Hasta La Gadget!

Viacom’s frenemy, DirecTV, has announced that it suffered a net loss of subscribers for the first time in its history. The revelation came in its second quarter filing, which claimed that the exodus is actually a purge — due to a tighter credit policy and a change of focus toward “higher quality” customers. The dip in numbers hasn’t hurt the balance sheet, however, with revenues up seven percent to $5.65 billion, leading to a net profit of $604 million. This time out, there’s no reference to the recently-minted deal to keep Viacom’s stations on the service, believed to be in the region of $600 million per year — but we expect it to appear on the books in the next quarterly report.

Filed under: Home Entertainment

DirecTV waves goodbye to 52,000 subscribers in first ever net loss of customers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 09:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DirecTV and Viacom have been battling over contract negotiations for over a week now. Viacom had forced DirecTV to pull all of its networks including Nickelodeon, MTV, VH1, and Comedy Central from its satellite TV service. Negotiations have been ongoing between the two companies and Viacom has announced that a deal has finally been made.

The terms of the deal haven’t been announced. All 26 channels available once again on DirecTV as of this morning. Viacom notes that DirecTV also has the option to add its EPIX movie network to its channel lineup.

Interestingly, DirecTV claimed this week that Viacom’s insistence that it pay $500 million to carry EPIX was the reason negotiations had reached an impasse. It seems that Viacom backed away from that condition and Spongebob Squarepants has been restored to homes around the country.

We’ve been following the negotiation battle between DirecTV and Viacom for over a week now. Viacom forced DirecTV to pull all of its networks, including Nickelodeon and Comedy Central, from the DirecTV lineup. The reason Viacom had its networks removed from DirecTV had to do with contract negotiations. According to DirecTV, Viacom wanted what amounted to an extra billion dollars in licensing fees.

Viacom has announced today that it, and DirecTV have reached a new agreement that will see all 26 Viacom networks, including Nickelodeon and Comedy Central among others return to DirecTV. Word surfaced yesterday that talks between the two companies were at an impasse because Viacom slipped in a requirement for its EPIX network to be picked up at cost of about $500 million.

DirecTV apparently backed out of the deal when that condition was added. Viacom says that DirecTV has an option to add the EPIX network to its lineup. That would seem to indicate that Viacom backed off the requirement for DirecTV to add the service in order to get the other networks back. This is good news for people on DirecTV. I know my daughter will be happy to get SpongeBob and Victorious back. Terms of the new deal aren’t available.

DirecTV and Viacom kiss and make up is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It’s been little more than a week since Viacom pulled a bunch of its channels, including kids programming on Nickelodeon, from the DirecTV service after contract negotiations failed. Viacom and DirecTV have been conducting talks in hopes of coming to an agreement on a contract that would bring the channels back to DirecTV customers. Viacom is now saying the talks between it and DirecTV have reached an impasse.

According to DirecTV, it had agreed on major points for a new fee agreement that would restore Viacom channels to its network and the deal was close to a finished. DirecTV says that Viacom then demanded its movie channel Epix be included in the deal. According to DirecTV Viacom wanted an additional half billion dollars for Epix.

I mentioned before, as the parent of young child who loved programming on Nickelodeon that I wasn’t happy at all, and neither was my daughter, about Nickelodeon being taken away. Now that we’re about a week on the other side of no Nickelodeon programming available, my daughter has found other shows to watch during TV time. What Viacom has done is give Disney Channel and its programming a chance in my house. My daughter never watched Disney Channel while Nickelodeon was around, but she has switched now and hasn’t asked when SpongeBob will come back in days. I’d wager there are many homes where the same thing is taking place. I hope this contract tactic blows up in Viacom’s face.

[via BusinessWeek]

Viacom and DirecTV talks have hit a wall is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

DirecTV has announced the addition of a new channel to its lineup as of Saturday, July 14. The new channel is Disney Junior is aimed at children aged 2 to 7 years old. The channel is undoubtedly an attempt to help replace the loss of Nickelodeon in the wake of the DirecTV and Viacom contract dispute. The new channel is now available on DirecTV 289 and is available 24 hours a day.

The channel is now available as a basic offering. Disney Junior offers familiar Disney characters and other cartoons to help children learn early math and language skills as well as healthy eating and lifestyles. Programming options on the network include “Jake and the Never Land Pirates,” “Doc McStuffins,” “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,” “A Poem Is…,” “Handy Manny,” “Little Einsteins” and “Special Agent Oso.”

The network also offers Walt Disney Studios and Pixar classic and contemporary animated movies. That includes many sequels to films kids may have seen in the theater that went directly to video. I think for many kids Disney Junior won’t be able to replace Nickelodeon.

DirecTV adds Disney Junior to line up is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.