Link (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081231/tv_nm/us_viacom_timewarner;_ylt=Aln3VcHw2zZM4P5uOogX3PdxFb8C)


LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Viacom Inc on Tuesday said it will pull its cable television networks, including Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and MTV, off Time Warner Cable if the companies do not reach a deal on carriage fees by January 1.

In a statement, Viacom said it is seeking a fee increase of less than 25 cents per month per subscriber from the second-largest U.S. cable operator.

Time Warner Cable says it has 13.3 million video subscribers. Its top markets include New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and Cleveland.

"Time Warner Cable has dismissed our efforts at a fair compromise," Viacom said in a statement. "As a result, we are sorry to say that for Time Warner Cable customers our networks will go dark as of 12:01 on January 1st."

Some of television's most popular shows appear on Viacom's 19 cable TV networks, including "Dora the Explorer," "SpongeBob SquarePants," "The Colbert Report," "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "The Hills."

Time Warner Cable spokesman Alex Dudley said Viacom was asking for steep fee increases despite the fact that "ratings are sagging" at most of its networks.

"It just smacks of desperation from a company that is trying to make up for a failing business model on our subscribers' backs, and we're not going to take it," Dudley said.

New York-based Time Warner Cable, which is expected to split from its parent Time Warner Inc next year, faces cost pressure from programmers demanding cash for retransmission fees. Retransmission fees are paid by cable and satellite companies to owners of broadcast signals on cable systems.

As advertising has taken a hit, more broadcasters are demanding cash from cable companies. At the same time, however, cable subscriber growth is slowing as consumers cut back on spending.

I just saw this roll across my screen, I'm sitting here watching Three's Company and I thought it was some kind of joke. Man, I feel bad for Time Warner customers.

Greed and money are no joke where Viacommunists are concerned. :mad:

Warner Bros pulled Night Court from TV Land last week because the contract was up. I have no use for Viacom's networks (Don't give me that crap about South Park, Stewart or Colbert because I don't watch that crap).
I cannot believe it's the age of the internet and people are still complaining about this stuff. YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO.

Can't say i'll miss any of the networks they're planning to pull from my channel lineup; okay, I would like Comedy Central back.

Comedy Central is their only channel that pulls in any viewers anyways - I am actually a little upset to discover that their fees are ALREADY 2.5% of my cable bill, when they are clearly responsible for less than a tenth of that in viewing or original programming (all of their channels repeat their programming so much they could almost combine them all into a single channel)

THIS IS A BUNCH OF CRAP - and they should just put all of the Viacom channels onto their own tier and let anyone that wants them pay the $30 ransom for Comedy Central.

I have Bresman Cable. So I am good

Ok, this is far from logical. If I see this actualy happen, It'll be starting my new year wrong!

But I do fell bad fo the people with Time Warner and Bright House Cabel. They will miss out on alot.

If this happens, I'm sure my household will be switching to Comcast or Dirct TV.

I know I was watching M*A*S*H Last Night on TV Land and they had a thing bottom of the screen saying Alert Time Warner and Bright House.

I know I was watching M*A*S*H Last Night on TV Land and they had a thing bottom of the screen saying Alert Time Warner and Bright House.

Yep. That strip is being used on all Viacom stations for TWC and BH subscribers. From what I hear, if negoiations dont pull through, Viacom will start airing commericals as early as tomorrow encouraging TWC and BH to reconsider with popular nicktoons such as Spongebob and personalities such as Stephen Colbert. Tell all your friends to call TWC!

I wonder what what will happen with they do not agree with a new contract by 11:00 pm CT Time I don;t understand why we have to pay for channel's when my cable company could not agree on a new contract for WDSU HD they filled channel 706 withy A & E HD until WDSU HD could agree on a new contractr with took a year.

I saw it as I as watching a George Lopez rerun this morning on Nick @ 1am. I am not amused. I watch Nick, The N, TV Land, definitely VH1.

I just attempted to call a third time and am getting a busy signal. My aunt in florida says that her bright house service (formerly named Time Warner) is getting the same warning that the rest of us are.

People keep calling!

please keep calling

****ing ****. We use time warner and my mom tried to call the number, and nothing. No answer. I NEED comedy central. I watch a few of those channels. Ugh. This is bull****.

This is one time when I can say I'm glad I have Comcast.

Though I despise TWC, I have to say Viacom shares in the blame here. Yes, it's only like 25 cents more a month per customer (which I would gladly pay if TWC bothered to ask), but in the larger scheme of things, Viacom is trying to get TWC to pass on Millions of dollars in fees. It's 2 media giants fighting like gradeschoolers and the customers (whom both claim is in their best interests) is the one who will suffer. We just went through the exact same thing with FOX here, luckily a deal was reached in a week or so, but I have a bad feeling that more and more of these media outlets losing money, they will start holding a knife to the throats of TWC and the other cable providers saying "pay up or else".

