Comments on: Why the Web Matters in the Viacom/Time Warner Fight

By: The Cable Guys Ask For Some Love | Peter Kafka | MediaMemo | AllThingsD

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:36:51 +0000

[...] year ago, when Time Warner Cable (TWC) and Viacom (VIA) sparred over renewal fees, Viacom took out ads asking consumers for sympathy. Today, faced with the prospect of similar [...]

By: Did Big Cable Force Hulu Off Boxee? | Peter Kafka | MediaMemo | AllThingsD

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 02:04:18 +0000

[...] isn’t a theoretical problem: Compensation for Web programming weighed heavily in the December dispute between Viacom (VIA) and Time Warner Cable. One of Time Warner Cable’s complaints was that it was paying Viacom for programming Viacom [...]

By: How Time Warner Cable and Viacom Took Their Contract War to Web Users

How Time Warner Cable and Viacom Took Their Contract War to Web Users — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 13:15:51 +0000

[...] as well as an on-screen alert, warning viewers they may lose their favorite shows. A :30 spot, available on YouTube, had a similar [...]

By: Boxee: WebTV That Makes Sense. Is That Good or Bad for Big Cable? [MediaMemo] | LinkTouch

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:19:21 +0000

[...] not sure how long the big cable companies will allow Boxee to operate unfettered. As the recent dispute between Time Warner Cable (TWC) and Viacom (VIA) illustrates, the cable operators are increasingly dismayed about paying the cable networks [...]

By: Boxee: WebTV That Makes Sense. Is That Good or Bad For Big Cable? | Peter Kafka | MediaMemo | AllThingsD

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 18:38:05 +0000

By: Peter Kafka

Peter Kafka — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 22:45:16 +0000

TWX is in fact trying to spin it that way by encouraging people to go see the shows online. But again, for a very long time to come, this is all about cable subscribers and the dollars they provide. TWC can’t risk a subscriber leaving for, say, Verizon’s FiOS. Anymore than Verizon can risk losing them.

By: Jeff Simmermon

Jeff Simmermon — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 22:43:33 +0000

Hi — I’m the director of digital communications at Time Warner Cable.

Take a look at the popup that’s showing up on websites owned by Viacom — any of ‘em, MTV.com, VH1.com, etc. The text says, in part “Attention Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks customers, starting tonight, you will lose your favorite MTV shows on TV and online because of a dispute with Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks.”

Here’s a screen shot: http://twitpic.com/ycvx

It’s that phrase “and online” that’s really troubling. What does Viacom mean by that? If the statement’s true and not just a scare tactic, then it either means:

1) They’re going to take all their video content off the Web and ruin it for everybody.

2) They’re somehow going to block Time Warner Cable / Bright House/ Roadrunner subscribers only from seeing their free video content, probably by blocking a range of IP addresses.

If they do the latter, they will be blocking our Road Runner customers – many of whom don’t even subscribe to our video service – from the same full Web experience that they provide everyone else for free.

What will that do for the future of online video? We’re not sure, but one thing’s positive: it won’t be good.

By: Joseph Weisenthal

Joseph Weisenthal — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 21:25:50 +0000

Couldn’t you look at this the opposite way and say that the web advantages TWC?

Viacom’s strategy seems predicated on TWC customers freaking out and demanding that the operator cave.

But if those customers have access to their favorite Viacom shows via the web, will they actually get as bent out of shape?