DBSTalk Forum banner

DirecTV/Viacom Dispute?

433K views 3K replies 511 participants last post by  NewForceFiveFan 
#1 ·
So, I was just flipping through channels and when I stopped on Nick, I happened to see a crawl at the bottom of the screen.

It states:

Attention DirecTV Customers - Call 1-800-531-5000 Now!
Tomorrow Night, DirecTV will drop this and 25 other channels.
You will lose Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, VH1, Spike, TV Land and many more. You can stop them! Call now and demand that DirecTV keep these channels on the air. You must be at least 18 years old to call.

This is the first I've heard about any DirecTV/Viacom dispute and haven't seen the crawl on any other Viacom channels. Also, I would assume that the crawl would have started running prior to the night before.

Any one have any information on this?

Dan
 
#2,255 ·
John Stewart blasts his own company (Viacom), for pulling out on DirecTv and the internet, and even said when he woke up this morning "My 8 yr old son was watching Dark Knight Rises in 3D" in a direct reference to torrents. He has John Oliver at a DirecTv household, relaying the show to them in person. Its hilarious. You all need to hulu this one.
 
#2,256 ·
onan38 said:
Here is a very good story on the whole thing and i tend to agree.

http://newyork.newsday.com/business...profits-to-blame-for-blackout-trend-1.3840057
Draconis said:
Nickelodeon ratings tumble from loss of carriage on DirecTV.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-nickratings-20120716,0,1495882.story

Could not have happened to a nicer company.
One things these makes clear is this dispute is the front line in the battle between content providers and content distributors. These channels are a significant part of DirecTV's offering and DirecTV is a significant part of Viacom's distribution. Clearly, both need each other. This is a test for both sides and will set the stage for the industry for years to come.
 
#2,257 ·
cypherx said:
If DirecTV would drop Viacom permanently we would drop DirecTV...

On the plus side we would get more HD channels on cable like DIY, H2, Style, NASA and a few more. On the negative side we would have to deal with crappy DVRs and the ugly no frills featureless software that runs their system, no MRV, web programming, iPad app, HBOGo, etc.

It's a sucky situation.
That's what I thought too at first. Then I started using an HTPC and Xbox extenders as my cable DVRs and got 8 tuner capability, a slick, sophisticated GUI, MRV, remote DVR management and remote viewing far superior to anything DirecTV has.

So I got back all the channels I lost with Dish and potentially DirecTV, plus a killer DVR, all for a lot less money. Wouldn't work out for a big sports fans, but worked out great for me.
 
#2,258 ·
Davenlr said:
John Stewart blasts his own company (Viacom), for pulling out on DirecTv and the internet, and even said when he woke up this morning "My 8 yr old son was watching Dark Knight Rises in 3D" in a direct reference to torrents. He has John Oliver at a DirecTv household, relaying the show to them in person. Its hilarious. You all need to hulu this one.
I wonder if Viacom will allow the episode to be put online....I bet they will be dicks about it and keep it off the website as well as Hulu.
If this is the case, I wonder how quickly it will show up on the internet anyway...
I bet Colbert will skewer them as well.
 
#2,261 ·
"Davenlr" said:
John Stewart blasts his own company (Viacom), for pulling out on DirecTv and the internet, and even said when he woke up this morning "My 8 yr old son was watching Dark Knight Rises in 3D" in a direct reference to torrents. He has John Oliver at a DirecTv household, relaying the show to them in person. Its hilarious. You all need to hulu this one.
"This just in, Viacom fires Jon Stewart for negative comments he made about the company......."
 
#2,266 ·
DirectTv plays hardball as does Viacom. I shed no tears for anyone. Neither DTV or Viacom has exclusive use of the Darth Vader Mask. The only winners in the end will be DirectTv and Viacom. Customers will eventually see price creep either by overt increase in fees or by elimination of channels to offset the costs. The token free channels added for the remainder of the month don't benefit those with the high dollar packages like myself. DirectTV becomes more expensive every year. DTV's key advantage is its wider coverage and availability than FIOS.
 
#2,267 ·
Fios has a crappy GUI. direct tv has the best GUI from what i can see. I've never used dish. But just the thought of having to reinstall everything, all the multiroom dvr systems, all the programs i set to record.. way to much. I'd rather wait a few week, then have to re do all that.

Plus like i said i HATE the fios gui. And the comcast one. It's not even a GUI. More like a DOS interface from the 80s.
 
#2,271 ·
android.cphone said:
Someone tell me what john said
He said "Anyone remember Oprah?" "Three days and is was 'who is this Ellen chick'"
Paraphrasing...
Said people will find other things to watch or do, read a book, have a conversation...
Then said even his 8 yr old could download the shows using torrents
Only old people are missing out on the show

Then they went to a DirecTv household, where John Oliver attempted to give them a play by play of what was going on, on the show...except the couple started talking and being intimate, and ignored the "TV".
 
#2,273 ·
Viacom is getting their a** kicked. Make a deal, boys. Find a way to save face (toss in extra rights or something), and make a deal.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top