The American Cable Association urged Viacom to restore access to...
The American Cable Association urged Viacom to restore access to online programming of channels that were dropped from DirecTV’s lineup after the cable programmer and DBS company failed to reach a carriage deal. Viacom’s decision to deny access to its…
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online content across the Internet “is another example of Viacom’s total disdain for consumers in pursuit of its goal of dominating distributors in order to reap windfall profits,” ACA CEO Matthew Polka said in a news release late Thursday. Viacom insists on being richly rewarded not for the quality or popularity of its content “but for its sheer ability to muscle distributors … into overpaying for marginal services,” he said. Twenty-six channels were blacked out to DirecTV subscribers last week (CD July 12 p10). Viacom blocked online access to episodes of shows on Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and other channels -- withholding them from all viewers, not just DirecTV customers -- after the DBS provider directed its customers to those sites because of the blackout (CD July 13 p12). Viacom did not respond by our deadline to a request for comment.