Another thing that pisses me off is the short notice. I didn't know about this until today.

This happened on Dish 3-4 years ago. Viacom channels were down for 4 days. Expect more of these disagreements as channels fighr for every penny and providers want to save money. My guess is that in these times, profits for both are razon thin.

Is AT&T-U-Verse affected by the Viacom threat?

Not this time. Contract may not be up or A T & T may be willing to pay.

Is there any update? I just woke up and did not see that warning scrolling across the screen.

Link (http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/ilovetowatch/2008/12/dear-time-warner.html)

Dear Time Warner
December 31, 2008
Even though I make someone who works in your customer service department cry a time or two when your service goes out, and I may have sexually harassed the surprisingly attractive cable man that came over that time my cat chewed through my Internet wire and I didn't realize it and thought you had done something stupid to my connection, and your spotty service makes it seem like Justin Bobby has a stutter during the most important parts of The Hills, and sometimes I want to On Demand a movie I've already seen ten times but that option "isn't available" right now, and the wait at your store on 23rd Street is always more than an hour, and you really are just one big frustrating super corporation that doesn't look out for the little guy, I could have forgiven it all if you didn't just threaten to take away my MTV.

It's like, I know you and Viacom are all whatevs right now but you guys need to make up and fast, because the Rock of Love Charm School reunion is coming up this Sunday and if you still aren't in agreement over whatever you're going to overcharge me for service and I miss Sharon Osbourne give Megan a beat down, I'm going to send her your way to rip out your collective weave.

According to me, Viacom is your most important business. With channels like Comedy Central, MTV, MTV 2, MTV Hits, Nickelodeon, Noggin, Spike, The N, TV Land, VH1, VH1 Classic and VH1 Soul, they provide like 89% of my daily programming and even though the thought of not having to watch The City every week seems kind of heaven-sent, I know the second Monday night rolls around, I'll be rocking back and forth in front of the screen, holding my Spencer Pratt beard hair doll chanting, "Brink my Whitney back!" (cause you know how she's always putting an -ink where a -ing should be in her sentences--that crazy Whitney).

And just think about what you're doing to the kids. And at Christimastime! Without Spike, how will they learn to process a gun shot wound if they can't watch marathon after marathon of CSI? Oh yeah, and no SpongeBob, either.

So do it for the kids. Do it for me! Do it for Bret Michaels. His show is coming back on Jan. 4.

I don't have Time Warner cable, so this doesn't affect me, but I do fear that someone like this could happen with my cable company Cablevision.

How long do you think this will last? I think it will less than a week, it just has too. And I would not be surprised if some optuntistic politicians get involved.

I was very surprised about this announcement. I hope that Viacom and Time Warner can work this out.

This is one time when I can say I'm glad I have Cablevision

The AP is reporting a 11th hour deal was reached between Viacom and Time Warner.

http://www.9wsyr.com/content/news/real_deal/story/Time-Warner-reaches-deal-with-Viacom-blackout/23h7-b_baEyN3uIg0yUzAA.cspx

I just turned on my tv and almost slightly panicked because nickelodeon was all black screen and then George Lopez popped up. Hooray!

The AP is reporting a 11th hour deal was reached between Viacom and Time Warner.

http://www.9wsyr.com/content/news/real_deal/story/Time-Warner-reaches-deal-with-Viacom-blackout/23h7-b_baEyN3uIg0yUzAA.cspx

Thank god they settled that! I was worried for the past 24 hrs what I'd do without my N@N and TVLand to fall asleep to at night. Before I saw the article I checked around 12:20 am and they were still on the air, so it looked like a good sign.

I just want to say: Viacom and TWC, don't EVER scare us like that again!

The AP is reporting a 11th hour deal was reached between Viacom and Time Warner.

http://www.9wsyr.com/content/news/real_deal/story/Time-Warner-reaches-deal-with-Viacom-blackout/23h7-b_baEyN3uIg0yUzAA.cspx
Thank god. Looking forward to my 'What I Like About You' marathons on the N all this week. Can't get enough of the Honeymooners on my local PIX either!

Official statement:

http://www.iwantmychannelsback.com/

Glad they resolved it, ish like this is ridiculous. Bad enough my local CW station had to be taken off the air for a month back in October cause the arsehole's who own it wanted an exorbant fee for TW to keep airing that channel(it's back now), ugh

Wow ZKS. That actually happened, huh?

I am glad that Time Warren and Bright House Cable Reach a new deal

Suppose they gave a War (Viacom) and nobody came!

:-)

Just another silly scare tactic by the Via-crooks, huh?

I just turned on my tv and almost slightly panicked because nickelodeon was all black screen and then George Lopez popped up. Hooray!


why can't you get Comcast or Directv?

i got Direct Tv