DirecTV drops Viacom channels in a fee dispute (dispute now over)

[thenewdc]

Apparently, DirecTV unsatisfied with a fee hike of 30% demanded by Viacom has dropped 26 Viacom channels from it's lineup as of midnight last night. This follows Dish Networks removal of AMC channels from its lineup in another dispute over fees.

[primehifi]

You know what, good. From what I've read over the years, the major reason our sub fees are so high is because the channel owners believe they can demand whatever price they like from the providers.

Good on Dish and DirecTV for having a set large enough to tell these guys to get stuffed.

Signed,

DirecTV sub who watches viacom channels regularly.

[thenewdc]

I'm wondering if the same thing is going to eventually happen here

[Lindsay649]

It does happen in Canada with small cable companies who have complained about the agreements required with the major specialty channel providers. A little differant with Bell, Shaw and Rogers who now in most cases own both sides of the equation. What a wonderfull country ruled by the CRTC!

[MCIBUS]

Only problem with that here is the 3:1 rule depending on what channel it is(competitors) if they drop the channel and have too many of their own either they'll have to pay what the competitor wants or they'll have drop some of their own channels to meet the 3:1 rule.

[gretzky]

yes and that explain why we have to pay for crappy channels bundles when only a few are watchable...thanks CRTC

[Tridus]

Originally Posted by gretzky

yes and that explain why we have to pay for crappy channels bundles when only a few are watchable...thanks CRTC

No it doesn't. We have to do that because it's in the providers interest to sell lots of channels that they own. Bell would want you to buy as much garbage as possible with TSN no matter what, except it'd be all Bell channels without 3:1.

[gretzky]

No it doesn't. We have to do that because it's in the providers interest to sell lots of channels that they own. Bell would want you to buy as much garbage as possible with TSN no matter what, except it'd be all Bell channels without 3:1.

channels ''a la carte'' is the way to go no matter what the offer is

[Blackloz]

I called in this afternoon, I told them I was in support of the drop I have the premier package , and the nice csr gave me $10 off my bill for the next year + a wicked deal on sunday ticket. The only show that affects me anyway is Teen Wolf which I can still watch on Bell so I'm basically good to go.

[Tridus]

Viacom has now pulled episodes of The Daily Show and some other shows off their website. Apparently to keep DirecTV customers from still being able to see them.

This is getting silly now.

gretzky - Agreed about a-la-carte. I really want that.

[Bunkhouse]

I see pulling internet content to cause more of a general backlash against Viacom.

[EnigmaZV]

That'll just cause people to pirate the shows they want instead, and Viacom will lose internet ad revenue.

[alebowgm]

Its interesting that Viacom has pulled its programming offline to stop DirecTV subs from seeing their shows while AMC, who is in a similar dispute with Dish Network, has posted full episodes up on their site.

[Francois Caron]

Whenever I hear these stories, it reminds me of this.

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/game_of_thrones

Cord cutting is happening, and one of the reasons are the shenanigans committed by the entertainment industry who prefer to prevent people from watching their content instead of making it easier for the people to gain access to the content.

When are The Daily Show and The Colbert Report coming back from their vacations?

[ScaryBob]

The same thing happens here all the time. HDNet was once one of the channels most requested by subscribers but was recently removed because Canadian BDUs did not like the terms of carriage. Bell refused to carry AMC and TCM for years due to failed negotiations. The CRTC imposes carriage rules on BDUs to prevent favouritism towards their own channels. The other difference here is that rates for specialty channels are regulated by the CRTC. Otherwise, we would see a lot more hardball being played by broadcasters and BDUs.