Latest Viacom Information
12/28/10 at 3:11 pm Pete 144 comments
Unfortunately, despite a challenging economic environment, Viacom wants a more than 20% overall increase in what they’re paid, which includes significant payment for a new network with R-rated programming that our customers have not requested and may not want.
As contract deadlines draw near, Viacom has a history of using scare tactics. For instance, two years ago, with the customers of another cable company, Viacom exploited some of its own characters, like Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob SquarePants, depicting them as crying over the prospect of being taken “off the air.” Those tactics were misleading and unfair. First, only Viacom would force its programming “off the air.” Second, Viacom tried to leverage its children’s programming to extract higher payments.
(For illustrations of Viacom’s scare tactics, check here and here.)
Hopefully, Viacom will forego such measures and instead negotiate with us in good faith to establish a new contract with fair and reasonable terms for our customers.
In the unusual event these negotiations are unsuccessful and Viacom removes its channels, we reiterate our pledge to reduce customer prices by the cost of the affected channels for whatever length of time they are unavailable.
We will provide further updates when there is a material change in the status of these negotiations.
_________________
The current negotiations cover the following Viacom channels, which are typically featured on our widely available “Expanded Basic” service: MTV, Nickelodeon, TV Land, Comedy Central, Spike TV, VH1, CMT. Other Viacom channels affected by these negotiations are featured on incremental, digital service packages. They include: Logo, Palladia HD, Nick Jr., TeenNick, NickToons, Nick2, MTV Hits, MTV2, MTV Jams, Tr3s, VH1 Classic, VH1 Soul, and CMT Pure Country.
Entry filed under: Cable Programming, Suddenlink News. Tags: .
1. Jim | 12/28/10 at 4:57 pm
Forget the negotiations. Take them off and charge me less!
2. Dave Thomas | 12/28/10 at 4:59 pm
Given my preference, I would forgo the listed Viacom channels and have the reduced billing forever.
3. Vic | 12/28/10 at 5:14 pm
Viewer numbers on those channels has to be pretty low and I’d bet there are other channels kids will watch. I vote to take’m off.
4. k | 12/28/10 at 7:04 pm
In my view, the viacom channels are low quality and we would be better off without them! Let the contract expire. BTW, I have two pre-teen boys in my home and they would gladly give up those channels, too.
5. Jay | 12/28/10 at 10:53 pm
Only one I would miss would be spike I watch csi on it (even the reruns X3) among other shows on there. Rest of them I could care less
6. Holli | 12/28/10 at 5:37 pm
I have young children and they LOVE Nick JR there is not another channel like it. The closest thing is Sprout (which I wish was available through Suddenlink).
7. Garden Lady | 12/28/10 at 6:07 pm
I vote to take them off and charge me less too! We don’t watch any of those channels anyway.
8. Robert B. | 12/28/10 at 6:11 pm
As many commercials as are aired on all these channels it’s time to tell VIACOM to take a hike. Call their bluff and let them lose a big chunk of viewership. I’m about done with commercials with intermittent shows in between.
9. Joseph | 12/28/10 at 6:16 pm
Let them go. Just looked at the lineup for tonight, nothing worth watching. Just the same series hour after hour.
10. Charles Sheppard | 12/28/10 at 6:43 pm
I agree, not only do I not watch those channels I also resent the audacity of their request for such a pay hike when we are all in tough financial times. Tough times caused by greed.
Let them market those channels to India.
11. Jerry | 12/28/10 at 6:44 pm
I agree with the above. It’s all crap anyhow.
12. George | 12/28/10 at 7:06 pm
I suggest that you go ahead and drop these programs as most are programs that I never watch anyway. Good ridance. Pass the savings to us.
13. Carl | 12/28/10 at 7:18 pm
We do not watch any of these channels. Take them off and reduce our cost!
14. Michelle | 12/28/10 at 7:19 pm
I say kiss Viacom goodbye unless they come up with more reasonable pricing. I just sent them an e-mail saying just that. I have two children who love the Nickelodeon programming, but T.V. is not our life, and I will drop cable if my price increases by 20%. It is unrealistic to expect Suddenlink to just absorb this kind of price increase … Long Live Capitalism and the law of supply v. demand
15. Geri Lawlis | 12/28/10 at 7:27 pm
I am with Jim, Dave and Vic !!!!
16. Vick | 12/28/10 at 7:31 pm
I agree, I would rather see those channels gone and either replaced with someone showing more scruples or have my bill reduced.
17. Jack Fisher | 12/28/10 at 7:35 pm
A lower rate sounds good to me!!! Tell them to take a hike!
