Echostar sues Viacom in U.S. court over CBS rights

[AppliedAggression]

Echostar sues Viacom in U.S. court over CBS rights

EchoStar asked to block Viacom from pulling the plug on its broadcasts of local CBS stations in U.S. cities, including New York and Los Angeles.

http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/ticker/article.asp?Feed=RTR&Date=20040108&ID=3262244&Symbol=USISH

 

[James Long]

Maybe Tivo should sue Viacom and cut out the middleman.

JL

 

[dlsnyder]

(snip)In its lawsuit, EchoStar said Viacom had insisted in negotiations that any deal for rights to the local CBS affiliates must include arrangements for Viacom-owned cable networks, including a new offering, Nicktoons.

By making that link, Viacom's actions amounted to an illegal restraint on trade under U.S. law, the lawsuit said.

This tactic has been used by every programmer at one time or another since Ted Turner. Why is it now a problem that requires legal intervention? I smell bad blood in the water (to mix a metaphor)!

 

[dbronstein]

This tactic has been used by every programmer at one time or another since Ted Turner. Why is it now a problem that requires legal intervention?

Because it involves OTA channels, not just cable channels.

Dennis

 

[dlsnyder]

So did the ABC Family dispute and the FOX negotiations a couple of years ago IIRC. Perhaps they were just able to reach and agreement those other times before it got to this point?

 

[METFAN757]

Seems funny how Echostar may be suing it's potential owners.

Pure speculation but an interesting read:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=2064278

 

[ride525]

Let me get this straight.

Dish wants to carry CBS.
Viacom won't agree, unless Dish also agrees to more Viacom channels.

If I were Dish, I'd call their bluff, and say fine, Viacom, we don't think your offer is worth it to our customers. End of story, no lawsuits.

 

[dlsnyder]

Seems funny how Echostar may be suing it's potential owners.

Pure speculation but an interesting read:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=2064278

I seem to recall that Dish was suing DirecTV (or was it the other way around) over something right through the failed merger attempt last year. The two events are not at all mutually exclusive.

 

[dlsnyder]

ABC was about to pull their O&O stations from Dish before they reached an agreement over ABC Family. Some Time Warner cable systems in the Los Angeles area actually did pull KABC for a day or two at around that time over the same issue.

 

[Anthony2]

I don't pretend to know what is happening in negotiations between Dish and Viacom but if Viacom is asking Dish to pay $$$ for Nicktoons, a channel showing all Nick cartoons ever made, their nuts. This strategy of taking old programming and reselling it as something new and a "must have" is just plain crazy (didn't want to use the word nuts again). Program providers are using this marketing ploy to better leverage their negotiating positions with cable and satellite. Good business, maybe. A reason to tell Viacom (and others) to take a walk, definitely.

 

[dlsnyder]

Yeah, but my kids would watch it. And where else are you going to see "Invader Zim" and "Butt Ugly Martians"?