(Updated) Spike TV Will (Not) Lose 13 Million Homes
by Michael Rome on Jan 1, 2009 4:49 AM EST
in News
53 comments
I received a tip from a source tonight that 13 million homes are about to lose Spike TV. Apparently Viacom and Time Warner were unable to reach a deal, and unless they are able to iron something out, millions of people will lose Spike access very soon. They are apparently in crisis meetings as we speak to save the deal, but the announcement is set to be made very soon if it is not saved.
I know personally that Time Warner is a major cable provider in Los Angeles. This is obviously not a good thing for the UFC, and a worse thing for Spike. Spike is available currently in over 96 million homes, so it's not like it is going to disappear, but it is a painful loss nonetheless.
Update: It looks like this is more than a rumor.
There is already a whole movement to call Time Warner and demand they change their position. Viacom released the following statement:
This move by Time Warner Cable to force such channels as Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and MTV off the air is another example of a cable company overreaching for profit at the expense of its viewers. The renewal we are seeking is reasonable and modest relative to the profits TWC enjoys from our networks. We have asked for an increase of less than 25 cents per month, per subscriber, which adds up to less than a penny per day for all 19 of MTV Networks’ channels. We make this request because TWC has so greatly undervalued our channels for so long. Americans spend more than 20% of their TV viewing time watching our networks, yet our fees amount to less than 2.5% of what Time Warner generates from their average customer.
Update 2: The same source tells me Time Warner and Viacom have reached a deal.
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Any idea what’s at the crux of the dispute? Seems odd for there to be a hold up re-upping a cable network.
by Mike Fagan on Dec 31, 2008 12:52 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
I have DirecTV so I’m not affected. However, my brother has Time Warner and I know he’ll be pissed.
"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on." - Sir Winston Churchill
by FlyByKnight on Dec 31, 2008 12:57 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Time warner will be losing 19 viacom channels:
MTV, Nick, Spike, etc…
The reason is: dinero.
Time warner doesnt want to pony up what viacom is asking.
by mmalogic on Dec 31, 2008 1:04 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
It’s not just SpikeTV it’s all 16 Viacom channels including CMT, Comedy Central, MTV, MTV2, Nick Toons, Nickelodeon, Nick Too, Noggin, BET, BET on Jazz, Spike TV, The N, TV Land, VH-1, VH-1 Classic, Logo, and Palladia HD.
by who me on Dec 31, 2008 1:05 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
are you serious?
no way they won’t reach a deal then.. if all those channels you listed are true, everybody will cancel and go to cox or directtv.
by steveoc24 on Dec 31, 2008 1:30 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Yea.
I remember something like this happening. i don’t think it was this big of a scale (but bigger than the NFL network) and eventually it will get worked out.
by Phildo on Dec 31, 2008 1:46 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
An IRCer in New York City says they saw a crawl on their TV stating that Spike was being removed tomorrow.
by smoogy on Dec 31, 2008 1:21 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
After doing some reading, I can’t imagine this continues long enough to really have an effect on MMA.
by Mike Fagan on Dec 31, 2008 1:44 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Somehow they will come to a deal. No way Viacom and Warner will let these channels disappear. They will lose all their customers.
by steveoc24 on Dec 31, 2008 1:49 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Start writing to Time Warner NOW
TW phucked up Austin, Texas for over 2 weeks with a similar dispute with NBC for crissake and disabled NBC.
Time Warner blamed local KXAN NBC for this and launched a smear campaign with them.
You may want to promote this with other blogging sites before it gets ugly.
by dohfil on Dec 31, 2008 1:48 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
$0.25 a month???
Viacom is asking for a 25 cent increase for this package of 19 channels. This increase equals $3 a year.
TimeWarner is saying that this increase will lead to others wanting an increase in their fees and in turn could (could being the operative word) cause increases to be over $30 a year.
Both sides are saying that no one can afford to ‘squeeze’ the otherwise already financially stressed consumer. That sounds a little fishy.
People think that just because we Americans love our TV that this won’t be allowed to happen. In fact, this is untrue. Americans love money more. And these channels will go off the air the second Dick Clark drops the ball.
Sounds like criminal greed is lurking somewhere in this equation. The criminal thing is that one of the sides will have their way – and get away with it.
by JAMSmusic on Dec 31, 2008 2:14 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Well you know Time Warner isn’t going to lower the cost of their bill when these channels are removed so for them to say they are looking after the consumers is pretty silly, they are looking after their own bottom line just like Viacom is. This stuff happens all the time the difference here is the Viacom package is quite large and includes a number of the top channels on cable, that is leverage that Time Warner can’t ignore.
by who me on Dec 31, 2008 2:22 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
25 cents multiplied by 13 million equals 3.25M per month.