18. WVhybrid | 12/28/10 at 7:46 pm
None of those channels are of interest to our family. Please don’t pay more. Also, if none of the channels you listed are not R-rated, I’d hate to think what goes for R-rated these days.
Just say no.
19. Joe | 12/28/10 at 7:47 pm
If those channels go away and my bill is lower, I’m a happy guy.
20. Cryss | 12/28/10 at 7:51 pm
Stop negotiations and yank the channels. Give me the lower bill!! We hardly watch any of those channels and what few shows we do watch, we can find online anyway. I’d much rather pay a lower bill than keep those channels.
21. Not a Happy Mom | 12/28/10 at 7:55 pm
My 3 yr old watches nick jr and it helps him with his speech. That is only reason really why I pay the extra each month for the extra channels. If these channels get dropped I will be canceling …
22. carla wallace | 12/28/10 at 8:04 pm
I say call their bluff. Do you really think they Want to go away? Hell no..we buy their advertised products and watch the commercials. I dont think it is WORTH more to keep Viacom stations. We can indeed watch better and more educational/entertaining programing online. I dont really care,it’s THEIR loss and not ours. I say let them go.Corporate,fearmongering bullies!
23. Rosanna Life | 12/28/10 at 8:05 pm
Personally, I don’t watch ANY of the affected channels, and I don’t have any kids, so it wouldn’t matter to me if Viacom pulls those channels. I would rather not pay for channels I don’t watch anyway. Anymore now, I find I mostly watch CBS as I don’t have time to watch TV for more than a couple of hours a night before bedtime. So let Viacom pull those channels.
24. Benny | 12/28/10 at 8:07 pm
Hey let them go!!!! Who watches them anyway, reduce the pay
25. A Jones | 12/28/10 at 8:11 pm
Drop them, lower my cost.
26. John | 12/28/10 at 8:39 pm
Personally, I would rather have a reduction in cost than continue viewing those channels.
27. Edith | 12/28/10 at 8:40 pm
Take them off. I’m tired of my bill going up.
28. Mark | 12/28/10 at 8:45 pm
Refuse any increase. Our cable bill is high enough already. Let Viacom know that they don’t run things; the consumer does, and the consumer isn’t willing to pay higher rates. If Viacom wont provide its programning at a reasonable rate, there WILL be someone else to step in the gap – that’s what happens in a capitalistic economy.
29. Jim Bryant | 12/28/10 at 8:51 pm
Let them have the channels. We don’t need them. I don’t even know what most of them are.
30. Les | 12/28/10 at 9:07 pm
Dump them all and lower the bill! These are difficult times for everyone. Consumers are not going to tolerate any price increases!
31. Janice | 12/28/10 at 9:27 pm
Take them off and reduce our bill. We do not want any of them.! That would be a win – win situation for us.
32. Richard Vana | 12/28/10 at 9:28 pm
You now have 4 votes to let them go. Don’t let them push you around,we can live without them.
33. Mega | 12/28/10 at 9:29 pm
I would hate to lose TV Land and Comedy Central, and watch Spike TV in spurts so would notice it missing, but agree with the other comments with the other channels. I stopped watching the MTVs years ago when I could no longer find any music videos on there. lol
34. Stan | 12/28/10 at 9:46 pm
I couldn’t care less about these channels. Don’t renew them and then lower my bill.
35. Kevin | 12/28/10 at 9:50 pm
Hate to lose the channels but I refuse to take another increase.
36. Clem Burroughs | 12/28/10 at 9:56 pm
Please let all those channels go and reduce what we have to pay you !
Or, let those channels go and give us a few other really good channels instead. How about theTravel Channel and a couple of other good ones?
Thanks.
37. Diane | 12/28/10 at 10:12 pm
I agree with the other comments. I don’t watch those programs anyway and I definitely don’t want “R” rated programs.
38. Larry | 12/28/10 at 10:29 pm
Get rid of the stations, the only one I watch out of that entire list is SPike and that’s just when the UFC is on. Otherwise there is no great loss there. Those channels are mostly junk filler that we have to pay for and no one watches.
39. KA | 12/28/10 at 10:44 pm
The only one we would miss would be Nickelodeon but they should definitely lower our bill if we lose channels!
40. Linda | 12/28/10 at 10:51 pm
I don’t believe I would miss any of these channels! I say discontinue them and lower the cost of our monthly bill. Maybe more people would be able to afford it in these difficult times. Most of these are just crappy channels anyway.
