As Dire Straits sang back in '85, "I want my MTV." Cable One subscribers were singing that tune back in April, but adding to their "wants" BET, Centric, CMT, MTV2, MTV Hits, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Nick Teen, Nick Toons, Spike, TV Land, VH-1, VH-1 Classic and, horror of horrors, Comedy Central. On March 31, as a result of a billing dispute between the cable giant and Viacom, more than 700,000 customers in 19 states--including Idaho--saw some of their favorite channels yanked from the airwaves. According to Cable One execs, the blackout came after Viacom, which owns the channels, demanded fee increases greater than 100 percent to carry all 15 of its properties. The blockage also included online content, and Viacom's actions have since drawn the attention of federal regulators. In the meantime, Viacom announced that it was partnering with Netflix to carry its original programming, which probably made more than a few TV addicts a little less edgy. Still, there's nothing worse than messing with an American's remote.
15 channels disappeared from Cable One's lineup, including BET, CMT, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon and VH-1.
by George Prentice | Apr 9, 2014
"We also asked to drop the less popular networks and only carry the networks our customers really watch, and the rate they demanded was even higher."
by George Prentice | Apr 1, 2014
Viacom's 15 networks include BET, Centric, CMT, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Spike, TV Land and VH-1.
by George Prentice | Mar 29, 2014
Cable One insists that it will continue to negotiate "to strike the best deal for our customers, whether that is negotiating a fair rate or dropping some of their less popular networks and carrying only the ones you really watch."
by George Prentice | Mar 25, 2014
© 2018 Boise Weekly
Comments
Comments are closed.