Nickelodeon may be next to join the unbundling frenzy: Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman revealed during an earnings call Thursday that his company is…
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Viacom blocks Suddenlink subscribers from streaming Daily Show, Colbert and other shows
Suddenlink subscribers that want to catch up on the Daily Show online are out of luck: Viacom is blocking access to its shows as part of a contractual dispute.…
Read MoreMTV teams up with Spotify to deliver music to apps and sites
Spotify has teamed up with MTV to bring music to MTV's apps and sites. The partnership could help to drive new sign-ups for the service.…
Read MoreViacom blocks online videos in retrans fight, wakes up regulators
Viacom is blocking access to its online videos for Cable One customers to get higher retransmission rates. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is starting to worry.…
Read MoreGoogle and Viacom end YouTube lawsuit, agree to work together
Viacom ended its $1 billion copyright lawsuit against Google over unauthorized YouTube uploads. The companies now plan to work more closely together.…
Read MoreFIOS TV gets customizable Nick Jr. TV channel
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303754404579312904182126302 Verizon’s (S VZ) FIOS TV is the first pay TV provider to get a new, customizable kids TV channel dubbed My…
Read MoreStudios win again in fight over user content: “safe harbors” not so safe, websites find
A new series of court rulings on "red flag" knowledge suggest content owners are getting the upper hand in a long-running battle over when websites should be responsible for copyrighted content uploaded by users.…
Read MoreSouth Park‘s 95 hour-long online marathon pays tribute to show’s legacy
94 hours of South Park might not be your cup of tea, but the live-stream of the complete series to date will make you appreciate the show's 17 years on the air.…
Read MoreNetflix and Amazon step up battle for kids’ eyeballs over summer vacation
Netflix and Amazon both want to be the company that captures your kid's screen time this summer.…
Read MoreNetflix signs big, exclusive deal for original DreamWorks shows
Netflix and DreamWorks have signed a deal to create a bunch of original shows based on DreamWorks properties like Shrek and Kung Fu Panda.…
Read MoreAdios, Dora: Netflix is starting to take Viacom shows offline
Dora, Diego, Spongebob, Blue's Clues and a number of other kids TV shows were taken offline by Netflix this week as the company's deal with Viacom is expiring.…
Read MoreCourt sides with YouTube for second time in major Viacom copyright case
YouTube notched a major victory in its long-running copyright suit with Google. A New York judge emphatically rejected Viacom's theory that YouTube had "red flag" knowledge that made it liable for content uploaded by its users.…
Read MoreCablevision sues Viacom to break up the bundle — or get a better deal
Cablevision has sued Viacom over requirements to carry channels no one watches. The lawsuit could be a serious challenge to the cable bundle. That's why it will likely be settled out of court.…
Read MoreHow much would you pay for a live stream of the Daily Show?
Jon Stewart's Daily Show could soon be available live on the internet, if Dish Network has its way. The pay TV operator is reportedly in talks with Viacom about making its live feeds available online. The question is: how much would you pay for it?…
Read MoreBarnes & Noble launches Nook Video, including UltraViolet support
With the launch of Nook Video, Barnes & Noble will begin selling digital movies and TV episodes across devices. The company plans to release Nook Video apps, and the service will be available in the US and UK. Pricing and other details are unclear.…
Read MoreViacom overhauls Nick – So it wasn’t Netflix, it was the shows?
Reporting double-digit drops in both revenue and profit for its fiscal third quarter, Viacom announces a major overhaul to its most popular channel. Pundits suspected SVOD viewing of Nick shows had sapped ratings, but the conglomerate seems to be conceding that the shows just got old.…
Read MoreCall it an upset? How DirecTV held its ground vs. Viacom
Analysts say DirecTV will end up paying Viacom about what it initially offered, around $2.80 per month per its 20 million subscribers. The satellite carrier wasn't forced to take on Epix, and it also got a lot of TV Everywhere content rights.…
Read MoreViacom and DirecTV end spat with new deal
After more than a week of public squabbling and dark channels, DirecTV and Viacom have a new licensing deal that restores all 26 of the channels -- and leaves open the possibility that premium channel Epix will show up on the satellite operator.…
Read MoreAnalyst: DirecTV customer service reps saying deal is “imminent”
According to a tweet from noted media technology analyst Richard Greenfield, DirecTV has "appears to have caved" in its standoff with Viacom. The conglomerate's response? An actual deal is "news to us."…
Read MoreDirecTV says sticking point in Viacom talks is … Epix?
They've been negotiating over some of the biggest cable networks on TV, but DirecTV says a near deal to end its weeklong impasse with Viacom has been undone by a lightly watched premium channel. The programmer calls that a fabrication, saying the two remain far apart.…
Read MoreAnalysts: DirecTV/Viacom battle will come down to digital rights
Bernstein Research's Todd Juenger and Craig Moffett publish some of the best data yet on this rather epic carriage battle. It will take both sides a long time to come to an agreement, they predict, and the solution will come through Viacom curtailing its digital activities.…
Read MoreDirecTV CEO: “Viacom is forcing this bundle on you, not us”
Addressing DirecTV's 20 million subscribers in a heavily rotated, one-minute, 23-second propaganda spot, Mike White says, "At the very least, we think Viacom should be willing to give your family the choice to pay for only those channels you watch,"…
Read MoreNick getting nipped? DirecTV balks at Viacom fee bump
Nickelodeon has been the top-rated cable channel for 66 straight quarters. But with Nicks' ratings in decline, and its shows spread across Netflix and other OTT outlets, the channel's negotiating position may be softening. In the lastest carriage renewal conflict, DirecTV will find out how much.…
Read MorePatent troll’s bell tolls for Viacom
Defunct Web 1.0-era VOD company Intertainer continues to file patent suits, alleging Viacom transgresses its technology when streams shows like Spongebob Squarepants. Intertainer is currently litigating with Hulu and has a 10-year history of filing complaints and winning settlements.…
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