41. Louis | 12/28/10 at 11:08 pm
Like most have said take them off!!! Charge us less …
42. Travis | 12/28/10 at 11:23 pm
I agree with the others. Stand tough against Viacom. Their channels won’t be missed and they will come back to give you a better deal. I’m willing to wait them out. I’d be fine for a cheaper bill too. Just don’t give in to them!
43. Joe | 12/28/10 at 11:29 pm
Years ago Viacom could have gotten away with this extortion because the channels they offered had some sort of relevance. Now sadly MTv and all of its clones are irrelevant and are not worth the higher price. Sorry Viacom I’ll take a price cut any day over the crap you call programming.
44. Rhonda | 12/28/10 at 11:37 pm
I could do without all the listed Viacom programs and would welcome the reduction in rates. Also, I’d love for a channel to be available so Suddenlink could add Fox Business Channel.
45. Tony | 12/28/10 at 11:44 pm
Stop the negotiations and drop the channels, they aren’t worth what I’m forced to pay for something no one in my household even watches.
46. JACK | 12/28/10 at 11:51 pm
LOWER RATES FOR ME TOO!! …
47. the nameless | 12/28/10 at 11:59 pm
if i were suddenlink ceo, i would call their bluff. they gonna lose alot of money viacom will and will negiotiate. sure we wont see the channels for a few days but who cares. honestly, everybody that i know doesnt even watch those channels anyway …
48. Vicky | 12/28/10 at 11:59 pm
IMO you should let them pick up their marbles and go home. We don’t need all these channels. I don’t watch one of them but I could really use a reduction in my bill every month!
49. Kerry | 12/29/10 at 12:01 am
I could care less about ANY of the channels under negotiation. I certainly am not willing to pay additional for them.
50. Baxter | 12/29/10 at 1:09 am
if its 20 % increase forget it, take’m off, i would hope we could watch them online for the mean time …
51. Ken | 12/29/10 at 1:23 am
Most of Viacom’s channels are garbage. We won’t miss them.
Give em the boot and reduce the billing.
52. Al | 12/29/10 at 1:54 am
They can keep their channels. You can always get programming from their competitors.
53. Leanne Hogins | 12/29/10 at 4:02 am
Quit negotiating. I’d rather NOT have R rated channels and have my bill lowered if that is the way they want to play. I won’t keep this if it goes up. That’s ridiculous. I’d rather my bill go down and have less channels.
54. Robert | 12/29/10 at 4:47 am
Please feel free to tell Viacom to take a hike and reduce the cost of my cable TV bill accordingly.
55. John Boyd | 12/29/10 at 5:15 am
Don’t give in to Viacom. Only time any of these channels are watched on my TV is when the grandkids come to visit. If they were removed I or my wife would probably not know it. I would rather have the reduced rates, the kids watch to much TV anyway. Now Fox News Channell that is another story.
John
56. Linda and David | 12/29/10 at 5:19 am
We agree with the 3 previous comments. The Viacom shows aren’t worth watching and we have always wished they weren’t part of our package. Leave them off the air and charge us less!! Please don’t even try to negotiate with them. We don’t want them!!!!
57. Lynn | 12/29/10 at 5:32 am
Thanks for not giving in to the pressure. I appreciate that you’re not adding the R-rated channels and that you don’t want to raise the cost of our services.
58. Ruth | 12/29/10 at 5:54 am
Let Viacom keep these channels. They aren’t worth the resources you’re investing or any increase in my bill. Take them off.
59. Bob | 12/29/10 at 6:03 am
The only one of those channels we’d miss would be Comedy Central because we watch Jon Stewart. However if we can give up Dexter to save money, which we did, we can give up Jon Stewart. To hell with Viacom. Dump them and give us the Big Ten Network instead! You have a lot of transplanted Big Ten alums living here! Let Viacom take their greedy demands and try to bully some other cable company elsewhere!
60. Sandy Rayburn | 12/29/10 at 6:13 am
I don’t need those channels. The only time we turn on any of the nick channels is when the grandkids are here and we can always find something else for them to watch.
61. Ed Smith | 12/29/10 at 6:33 am
I would love to see Viacom programming disappear.
62. Jim W | 12/29/10 at 6:36 am
Do away with these programs and lower the cost.
63. Joan | 12/29/10 at 6:44 am
Cut Viacom loose. Frankly, I don’t like being bullied on any level. We can live without those channels and with a little extra change in our pockets. Thanks.
64. Bobbi Huber | 12/29/10 at 6:55 am
I totally agree with the above comments. I don’t see one program listed that is worth having available.
