Greed rules network channel battle

Every few months the news is filled with reports of one network company battling with a cable or satellite provider over the price of channels. This time around it’s Viacom and DirecTV.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal DirecTV pays Viacom $500 MILLION per year for channels that include Spike, Nickelodeon, MTV, and LOGO. DirecTV reports that Viacom wants a 30% hike in fees for the right to let DirecTV broadcast the channels.

On Monday Viacom sent a letter to DirecTV DEMANDING that all of the Viacom channels be removed by midnight UNLESS an agreement could be reached. While Viacom claims it was DirecTV who chose to remove the channels, DirecTV complied.

Less than 24 hours later Viacom began denying access to Viacom programming on the Internet to ALL Americans, not just DirecTV customers including any content on You Tube citing copyright infringement.

Prior to the onslaught of new channels, commercial networks broadcast their feeds to cable companies free of charge. All that has changed and networks are now are not only demanding payment, they are demanding exuberant prices for the right to air less than quality programming. Both cable and satellite companies have seen declines in subscribers due to the high prices for service. Now Viacom has upped the anti by demanding an outrageous fee increase that will send even more subscribers to online and less expensive alternatives.

With millions of people out of work and millions more barely scraping by, cable and satellite is becoming the luxury it once was and not the necessity the providers would have us believe.

Other than blasting full page accusatory ads toward DirecTV, Viacom has been very silent on the issue with phone calls not being returned.

Corporations like Viacom have gone far beyond making a reasonable profit and launched full blast into pure GREED. The time has come to stand fast and discover more than the likes of Sponge Bob, Jon Stewart, and the “he man” shows aired on Spike. While I enjoy watching RuPaul and will not be able to report on her drag queens and Drag U frivolities, I will survive.