AT&T and Viacom announced early this morning that they have signed a new carriage agreement that presumably would keep the latter’s 23 basic cable channels on DIRECTV and U-verse.
However, the companies did not offer details such as whether all Viacom channels will stay on the TV services, or whether the AT&T-owned live streaming service, DIRECTV Now, will carry them. The statement said they would release more details later.
“We are pleased to announced a renewed Viacom-AT&T contract that includes continued carriage of Viacom services across multiple AT&T platforms and products,” AT&T and Viacom said in a terse statement. “The deal also brings AT&T customers more choice and improved value for Viacom content.”
The carriage pact between the two companies was scheduled to end on Friday night, but they extended the deadline to continue negotiations through the weekend.
Viacom’s lineup includes such popular networks as Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTV, BET and TV Land.
— Phillip Swann
Someone needs to stand up to Viacom and say, “Enough!” Viacom has 20+ channels on Charter, none of which I watch. I don’t need 4 or 5 MTVs, 4 or 5 Nickelodeons, 4 or 5 BETs…well, you get the picture.
Providers get all of the Viacom networks for under $6 per subscriber per month, which is a pretty good value. But those same providers are paying up to $9 per subscriber per month just for ESPN, and up to $7 per subscriber per month for a local team Regional Sports Network — The cable companies need to stand up to programmers who carry any live sports and pressure those networks into higher tiers where only those subscribers who want live sports can choose to pay for them, instead of forcing everyone on Standard/Select cable to subsidize their overpriced sports contracts.
Disney channel is like X2 the cost of nick does not have ad’s and is forced in the basic plans that needs to go back to being premium.
Just wait for the new cubs RSN? $5-6/mo just for that + $4-$5 for the NBC RSN as well. And like $1-$2? for BIG10