65. Tom Wade | 12/29/10 at 7:03 am
Call their bluff. Tell Viacom that you are no longer interested in broadcasting their channels. Better yet, tell them that you will broadcast these channels for a fee. Considering the current economic conditions, Viacom has no right to ask for more. It is time to shut them down.
66. Robert Kjar | 12/29/10 at 7:05 am
Let’s dump Viacom. they will be only hurting themselves. For the vast majority of the TV audience they bring little to the entertainment table.
67. Allen | 12/29/10 at 7:10 am
I don’t watch any of these channels anyway so drop them and give me the discount and consider it a great move. Thanks
68. Clyde Grammon | 12/29/10 at 7:21 am
I don’t watch ANY of their garbage, and resent having to pay for it–especially as they are trying to leverage MORE soft-porn into the deal …
69. Tom Brooks | 12/29/10 at 7:22 am
Forgo Viacom offer. I do not need nor want its progarmming
70. Joseph Sefcsik | 12/29/10 at 7:31 am
Don’t watch these channels anyway…good riddance!! I vote no to any of those channels. Not healthy for children anyway
71. Brian | 12/29/10 at 7:35 am
Keep Nickelodean only, and can the rest.
72. Sherman | 12/29/10 at 7:39 am
JUST LET THEM GO BY -BY !!!!!!!!!!!!!
73. Trish | 12/29/10 at 7:48 am
I’d like to see a structure where customers can choose the channels they want and only pay for those. Packages like ‘choose any 10, 20, 30 , 40, etc. channels’ and charge accordingly. Including Viacom under those rules would be a plus.
74. Ollie | 12/29/10 at 7:48 am
I agree with everyone else! Dump the channels and lower the costs! I barely ever even watch the channels that Viacom has.
75. Charles | 12/29/10 at 7:49 am
Take them off and add some better channels, like WGN and I am sure there are other family oriented channels. If you cant add channels then reduce the charges for expanded basic.
76. Nancy Harley | 12/29/10 at 8:04 am
I agree with the above – except my husband and I would really miss watching Jon Stewart together (but not Colbert). But I’ll catch him online. And I’m okay with my husband’s not watching Spike. WGN would be a good idea – I used to watch Corner Gas on that channel and I miss it.
77. Gary | 12/29/10 at 8:23 am
Most of these channels are not watched by the older generation and probably shouldn’t be watched by the children. I vote take them OFF !
78. Brenda | 12/29/10 at 8:30 am
It’s interesting how all of these comments are running to drop Viacom. Rate increases at Suddenlink seem to be an underlying issue. Perhaps Suddenlink needs to dump Viacom and some of their rate increases before customers dump Suddenlink! There are so many alternative choises now with interner ready tv devices that cable television needs to get more competitive in pricing.
79. Gig | 12/29/10 at 8:45 am
Those channels represent the majority of channels for children and teenagers that are on Suddenlink. Not to mention one of my personal favs Comedy Central …
80. Robert A | 12/29/10 at 8:50 am
OK with me to cancel all these channels
81. john kinnaird | 12/29/10 at 8:53 am
i believe most of us don’t watch Viacom’s channels very much. Rarely are those channels on in my home. Take them off and reduce my bill. Don’t let Viacom dictate to you or us!!!
82. Sam | 12/29/10 at 9:09 am
Drop them now!!
83. Darrell Jividen | 12/29/10 at 9:14 am
I don’t watch these channels , Dump them. and lower my bill
84. Randy | 12/29/10 at 9:24 am
I would prefer to drop the channels that you have listed for Viacom and you are right…I do not want more of their junk with an R Rated network. …
85. John | 12/29/10 at 9:31 am
Drop the channels. While I watch a couple of them, I’d say that even the ones I watch are mainly like the others: baby sitter replacements or carrier fodder for commercials.
86. Jerry | 12/29/10 at 9:34 am
Dear Suddenlink, get over it!!!
You’re in business, deal with it. We are not here to fight your battle. I’m in the restaurant biz. When my meat goes up 30% or my produce goes up 20%, I don’t go crying to my customers. I have to make an informed decision on whether to pay it or not!!!! If I increase my prices, I lose biz. If I keep my prices, I’m one up on the competition. You either have a product we want or you don’t at a price we are willing to pay…. Economics101!!!! We are not here to protect your investors.
87. Harrell Reagan | 12/29/10 at 9:41 am
All the Viacom channels are trash and harmfull to kids. Get rid of them and lower our monthly bill.
