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Viacom and DishNetwork Battle On Air Over Contract

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the this-is-just-bizarre dept.

An anonymous reader writes "This weekend, Viacom stations began scrolling messages on their cable stations(MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, etc) stating that DishNetwork may soon be removing the channels from its lineup and urging subscribers to call DishNetwork. DishNetwork subscribers(me!) may have begun to see black bars cover the messages and calls to DishNetwork regarding the messages were greeted with a recording telling subscribers to call the President and GM of KCBS. These antics stem from lawsuits here. I, for one, will be switching to DirecTV if they don't get this figured out."

9 of 604 comments (clear)

  1. The list of channels in play... by LostCluster · · Score: 5, Informative

    Here's the list of channels that will fall off of Dish Network if there's no deal by 11:59:59 PM ET tonight:

    BET
    Comedy Central
    MTV
    MTV2
    Nick Games & Sports
    Nickelodeon/Nick at Night (Both East and West versions)
    Noggin/The N
    VH1
    VH1 Classic
    All CBS O&O stations (listed here) within their local markets. (Those seeing WCBS, KCBS, or WBZ as a distant CBS service outside of their natrual zones will not be affected.)
    All UPN O&O stations (listed here) within their local markets. (Those seeing WSBK as a superstation outside of Boston will not be affected.)
    KCAL in the Los Angeles area.

    1. Re:The list of channels in play... by no+reason+to+be+here · · Score: 4, Informative

      Who watches those channels anyway?

      Well, I for one watch The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Comedy Central. It's by far the best thing on TV today. I would be seriously pissed right now if I were a Dish Network customer.

      There are probably quite a few geeks here on /. that want to be able to keep watching Enterprise--despite its overwhelming suckitude--on UPN, as well.

      --
      my pet machine
    2. Re:The list of channels in play... by LostCluster · · Score: 4, Informative

      You forgot Spike TV.

      It's true that Viacom owns SpikeTV and its former sister network CMT, but I'm having trouble confirming that they're covered by the contract that currently is in dispute. (The two may be covered by a contract that's a holdover from the days that SpikeTV was The Nashville Network they were owned by a freestanding Nashville-based company.)

      I know for sure that Viacom's Showtime and The Movie Channel properties are definitely under other contracts and therefore won't be involved in this situation.

  2. Customers have choices... by LostCluster · · Score: 5, Informative

    Dish Network is trying to hold the line on the wholesale price of content. DirecTV, by comparison, just raised prices for their main content packages.

    So, if you want to get your content from the low-price supplier, you want to be with Dish Network and put up with these occasional squabbles. If you want a distributor that has a history of bending over whenever the prices go up, you go to DirecTV or your local cable company. Competition in a marketplace is good that way...

  3. Forbes writeup by danuary · · Score: 5, Informative

    Substantially better writeup of the issues involved here.

  4. I work there.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    I actually work For MTV Networks,

    I'm not happy about this either, but from I was told by management, Dish wants to pick and choose what they want to air, instead of taking packages. (ie they want MTV MTV2, Nick, and Comedy central but not Spike and cmt, Im not sure if the exact grouping though...) and Viacoms stance is its a package, they want some they take them all. This has started a pissing contest.

    Over the weekend We started moving the location of the crawl in order for it to be seen despite the black bar.

  5. Re:sounds familiar by Babbster · · Score: 4, Informative
    Specifically, Viacom is trying to force Dish to carry the "Nicktoons" channel, and is trying to get an increase in the rates that Echostar pays Viacom for the whole lineup. More details in this article.

    I don't know jack about the rate increases and how fair they are, though I have to wonder how much extra commercial networks (ALL of the affected broadcast/cable channels have paid commercial advertising) should be expecting Dish Network and, by extension, their customers to pay for those channels. But the Nicktoons issue is a clear example of a media conglomerate using its consolidated power to force the purchase of something that the customer doesn't want.

    The only thing that would really affect me (and deeply at that) is the loss of Comedy Central. But I'm willing to put up with that in the hopes that the little guy (Echostar) can put the big guy (Viacom) in his place.

  6. Re:Viacom really needs to watch themselves by maxume · · Score: 5, Informative

    Your comment about the commercials is a bit of a simplification. The cable/dish companies do indeed inject commercials into the content, but only in the places that the company providing the feed lets them. If you don't believe me, check out MTV or any other channel on C Band. They have lots of commercials. The same commercials that they have on little dish/cable networks...

    --
    Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
  7. Re:Viacom really needs to watch themselves by LoadStar · · Score: 4, Informative
    You can't buy them ala' cart anymore? I don't know anything about the Satalite providers, but I know that, at least here in Florida, the cable company's at least, and I thought all television signal carriers were required to offer ala' cart prices by law. I always figured that that requirement imposed on cable companies also held for satalite companies.

    I can't say whether you can select channels a la carte there where you are in Florida - I don't have that information. What I can respond to is the statement that law requires it.

    The Cable Act of 1992 actually says that they cannot link "premium" channels, such as HBO, Cinemax, etc., to a specific "tier" of programming. That is - you cannot be required to buy the "expanded" package just to get HBO. The law also says that they cannot require you to buy a package of premium channels - you can pick and choose which premium channel you want.

    The law does NOT say anything about picking and choosing your standard channels a la carte. If your cable provider allows you to do this - which I highly doubt - it's not because it's required by law, it's just because the provider either wants to be nice or feels that it's a business advantage to do so.

    Here's a transcript of a television news story that talks about this.