I have seen this happen soo many times before. Here is how it goes.
1. Viacom wants XX more money
2. Provider doesnt want to pay
3. Viacom says we will shut down our stations on this date.
4. Viacom/Warner tell the public so there is an outcry
4. Viacom and Warner both say to public we want to make a deal
5. At the last minute, with the public getting frantic, Viacom lowers price to X and Warner accepts.
This has happened so many times this past year its almost predictable. These things just make the public hate their service provider and the networks even more. Time Warner wants to jack everyones bill up $3 and cut a ton of key stations. Viacom wants $.25 more per subscriber.
Quick Fact: TWC charges around $8.6 per subscriber.
"Bad news, Time Warner Cable subscribers. The cable carrier notorious for resisting HD expansion until a competitor rolls into town is getting ready to pull all 19 MTV Networks channels (MTV, Nickelodeon, VH1 and Comedy Central just to name a few, presumably including the HD versions). Viacom has just unleashed a scathing announcement that calls the carrier's refusal to pony up "outrageous," and publicly pleads for its bigwigs to reconsider and open up the checkbook. In essence, Viacom is asking for a fee increase of just under $0.25 per month, per subscriber -- which, admittedly, sounds rather high given the lack of MTV-related content that's a) watchable and b) in high-definition -- but TWC is straight-up refusing.
Now, we've no qualms with a provider balking at price increases, but while it's planning to let content vanish from lineups, it's also raising monthly rates by $3 in Raleigh, Orange County, Los Angeles and New York City. Ahem, TWC -- could you bother justifying these hikes by allowing us to keep our content? And don't even come at us with the "we just added more HD!" comment -- after all, you blast us everyday with ads proclaiming that your HD "is free." [Engadget]