88. Robert | 12/29/10 at 9:45 am
Sounds like none of the others have kids—I’m not worried about the R-Rating or anything like that—but my kids love to watch Nickelodeon and Nick Jr …
89. Dale | 12/29/10 at 9:49 am
Give Viacom one huge customer less – Suddenlink. Keep my bill down, and let it go down more – without Viacom. Don’t give in to them. Don’t waste money negotiating.
90. Nell Stewart | 12/29/10 at 9:51 am
We almost never watch any of those except if I am desperate I will watch a lilttle of CMT. As far as I’m concerned MTV is so trash, no child should watch it. I could care less if all those channels mentioned are lost. Lower our bill instead. I see all those participating here are in agreement. I’t time we stand up to those big crooks.
91. Doug | 12/29/10 at 9:56 am
Dump the Viacom programing altogether and charge me less. I don’t watch any of the channels they provide, and will never do so because of the disgusting garbage in most of their programs. I also do not want access to an R-rated channel and if I am charged for it in any way whatsoever I WILL DROP SUDDENLINK like a hot rock.
92. Gwen | 12/29/10 at 10:04 am
I agree with everyone else. Listen to your customers. Drop Viacom.
93. Bob | 12/29/10 at 10:05 am
Please just let them go… or give me a way to block them.
94. Angie | 12/29/10 at 10:10 am
Let us not forget that the reason the negotiations are continuing is because the majority of us watches some of those channels as do I. While I refuse to pay any additional money for theses channels, I still want some of them to continue.
95. Steve | 12/29/10 at 10:11 am
Personally, I can do without these channels. Drop them and my rate too.
96. Alice | 12/29/10 at 10:31 am
None of these channels are on my watch list and don’t really want to pay for them. Don’t bother negotiating. Not interested in any R-rated channels either.
97. Robin | 12/29/10 at 10:41 am
I vote to drop Viacom. I cannot afford to have my cable bill go up, and they are just being greedy. Let them go and pass the savings to us. No one in my family watches those channels, and if they did we could do without. NO ONE has extra money these days, they need to get with the picture.
98. vic | 12/29/10 at 10:51 am
i I agree with everyone else. Listen to your customers. Drop Viacom.
in fact please drop them
99. er dulaney | 12/29/10 at 11:21 am
“The current negotiations cover the following Viacom channels, which are typically featured on our widely available “Expanded Basic” service: MTV, Nickelodeon, TV Land, Comedy Central, Spike TV, VH1, CMT. Other Viacom channels affected by these negotiations are featured on incremental, digital service packages. They include: Logo, Palladia HD, Nick Jr., TeenNick, NickToons, Nick2, MTV Hits, MTV2, MTV Jams, Tr3s, VH1 Classic, VH1 Soul, and CMT Pure Country.”
these channels are worthless – i can descibe them one by one:
MTV – no music videos, none at all – no matter what channel
Nickelodeon – its not even for kids anymore – i dont have any kids living at home, but if i did i have several hundred videos they can watch – wont miss new programming if they dont see them
TV Land – available on disc
Comedy Central – laugh at people cussing, telling jokes that are not pc… its avoidable
Spike TV – sorry, you get these programs on different channels – i have most on disc and playing them full length taking breaks you still finish watching before spike
VH1 – no music videos, at all
CMT – great videos, available on other channels
100. er dulaney | 12/29/10 at 11:26 am
Logo – ???
Palladia HD – ???
Nick Jr – i have videos…
TeenNick – catch a teen watching tv when they could play it??? lol
NickToons – have videos, no kids but…
Nick2 – ???
MTV Hits – ???
MTV2 – ???
MTV Jams – ???
Tr3s – ??!?
VH1 Classic – have videos
VH1 Soul – have discs
CMT Pure Country – weird channel
101. Mike | 12/29/10 at 11:34 am
It seems I am number 92 and without thoroughly reading all reply’s I did skim most and it appears that everyone that has taken the time to respond thinks the same and that is let Viacom lose our business. Now is not the time for any business to be attempting to improve profits at the expense of customers when most people are struggling enough as it is. My daughter and wife both watch programming that is provided by Viacom but they can live without it and there are alternate ways to watch Sponge Bob and Dora. Good bye Viacom and good riddance. Lower our bills thank you in fact make an offer to Viacom for less than is currently being charged due to Suddenlink’s customer feedback!!!
102. Natasha G | 12/29/10 at 11:37 am
I don’t watch most of these channels, but I would miss comedy central … maybe make a deal for subscription service to Viacom’s channels like HBO or Showtime. That way people can pay and keep or hopefully a reduction in their bill and more basic channels. This way each customer chooses.