The consumer will not be paying that as time warner can’t up their fees again.
so that’s 36m plus per year that time warner has to add as an expense.
Ultimately there will be a compromise. “I WANT MY MTV”
by mmalogic on Dec 31, 2008 2:32 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Can’t up their fees again. As a Comcast customer, let me tell you that the cable company can and will up their fees whenever they feel like it. I get charged a goddamn remote rental fee now. Even the cable guy who set up my new apartment thought that was bullshit..
by ricker2005 on Dec 31, 2008 9:18 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah...
comcast is crazy out of control with that shit. I’m with DirecTV now and quite frankly I love it.
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Dec 31, 2008 9:32 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Forget MTV.
When parents wake up and can’t find Dora the Explorer or whatever other nonsense Nickelodeon is showing these days, there will be riots, and evertying will be fixed quickly.
by Phildo on Dec 31, 2008 10:26 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
that sucks i got Time Warner Cable :(
"If I wanted to spend a half hour between two hairy legs I'd go to your mother's house." -Don Frye
by Pitbull on Dec 31, 2008 2:18 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Time Warner sucks sooooo bad
I hate Time Warner Cable, hate them hate them hate them. We’ve had five seperate substantial outages over the past three months, our Internet connection constantly goes out and they act like it’s my fault.
If Spike disappears for as much as a day, it will be the final straw and I’ll pull the plug and get DirecTV.
Sorry, I know I’m not contributing anything contstructive here. Time Warner just gets a kneejerk response from me …
by andherewego on Dec 31, 2008 2:19 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Is there a “good” cable company? I’m still waiting for Comcast to pick up HDNet.
by who me on Dec 31, 2008 2:25 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Good point. Can’t think of any. Time Warner just seems to flaunt it worse than most cable companies I’ve come across, like, they know that we know they suck and they don’t care.
Most people I know who have dishes seem happier with their service than people who have cable. I’ve just been too lazy to switch over.
by andherewego on Dec 31, 2008 2:27 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
go to Satellite
I’ve had DirecTV for 3 years now. I love them. I use to have Cox and it’s nothing compared to DirectTV and a hell of alot cheaper.
by steveoc24 on Dec 31, 2008 2:33 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
My mother had Direct tv and she hated it. They cut down a tree in her front yard and still couldn’t get decent reception. I’ve heard a lot of people say they love it but I just remember all the times I had to go over there and adjust the darn thing in the couple of months she had it.
by who me on Dec 31, 2008 2:40 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
DirectTV HD service is a ripoff.
You can’t own your box anymore but you still have to “buy” it. Then you have to pay extra for the HD service even though you “bought” the box (which you pay rental fees for).
Then every once in a while you just drop channels depending on the weather. POS of you ask me.
by zeroword on Dec 31, 2008 11:16 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Dish Network is better. But they still don’t have Spike HD!
by cyph on Dec 31, 2008 11:35 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I used to have Time Warner Cable when I was in college. It was horrible on a consistent basis dealing with that company.
This will get worked out before anything happens. Networks like MTV, Nickelodeon, and Spike are a staple on cable and people will flip shit without them. If anything, they pass along the 25 cent increase to the consumer.
by dropkick101 on Dec 31, 2008 2:22 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Time warner sucks as a company but i don’t have to worry about signal not available or a stiff wind blowing out my reception.
"If I wanted to spend a half hour between two hairy legs I'd go to your mother's house." -Don Frye
by Pitbull on Dec 31, 2008 2:27 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
If time warner doesnt saddle up they will lose more than 20% of their business…
Obviously we all know what’s going to happen.
Right now you have 2 giants playing chicken and there will be a compromise shortly…
I could hear the little girls right now screaming that they cant watch “the hills”.
by mmalogic on Dec 31, 2008 2:29 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
I guess the new thing is called “the city”
by steveoc24 on Dec 31, 2008 2:35 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
And don’t forget Bromance.
/hates my life.
by Phildo on Dec 31, 2008 10:27 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I’m glad that I don’t know what the hell either of you guys are talking about.
Bolts from the Blue // "It is what it is." - A.J. Smith
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken
by Richard Wade on Dec 31, 2008 10:52 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Directv will market heavily to those 13 million.
by nitro on Dec 31, 2008 2:31 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
i got time warner and its been scrolling across the screen to call and demand they keep the channels…somebody will break
"If I wanted to spend a half hour between two hairy legs I'd go to your mother's house." -Don Frye
by Pitbull on Dec 31, 2008 2:38 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
My wife saw the scroll at the bottom of Nick at Night and we have Comcast. Viacom is apparently running this in their national feed.
by who me on Dec 31, 2008 2:42 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Its running on Spike – on Comcast as well
by JAMSmusic on Dec 31, 2008 3:12 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I sincerely doubt it will happen...
