase in customers' cable bills. But Viacom contends that the increases would cost less than 25 cents a month per subscriber.

[screaminsunshine]

Mine went out every time it rained. Had to get rid of it.

[donna]

Me, too. And sadly, Discovery, A&E, and the History Channel never really tell anything but a liberal version of any story.

[bamahead]

I just saw a scrolling banner on Comedy Central urging Time Warner customers to call the company and demand that they keep these channels on the air! I wondered what it was about. Guess now I know. Wonder who’s bluffing?

[Bush gal in LA]

I have Direct tv. Are you sure that it won’t be pulling the same thing?

[Evie Munchkin]

Our local ABC channel is off of the Dish network right now because the parent company is pulling the same crap. I normally wouldn’t miss it, but “Lost” will be coming back on soon and it’s one of the very few shows that I do watch. I know I can download it from itunes, but I’d rather see it for free. Or I can wait for it to be on SciFi or G4 in a couple of years...

[DemforBush]

I found a list of channels/networks Viacom owns on Wiki. TVLand and the Nick at Nite programming on Nickelodeon are about the only ones I watch with any regularity in the first place. Spike's okay once in a while. South Park is the only reason for me to tune into Comedy Central anymore (ah, for the long lost days of The Comedy Channel - MST3K, Higgins Boys and Gruber, the Alan Havey Show, etc.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_assets_owned_by_Viacom

Television Networks

* MTV

* MTV2

* MTV Tr3́s

* MTV Desi

* MTV Hits

* MTV Jams

* MTV News

* mtvU

* Palladia

* Nickelodeon

* Nick 2

* Noggin

* The N

* Nicktoons Network

* Nick GAS(Exclusive to Dish Network)

* TV Land

* TV Land Canada

* CMT

* CMT Pure Country

* CMT (Canada)

* Spike

* VH1

* VH1 Classic

* VH1 Soul

* BET

* BETJ

* BET Hip-Hop

* BET Gospel

* BET UK

* Comedy Central

* Logo

* PBS Kids Sprout(Co-owned with Comcast,HIT Entertainment,PBS and Sesame Workshop)

* TMF

* VIVA

* Paramount Comedy

[FarRightFanatic]

OK, if TimeWarner cuts these channels, I am switching over from DirecTV IMMEDIATELY.

[Libloather]

OK, if TimeWarner cuts these channels, I am switching over from DirecTV IMMEDIATELY.

I was thinking the same thing. I noticed last night that the channels facing elimination are running an emergency ALERT! ALERT! ALERT! crawler asking customers to save them by calling a phone number. Nope, not me.

[RayChuang88]

Actually, for us conservatives this is actually a GOOD thing given how woefully liberal-leaning most of these channels are anyway. Good riddance!

[JacksonCalhoun]

Noggin provides many “teachable” moments for my 5-year old. They show their “Big Green Help” propaganda BS, and I teach her not to listen to what they say on the television and listen to her parent instead.

[Glenn]

My daughter was in tears this morning. Nick was running a banner reporting it wouldn’t be available after today. She didn’t understand we are Comcast customers.

[egannacht]

Article was online with an inset picture of Spongebob (Oh no, daddy they are getting rid of Spongebob, Patrick, and Mr. Crabs). So, I read the article and the angle was intended for adults because text concentrated the early graphs on TimeWarner cutting MTV, Daily Show, and Colbert.

Something tells me the editor(s) thought better of appealing to that select market.

As a capitalist, I must allow for market forces to dictate TimeWarner and Viacom’s final decisions. But I’m confused: TimeWarner and Viacom are guided by socialist ideology yet this seems to indicate the entertainment industry is a bastion of free market capitalism?

What’s a soprano-state schlemel like Jon Lipshitz Stewart to do when he tries to square Viacom’s money-oriented position with his vacuous “I heart Che” leanings when his contract is up for renewal? I’m sure the putz will figure out a self-justification.

For the record Jon, Greg and the gang were funnier on their worst day.

[Drew68]

She didn’t understand we are Comcast customers.

I miss Comcast. I really do. I never thought I'd say this until I moved from a Comcast area to a Time Warner one. Comcast is so far superior to Time Warner in every way.