103. Judy and Bill | 12/29/10 at 11:38 am
Another vote to drop Viacom. Our grandkids prefer PBSKids, anyway.
104. Sharon | 12/29/10 at 11:51 am
Is my family (more specifically my 8 yr old daughter) the only one who would miss Nick? I assume most of the people who have commented dont have young children who watch Spongebob? She would miss it! And we (the adults) love The Comedy Channel!
105. Doug | 12/29/10 at 11:58 am
I enjoy quite a few of those channels especially Palladia, Spike, Comedy Central, Pure Country and more. How much do you really think you will be getting back? Tell us Suddenlink! I bet it won’t save us more than 5 bucks a month and we lose a lot of programming for less than 5 bucks!
106. er dulaney | 12/30/10 at 9:26 am
on a fixed income, $5 can be too much
107. Lyle | 12/29/10 at 12:26 pm
I don’t mind if Viacom drops those channels because I never watch those channels. I have the whole suddenlink bundle and watch HD channels and enjoy recording some programs on my DVR,
108. carla wallace | 12/29/10 at 12:26 pm
You know, I bet Suddenlink DOES keep viacom. They are corporate, after all, and that means profit. We will indeed get Viacom and in all probability a rate increase for us …
109. Steve C | 12/29/10 at 12:40 pm
I say drop Viacom. We can live without the channels and go with a rate drop any day.
110. Rose | 12/29/10 at 12:43 pm
I am not into censorship BUT I ALREADY HAVE MTV AND VH-1 BLOCKED. They’re not about music anymore, they’ve gone soft core teen-ie porn. I don’t want my kids watching MTV at all. One show on sex in the movie or music industry was interesting, a steady diet on VH-1 is a complete turn off and a complete and utter waste of time and money.
Yeah, we’ll miss the cartoons (all reruns anyway) – drop them.
And, I would add that having five different MTV channels, VH-1 channels doesn’t make me feel like I am getting MORE, just more of a rip-off.
THANK YOU for the email, THANK YOU for the chance to weigh in – DROP THEM.
And, btw, If I were to cancel my entire cable subscription, it would be because of those channels. So it’s really a smart move on your part to let ‘em go. I know I am not the only one, it comes up in conversations at parties. Parents are always surprised when we find we have all reached the same conclusion privately. I suspect you’ll hear the cheering all the way from California.
111. Jim Dempsey | 12/29/10 at 1:14 pm
Adios Viacom…..We don’t need you. I’ll gladly take the saving and add HD to my service.
112. The voice of Amarillo | 12/29/10 at 1:24 pm
I do not watch these channels, I wouldn’t watch them if you paid me, and I resent having to pay for them — do us all afavor and drop VIACOM
113. carla wallace | 12/29/10 at 1:51 pm
I heard the news say that only Time-Warner cable subscribers will be affected,and Suddenlink subscribers will still have these stations available. ??? I’m confused.
114. FYI Publisher | 12/29/10 at 4:33 pm
Two separate negotiations: I believe Time Warner is negotiating with Sinclair for certain broadcast TV stations. Suddenlink is negotiating with Viacom for certain cable TV networks.
115. Amarillo Ed | 12/29/10 at 2:33 pm
We occasionally watch one channel out of all those you listed. I heartily agree with Jim…kick them off and charge less or find other venues, hopefully with an eye to family values.
116. James Popham | 12/29/10 at 2:58 pm
Take them off and reduce my bill.
117. KSMoody | 12/29/10 at 3:34 pm
Please do NOT knuckle under their demands, and include me as one who would gladly see a lower cable bill if it means taking these channels off our package.
Two years ago, I might have had a different opinion…our first child was on the way, and I expected channels like NickJr to be a must-have…wrong! It’s mindless hyperactive junk, and my 19 month old boy (and the rest of us) greatly prefer the excellent childrens’ programming line-up on PBS (more Mr Rogers, please!).
118. Sarah | 12/29/10 at 3:43 pm
Stop the negotiations and drop the channels. They aren’t worth what I’m forced to pay, when no one in my household even watches them …
119. Ann | 12/29/10 at 4:02 pm
I join the chorus of the overwheming majority that say “drop them”. I might miss Comedy Central and old reruns on TV Land once in a while, but I can gladly do without hours upon hours of “Gangland” and “1000 ways to die” back to back. The others I don’t watch at all. Give me some quality choices or lower my bill.
