Two Corporate Thug Giants going at each other, Echostar yanks MTV,CBS say Viacom is overcharging Edit: Fued over

[dmcowen674]

3-9-2004 EchoStar Pulls Plug on Viacom Channels

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - Satellite TV giant EchoStar Communications Corp. pulled the plug on MTV, Nickelodeon and CBS affiliates in more than a dozen cities early Tuesday in an escalating legal dispute with Viacom Inc. over the price of programming.

As many as 9 million customers of EchoStar's DISH Network nationwide were affected, including 1.6 million who watch CBS programming in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and other cities. The move that could threaten their ability to watch, among other things, the March Madness (news - web sites) college basketball tournament.

"We are willing to negotiate as soon as Viacom is willing to be reasonable," EchoStar spokesman Steve Caulk said. However, he said he knew of no negotiation plans.

"Viacom, which owns CBS, got the airwaves for free from the American public, allowing them to provide CBS," Caulk said. "Now they're using that as leverage to force us to pay ridiculous amounts for other channels people don't necessarily want."

According to federal lawsuit filed by EchoStar in January, Viacom has illegally tried to force EchoStar to carry Viacom-owned MTV, Spike and other cable channels at unfair prices in exchange for the right to carry 18 CBS-owned stations in 16 media markets.

Echostar said Viacom sought rate increases up to 40 percent over the length of the contract ? which would total potentially hundreds of millions of dollars.

Viacom officials said they don't understand EchoStar's arguments and issued a statement urging customers to drop the DISH Network.

"They recently hiked their subscribers' bills by as much as $3 a month," the company said. "Yet they are unwilling to consider paying an additional six cents a month per subscriber for the right to carry our channels."

In place of the usual programming, some customers in the Denver area saw a message from EchoStar saying Viacom was asking an unreasonable amount to carry its programming. The DISH Network also posted an announcement on its Web site, along with a plea for consumers to call CBS.
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Besides for the obvious meltdown in the U.S. of Greedy Corporate Bastard Thugs Vs Greedy Corporate Bastard Thugs is that this should've never gotten to this point. Might as well disband the Fuggin Useless FCC because they are owned by the very same Greedy Corporate Bastard Thugs and let this crap happen in the U.S. now.

But, I digress, this is cool to watch anyway

 

[CADsortaGUY]

I wonder how many jobs this will cost...despite dave's joy.

CkG

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: CADkindaGUY
I wonder how many jobs this will cost...despite dave's joy.

CkG

Oh it is joy, I hope it costs the jobs of the Top Brass of these Greedy Corporate Bastard Thugs.

 

[burnedout]

So long as "See BS" continues broadcasting the NCAA men's basketball tournament, I'll be happy.

 

[dmcowen674]

The Two Corporate Thugs are battling it out with websites too:

Viacom Dispute

DISH Network sincerely regrets that all MTV, BET, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and VH1 programming is currently unavailable. Viacom owned CBS stations are also unavailable at this time.

These channels and CBS stations, owned by Viacom, have proposed excessive rate increases which we feel are unreasonable. Viacom is demanding rate increases nearly 4 times the rate of inflation for various cable channels, amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars in fees that would increase the cost of our services to you.

http://www.ilostmyfavoritechannels.com/

Because of EchoStar/DISH Network?s actions, you are now unable to watch
Nickelodeon?s SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS

When Americans watch cable TV, they spend about 20% of their time with our networks, yet our fees are less than 5% of what EchoStar/DISH Network generates from the average DISH Network customer.

 

[Pepsei]

This really sucks for me since Comedy Central is all I watch.

 

[dmcowen674]

Now Viacom says it needs to buy up the cable systems so they will totally dominate the American Video Media:

3-10-2004 Viacom Mulls Buying Cable Operation

Media company Viacom Inc.'s Chief Executive Sumner Redstone said the company might seek to buy a cable-television operation...

Viacom does not "need distribution for defensive purposes," but the time might come "where we could decide ... for the future growth of Viacom we could add more distribution, for example, cable systems," the story quoted Redstone as saying.

Redstone made it clear Viacom was not interested in acquiring satellite television service EchoStar Communications Corp.

 

[dmcowen674]

Booooooo, Viacom apparently has backed down but both sides are too chicken sh1t to reveal the details of the "agreement". That's bullsh1t because CBS (Viacom) operates over the "Public" Airwaves.

3-11-2004 EchoStar and Viacom Resolve Fee Dispute

Terms of the new contract were not disclosed. Viacom programing was restored to the DISH network within 20 minutes of the agreement's signing, said EchoStar spokesman Marc Lumpkin.

The deal will add the Nicktoons channel to some DISH packages this spring. It also extends the length of DISH's contract to carry the CBS HD East and West, Spike TV and CMT channels.

MTV spokeswoman Jeanine Smartt, a spokeswoman for MTV, cited customer displeasure as a factor in the renewed negotiations that led to a deal.

"Really, it was the outcry from the viewers that truly, I think, brought EchoStar back to the negotiating table," Smartt said. "They called us by the thousands and thousands."
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That's bullsh1t, the Corporate Greedy Bastard Thugs are still at it.