Here is the latest report that two media giants DirecTV and Viacom failed to make their new deal and it result in a blackout of many popular cable networks, including MTV, Comedy Central, and Nickelodeon.
On this issue Viacom mentioned on their official blog that “We are deeply disappointed that DirecTV dropped Viacom’s channels before our midnight deadline this evening, severing our connection with its nearly 20 million subscribers nationwide,”
“We proposed a fair deal that amounted to an increase of only a couple pennies per day, per subscriber, and we remained willing to negotiate that deal right up to this evening’s deadline. However, DirecTV refused to engage in meaningful conversation.”
Our most trusted source CNET said on this report that It’s unclear how long the blackout might last. Analysts have gone back and forth, with some believing DirecTV will inevitably succumb to Viacom’s demand, and others questioning the value of Viacom’s programming.
Beyond MTV and Comedy Central, the current dispute leaves DirecTV subscribers without 24 other channels, including Nickelodeon, BET, VH1, Spike TV, TV Land, and CMT.
Disputes such as this have occurred in the past, although perhaps not at this magnitude. Earlier this year, Cablevision and MSG Network finally settled a programming fee spat that brought back Knicks games during the height of “Linsanity.”
[Via CNET]