120. Al Baston | 12/29/10 at 4:03 pm
As a Suddenlink subscriber of cable & internet, I am so sick of greedy corporations who keep charging more & more just so their extremely rich executives & stockholders can get even richer & richer – they are NEVER satisfied.
And they are NEVER concerned with the consumer, the ones who pay the bills and make them richer, nor the fact our wages & salaries have been relatively stagnate for decades!
Forget Viacom and tell them to leave!
We can do without them, then watch Viacom come begging….because Viacom believes that all cable and satellite companies must carry their lame stations….Well, be the first to tell them shove it!
Charge a bit less to Suddenlink customers and don’t be as greedy as Viacom – We certainly would appreciate it and we certainly can do without Viacoms silly channels to make our point!!
121. Deanne Williams | 12/29/10 at 4:39 pm
Our family of four (including two young girls) never watch those channels. Like so many others have said, we would prefer to have those channels eliminated and have our monthly bill reduced permanently. That would be a great option!
122. Rose | 12/29/10 at 5:02 pm
I commented above and will add this – my kids have and still do watch the cartoon channels. Nevertheless, most of the channels in that Viacom list are flat out unwelcome in my home. (MTV and VH-1ought to be pay per view they are so far off from their original charter) And the kids channels (including Disney)are increasingly boy/girl crap written by adults with issues, full of snarky innuendo. My older daughter’s comment after graduating from 8th grade was that those shows gave her a false idea of what to expect in middle school, that in fact real life was not filled with snarky disrespectful people, thank God. So, I hope you’re reading, Viacom, right along with Suddenlink here.
Right now I have the full line up – and I WOULD welcome the option of choosing the channels I want. I don’t need the spanish channels. I don’t need the infomercial channels and in fact I think my bill should be reduced for every hour of infomercial programming as it rips us off from having real stuff to watch, especially if we are up late at night. I don’t care about all the sports channels, others do, give us the option.
But I still say, you can DROP Viacom. It will actually be welcome.
123. Hiram | 12/29/10 at 5:23 pm
I only hope that suddenlink listens to what the customers are saying. Stop the negotiation right now! Just drop the bomb to them and ask them to read what the customer think about their worthless channels. Suddenlink will actually prove that it cares what its customers have to said in addition to help us in these tought economic times. We all can use a drop in price for a change! Wouldnt that be a great Christmas gift?
124. Shari | 12/29/10 at 5:26 pm
We don’t watch any of those channels…we would appreciate paying less.
125. Joseph Zobac | 12/29/10 at 5:40 pm
In the matter of the Viacom channels I am not a fan of any of them the quality of programing honestly is below the bar, I would rather see something like BBC1 2 3 and America put in their place. Mtv died the day they decided videos were not to be played on Music Television. Comedy central honestly is more crass then funny. And spike honestly is rerun hell… And the crud on Nick is unsuitable for Most children, Disney does a better job. As for the billing aspect I don’t really care one way or another being that I pay for the extra tiers I enjoy already. Let the ReRuns and Reality shows go.
126. Chris | 12/29/10 at 5:50 pm
I’d support SuddenLink in not renewing the Viacom contract. Let them go, until they produce some good, quality programming.
127. John Carpenter | 12/29/10 at 6:15 pm
Tell Viacom to take a hike and give us FearnetHD instead
128. Robert | 12/29/10 at 6:29 pm
After reading the posts it seems the consensus is clear. Your customers, no doubt spurned by hard economic times, could care less to lose the viacom channels …. let them lose customers and then see where they can recoup the 100% loss not just the 20% increase. I could care less myself as I hardly if ever look at any of those stations. The rare occasion would be spike … but not enough to warrant a 20% increase. Dump them and reduce our overall bill I am sure that would make many customers VERY happy.
129. Lisa | 12/29/10 at 6:31 pm
My family will miss a lot of these channels. I have a young child that watchs Nick Jr. and there is nothing on SuddenLink that rivels it. My other child is 7 and is too old for Nick Jr. but likes Nickelodeon. We also watch Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, TV Land, and Spike TV a lot. HOWEVER, I don’t think SuddenLink should give in. My bill is already outrageous & I won’t pay higher prices. The problem I see for SuddenLink is they could lose thousands of customers who DO like these channels, those who have young kids especially.
I do think that Viacom will give in at the last moment though. I think they are holding out for more money, but won’t take their programming off the air.
