Viacom fun!

[spatch]

HEY KIDS! HERE'S A GREAT CORPORATE JUNIOR HIGH SLAPFIGHT!

1. Viacom has demanded that Echostar, which runs the DISH network, pay increased fees in order to carry and retransmit the CBS network and other Viacom-owned basic cable networks such as Comedy Central and MTV. Not only that, but Viacom has also ordered Echostar to take on (and pay for) additional Viacom-owned networks, such as "Nickelodeon Games and Sports."

2. Echostar decides this is an anti-trust lawsuit just waiting to happen, tells Viacom to SUK IT, and plans to drop all Viacom-owned channels.

3. Viacom says "OH NO YOU DINT" and begins running captions over all its channel feeds, exhorting DISH subscribers to call and complain about DISH dropping the channels, or simply to switch to DirecTV.

4. Echostar retaliates by running black bars over the caption crawls on the Viacom feeds.

5. Viacom moves the caption crawls around.

6. Echostar moves the black bars around.

7. Spatch decides the whole goddamn thing now looks just like this.

8. Spatch is also glad he just gets network TV off the aerials.

Comments

[mhaille.livejournal.com]

I've got DISH. It currently lists all the Viacom channels as 'Off Air- Press Info Button'
When you press info, it gives you the numbers for Viacom to call and complain.
Tee hee hee hee. (And I don't have to watch Spongebob or Max & Ruby until they resolve this! Even better!)

[hemlock-martini.livejournal.com]

We got digital cable because it was the only way to stop Dan Ackroyd from coming by our house, eating all our Chee-tos, and telling us how much we sucked for not having digital cable.

[spatch]

I'd hang out with Dan Aykroyd and eat Chee-tos. If he tried fronting on me for not having digital cable, I'd point out that hey, at least the Chee-tos are free, mister.

[erika]

Wow. That's pretty funny, actually.

[spatch]

It's the silliest slapfight I've seen in ages, what with the "We'll write what we want on our network feed!" "Oh yeah? We'll block what you write, nyeeerrr!" tit for tat, but unfortunately the consumer gets the short end of the stick. Dish Network isn't letting any subscribers out of their programming contracts for this yet. Instead, any subscriber who's lost CBS will receive a $1 credit each month on their bill.

So Dish's plan to take the high road, look like the good guy, refuse to pay the rate increase and "pass the savings on to you, the little people" ends up saving you one whole stinkin' dollar. Plus contracted subscribers are unable to switch to a service that carries the channels they want without breaking their contract prematurely and paying the penalty.

There's really nobody to root for in this scenario other than, say, DirecTV.

[signsoflife.livejournal.com]

Well, there's the class action lawsuit sure to result.

[terras.livejournal.com]

DirecTV is owned^Wcontrolled by Rupert "Lumber Jerk" Murdoch, so that's not really much of an alternative.

[sarcasma.livejournal.com]

Aha!

We were watching The Daily Show last night and were briefly very confused by all the tickers and things before we realized that they must have been stuck right in the tape of the show -- after all, we're in Canada and the whole thing has nothing to do with us. It was mildly frighening before we smartened up and went "Comedy CENTRAL, not Comedy Network. We will survive this!"

[luckimunki.livejournal.com]

I'm glad it doesn't affect me. I'd die without The Daily Show.

I think it doesn't affect me...

I hope it doesn't affect me...


Does it affect me?

[spatch]

It does only if you have the Dish Network.

News Bias

[cloudscout.livejournal.com]

After complaining about the blatant bias in their reporting on this matter, the Twin Cities CBS affiliate (owned and operated by Viacom) contacted me today to ask if they could interview me for the 6:00 news. Unfortunately, I'm in Orlando until tomorrow. Would have been fun to chalk up another 15 seconds of fame in Twin Cities media.

Tonight WCCO interviewed the president of CBS. Not surprisingly, they didn't challenge any of his statements or ask for clarification despite the transparency of his misleading remarks.

[pecosy.livejournal.com]

My favoritist bit, on the Dish Network site:

To view a list of local businesses whose advertising you will not be seeing Click Here.

[ungratefulninja.livejournal.com]

Update: Dish has now pulled all Viacom channels.

This is the slapfight that never ends
oh yes it goes on and on my friends