I mean, I understand that it is a legitimate possibility at this point. But I don’t buy major cable companies losing Nickelodeon or MTV…etc. Were it just Spike then yeah, I don’t think too many cable companies would lose their minds over it. But Nick and MTV are pretty huge in terms of viewership and I could see several parents going dish if they have to to have the channels their kids watch.
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Dec 31, 2008 8:53 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Yup. In reality, there is a big dust up about this type of negotiation every so often, and it almost always gets worked out. Which is what I expect here as well.
Eliot Marshall: Bader won. Like I said in the episode, I'm not going to make any excuses. It's my job to be able to deal with when somebody's doing that. It's not his job to change up his tactics.
http://eliotmarshall.com/
by BJJDenver on Dec 31, 2008 10:33 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Big 10 Network...
was recent and a pretty big deal. And that was for a network that no one really cares about other than Saturdays during football season. No company is going to lose Nickelodeon and then lose parents
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Dec 31, 2008 10:37 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I think Nick was the number one network on cable in 2008, when you add Mtv, VH1, Comedy Central and SpikeTV to the list you have a disaster in the making for Time Warner.
by who me on Dec 31, 2008 4:17 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah...
I sincerely doubt those networks are off the air on something as big as Time Warner for more than a week.
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Dec 31, 2008 6:10 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Beyond the impact to the specific channels mentioned,
if this happens to UFC, I wonder if that could be the push needed to see the UFC and a major network get back to talking….might turn out to be a good thing in the long run…for MMA that is.
by Razreshat on Dec 31, 2008 10:29 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, I doubt this would be as close to reality if it involved a net like ESPN.
Eliot Marshall: Bader won. Like I said in the episode, I'm not going to make any excuses. It's my job to be able to deal with when somebody's doing that. It's not his job to change up his tactics.
http://eliotmarshall.com/
by BJJDenver on Dec 31, 2008 10:33 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Damn these providers! Damn them to Hell!! lol.
Seriously, I am sick of all this. i know there are always 2 sides to the story, but bottom line is, I want the most, best channels available and I want them in HD damnit!
When I had comcast I was paying 2 bills a month for cable and internet. freakin ridiculous. but damn, comcast in demand is awesome!
Now I have Dish, but they dropped teh Voom HD, which included Kung Fu network! Now Voom is shutting down and I don’t have Spike in HD. But I do have HDNet!!
When is BEtv in HD coming????
Eliot Marshall: Bader won. Like I said in the episode, I'm not going to make any excuses. It's my job to be able to deal with when somebody's doing that. It's not his job to change up his tactics.
http://eliotmarshall.com/
by BJJDenver on Dec 31, 2008 10:31 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
As I read this
I am seeing the Spike scroll:
“Alert! Alert! Alert! Attention Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks customers, starting tonight, you will lose this channel and 19 other channels from your TV including Nickelodeon, Noggin, MTV, VH1, Spike, Comedy Central and TV Land. Don’t miss out on your favorite shows. You can stop this! Time Warner cable customers call 1-800-762-3786, Bright house networks customers call 1-866-309-3279 and demand they keep these channels! Must be at least 18 years old to call.”
Joy… tho I only watch UFC on Spike, TV Land has sucked like crap lately and Comedy Central has one good show – The Daily Show. I could care less about the other channels.
by mythbuster on Dec 31, 2008 11:39 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
This is what happened in Austin with NBC
Then they both started to run competing smear ads. First NBC was posting ads during commercials and as scrolling banners during shows like Heroes while they were broadcasting and then Time Warner after they deactivated NBC’s signal (they started running ads on the NBC channel that blamed KXAN NBC).
Then these two idiots put up smear Web sites that blamed each other.
This will repeat.
by dohfil on Jan 1, 2009 2:08 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
This is complete and utter bullshit. As a fight fan who has already lost wed night fights, and solo Boxeo, it is unacceptable for Time Warner to do this.
by Zocalo on Dec 31, 2008 1:23 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I bet 300 BE dollars this will be resolved within a week. Non story imho.
by 106.7 WJFK FM Listener on Dec 31, 2008 8:49 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I get TW on Saturday
After dumping DirecTV to save money….thank God this got resolved.
by banter on Jan 1, 2009 8:05 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
I thought this was the biggest non-story out there. Seriously, what cable company is really going to survive missing Viacom’s major stable of channels. It was just negotiation posturing.
by bignerd on Jan 1, 2009 10:29 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
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