130. Vinnie | 12/29/10 at 7:02 pm
The only channels I watch from Viacom is Nick, and Comedy Central, but that is not often. I haven’t watched any of the other channels at all. I would say this, if this contract is agreed to and my cable rates go up, I will be looking for another service provider. Govt needs to pass a law that each household can choose the cable channels to watch and pay for, that would eliminate about 2/3 of the cable channels offered by Suddenlink and several by Viacom. Thank you.
131. Bruce | 12/30/10 at 10:54 am
I agree. how many more home shopping network channels do we really need? The technology exists, but they do not want you to get it. We watch mainly three or four channels. The rest are crap.
132. Myreta | 12/29/10 at 8:27 pm
I watch Spike, CMT and TV Land but could live without them. How dare they ask for that large an increase. I say tell them no and reduce my bill.
133. James | 12/29/10 at 8:46 pm
Let ‘em go, they do not deserve my hard earned money. They carry piss-poor programing anyway.
Suddenlink, think about your customers and what they want, not what you think they want. If you read these comments it is very clear that the majority want you to let Viacom pass.
134. Richar | 12/29/10 at 8:46 pm
Drop viacom, do not watch anyway. Just lower my bill.
135. Raven | 12/30/10 at 12:22 am
Drop them. Hopefully, it will lower everyone’s bills. But even if it doesn’t, drop the Viacom channels.
136. Cory | 12/30/10 at 6:52 am
The part of this I like the most is that Suddenlink is actually letting the customer know about this. What do you think any other larger TV company would do in a situation like this? They would raise rates without any consensus. Viacom is just trying to bluff with nothing in their hand. Tell them to fold!
137. Joseph | 12/30/10 at 8:50 am
It has been posted that customers would only save about 3 to 4 dollars if Viacom was dropped. Yep, I could use any extra money left over after bills, no matter how small amount.
138. Amanda | 12/30/10 at 9:39 am
I do have small children who enjoy Nick jr and Nickalodeon, and I personally love VH1 Classic and CMT. I am not willing to pay more than I already am though. There are definitely alternatives to these channels.
I am sure Viacom will give in tomorrow afternoon as long Suddenlink doesn’t cave first. If Suddenlink caves in and our price increases, I will switch to DishNetwork.
139. Lisa | 12/30/10 at 10:27 am
While its true that the majority of the ones that posted here, which is less than 150 people, seem to not care about these channels and would welcome a cut in their monthly bill, I’m quite sure that there many customers that DO care about the MTV, VH1 channels and the Nickelodeon/Nick Jr. channels for children. So much so, that they would leave Suddenlink or Suddenlink would lose MANY new potential customers b/c they didn’t offer these channels. This could be detrimental to Suddenlink to as well as to Viacom.
For those that are excited about a rate decrease, I wouldn’t be too hopeful for a large decrease here…probably much less than $10 a month is all we’re talking here.
It is in the best interest of both SL and Viacom to come to an agreement. I think Viacom will settle at the last minute…
140. Margaret Collin | 12/30/10 at 10:39 am
I really don’t care about these channels…Please use your energy to get us the Big 10 Network.
141. Robert Bittinger | 12/30/10 at 11:04 am
DO NOT NEGOTIATE!! I’m paying for channels I don’t watch anyway. All we are watching now are “Commercials” and “Reruns”. I’m about done with commercials with intermittent shows in between. Whatever your paying now, and charging the customer for, is to much! Do not renew contract with Viacom. Reduce my cost. I’m already paying to much for what I’m getting.
142. KOK | 12/30/10 at 11:26 am
I’m glad Suddenlink is keeping us up to date on this situation. It would be unfortunate to lose these channels, but I believe it would be preferable to a rate hike. I can understand the position Suddenlink is in. If they drop the channels, they will lose some customers. If they raise their rates, they will lose some customers. It’s a no win situation.
143. Bob Shuck aka "Bob" | 12/30/10 at 2:22 pm
We would prefer to cancel all “Expanded Basic” content and use the cost to rent a 2d Digital / HD settop box. Also, it is apparent in the current market that “cord cutters” and informed cable TV subscribers have choices … Kill the contract with Viacom and rethink the entire cable structure. Why should we pay for several ESPN channels (they all use up 80 % of airtime with commercials and idle channels with talking heads). Tell Viacom to get lost, and give your loyal customers the best product at fair pricing!
144. Graham | 12/30/10 at 3:02 pm
The first cable or satellite company that drops Viacom will be the winner.Viacom has ruined every station they own.Their tv stations are worthless,and just a venue to show tons of un-wanted commercials.If one cable compnay drops them,the others will follow and drop them too,then Viacom will be BEGGING every cable/sat provider to carry them for FREE.