Have been itching for a fix of South Park, Spongebob or Bonanza?Well, bite down on some leather, drink plenty of fluids, and get ready for some long nights of withdrawal, because Viacom is pulling 18 channels off the air from all of Time Warner Cable's outlets in protest over their recent carriage fee raises.
That means if you're a TWC customer and a fan of anything on Comedy Central, VH1, Spike, Nickelodeon, Logo, CMT or (if you're completely blind and deaf) MTV, you're boned.
All of these networks and their spinoff frequencies are set to go dark at exactly 12:01 a.m. Thursday, at which time Viacom will hold your eyeballs as hostages until their demands are met.
Viacom wants cable customers to pay more for their channels, but the increase seems to differ depending on who you ask. Viacom claims in a statement that they only want 25 cents extra a month for their channels. TWC claims Viacom wants a 22 to 36 percent increase per channel. Either way, get ready for bigger cable bills. Better reinforce your mailbox before the bill arrives.
Viacom should have known TWC wouldn't budge on their rates without a fight. The world's in a recession that's gaining more strength by the minute, and there are more options than ever for cable customers looking for a hookup. The last thing any cable company wants to do is raise their rates an inch or risk losing customers. When unemployment reaches record high, the first thing to go is the cable, except for the few people who don't mind going without food, shelter or daily showers and deodorant.
Personally, this news couldn't have been delivered any worse if Viacom tied it to a brick and threw it at my head. New Daily Shows and Colbert Reports are supposed to touch down on Jan. 5 after a three week Christmas break. If the blackout stretches into Day 5 and there is a good possibility it could, I might have to watch (gasp!) real news.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-31-2008 @ 10:32AM
purpleslog said...
I watch South Park on Comedy Central and the occasional MMA fight on Spike.
Since, I can get South Park on-line, I can go without.
I assume Time-Warner will reduce my bill since I won't have those channels anymore, right? Hello? Anybody?
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12-31-2008 @ 10:40AM
sam said...
actually, when TW had a fight with one of the networks a few years ago (I think it was CBS, but can't be sure), I'm fairly certain you could call and request to get your bill pro-rated for the missing channel. Of course, it's only ends up being a couple of cents because it was one channel for only about a day, but it is a precedent. Not worth the time it takes to make the phone call, but still...
12-31-2008 @ 10:45AM
Rocketboy said...
Too bad alacart pricing does not work the way it always seems like it should (surface logic doesn't really account for what really takes place with cable pricing). I could easily do without a few of those channels.
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12-31-2008 @ 2:35PM
GigG said...
ala cart pricing doesn't work for cable because the biggest junk of the cost of cable has nothing to do with the channels. The cost of the hardware, including that long cable that runs from their head in to your house.
12-31-2008 @ 4:28PM
Rocketboy said...
Yes, that's why. But if you just look at it on the surface (like most people), it seems like it should save money. Compared to the cost of the infrastructure, how many channels that you send out is really just a blip.
12-31-2008 @ 11:17AM
Butters said...
This action by Viacom will just push more people to watch TV Episodes streaming online or download the episodes on the torrents. The writers' strike also proved that people will stop watching certain TV shows, when they are no longer available, and won't start watching them again when they come back on.
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12-31-2008 @ 11:26AM
Nora Jewell said...
TV Land is a joke all they show are the same re-runs for the last 15 years and now its all paid advertisements. I don't watch tv land anymore because of this. I work part-time and I'm up at 5am in the morning and I find that there is nothing on mostly all of the channels but paid advertisements. I don't feel like paying for advertisements that half of them are scams anyway.
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12-31-2008 @ 12:01PM
Tom said...
All Viacom stations have been running the following crawl on screen; ALERT! ALERT! ALERT!
Attention Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks customers, starting tonight, you will lose your favorite Nickelodeon shows on TV and online because of a dispute with Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks. You can stop this! Time Warner Cable customers call 1-800-762-3786 and Bright House Networks customers call 1-866-309-3279, AND DEMAND THEY KEEP YOUR CHANNEL! YOU MUST BE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OLD TO CALL.
Wow...the big guns are out!
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12-31-2008 @ 1:17PM
Rocketboy said...
How about we call viacom and demand that they don't increase the charge?
12-31-2008 @ 1:00PM
Jessica said...
My son really likes to watch the Noggin channel. About the only channel I let him watch. It is such a shame that this is also being affected. Watching the shows together and watching him really learn and thrive has been awesome. I hope they can resolve their issues soon.
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12-31-2008 @ 1:12PM
JD said...
What do you mean higher bills to come, TWC already has told most of their customers that rates will go up $3.00 next months.
Read what's in the green box...http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/happy-new-year-time-warner-cable-to-yank-mtv-nickeodeon-comedy-central-off-the-air/
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12-31-2008 @ 1:17PM
Alicia R. said...
Just awesome. Great. Fantastic even.
Not that I let my children watch a ton of TV, but Nick and Noggin are definatly on the watch list.
I JUST switched to Time Warner because they offered me the same package as the cable company I did have, $70 cheaper a month.
And now I am going to lose BASIC cable channels. Joy.
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12-31-2008 @ 4:29PM
Ian said...
Could you guys please adjust the first statement of this article? You make it seem as if Viacom is pulling channels due to a Time Warner price increase, as opposed to Viacom wanting to raise fees.
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12-31-2008 @ 4:31PM
mj said...
I used to have Direct TV for years, but now am stuck with basic cable. And now I'm losing channels I like. Just ducky. I don't have broadband where I live, so watching online is a joke. grrrr
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12-31-2008 @ 6:45PM
FLMom said...
Viacom needs to think of the consumers first - Please don't pull these channels from Time Warner Cable or Brighthouse Networks!
http://www.floodthelines.com/viacomdontpullchannels/
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12-31-2008 @ 8:43PM
jerros said...
The only channel I watch in those listed would be Comedy Central, and even then I don't watch it religiously.
And as far as I'm concerned this is a prime oppertunity for Time Warner to add some new channels which have been previously unavailable to Time Warner customers (preferably HD channels).
Viacom must be full of themselves to be demanding more money. As far as I'm concerned their offerings aren't worth a penny more on my bill a month. I'd easily trade CMT, MTV, VH1, Nick, Spike, Logo and Comedy Central for USA & Sci-Fi HD channels.
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12-31-2008 @ 8:51PM
J.C. said...
It's a no win situation for TW subcribers, no matter how it ends. If Viacom gets their increase, it sure as hell will not help the programming. They'll just make more shows about n*ggers, rednecks, and run-down has-been celebrities as found on MTV, VH-1, and CMT. On the other hand, I doubt Time Warner will take any money they save by dropping Viacom and put it to good use. There wouldn't be a decrease in monthly fees, and their so called "On Demand" service would still suck, it's not "on demand" if I order it, and their damn servers can't handle the amount of subcribers ordering at the same time! DirectTV is looking better and better all the time.
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1-01-2009 @ 2:43AM
Lenny said...
They've reached an agreement. No blackout.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-fi-viacom1-2009jan01,0,4585385.story
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