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DirecTV and Viacom disagree on their disagreements, standoff continues
Seeing that DirecTV and Viacom can't even agree on the number of channels that have gone off the air (one says 17, the other 26) as a result of their deal expiring last week, it's no surprise that the two are continuing to challenge each other's statements on every element of the negotiations. The latest tiff? DirecTV claims it has "accepted all material terms...including an increase that was more than fair" for the channels that were pulled, but accuses Viacom of trying to force an addition of the Epix channel package at a cost of around half a billion dollars. Viacom, for its part, calls the statement a "complete work of fiction" and accuses DirecTV of creating more obstacles in the way of a compromise. Both point of views are linked below, we figure DirecTV customers will have plenty of time to read them while they're busy not watching the new episodes of Workaholics and Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta until this is resolved.
Viacom channels disappear from DirecTV after the two companies can't reach a deal
As we feared, DirecTV and Viacom didn't work things out and before the clock struck midnight ET, all of the network's feeds went dark for the satellite company's customers. Of course, both sides are throwing barbs with Viacom saying DirecTV was not interested in engaging in "meaningful conversation" and that their last contact was at 11AM. On DirecTV's side, it's claiming it sent proposals but never heard anything back and as such was forced to pull the channels. Viacom has been running ads and notices all day to make sure kids big and little call DirecTV to apply pressure about missing their television shows. DirecTV is firing back with the Kids Mix channel (shown above) that replaces the pulled children's programming and points out content on other stations, and even suggests customers check out sources like Amazon Prime or Netflix to keep watching their shows in the meantime. There's no telling who may blink first, or when, but you can look at each company's statement and hear the sabres rattling for yourself after the break. Any bets as to who will work out a deal first between these two and Dish Network / AMC?
DirecTV vs. Viacom squabble could see MTV, Comedy Central and 16 others go dark at midnight
The latest participants in the carriage dispute dance are DirecTV and Viacom, with the two companies attempting to reach a new agreement before their existing one expires tonight. If they don't, the network's 26 channels (MTV, BET, VH1, Spike TV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon etc.) could be cut off at midnight. As usual, each has its own side of the argument with Viacom claiming DirecTV has been underpaying for years, while DirecTV accuses Viacom of seeking an increase that will add up to a billion dollars in a year and is responsible for pulling the channels while negotiations continue. We're not particularly sympathetic to the plight of either corporate behemoth (or optimistic that any savings will ever reach customer's pockets) but if you must support one over the other then there's plenty of propaganda to be found at the links below. This may not be as crucial as Dish Network's (potentially) Breaking Bad-interrupting tiff with AMC, but if we have to miss an episode of Workaholics or Awkward it's going to be bad for everyone. Update: We've revised the total channel count from 26 as Viacom stated to 18 -- as much as we like HD feeds, we don't usually count them twice. [Thanks, AJ]
Viacom and Time Warner Cable call truce, TWC TV mobile apps will stream Colbert after all
Good news ahoy if you've liked Time Warner Cable's TWC TV streaming app but were frustrated with content providers pulling channels over licensing rights: the cable giant and Viacom have reached a settlement that will see Viacom's channels return to your Android or iOS gear. Comedy Central, CMT, MTV and other channels will be back in the next several weeks, and the two sides even managed to bury the hatched over "unrelated business matters," according to a joint statement. Just what led to the about-face is being kept secret, although Viacom's tendency to sue over retransmission rights in the digital realm raises the possibility that TWC had to fork over an extra amount. At least now you can watch The Daily Show on your iPad knowing your cable provider and the studio are singing "Kumbaya."
Amazon, Viacom deal brings more TV shows to Prime Instant Video service
Just as rumors indicated yesterday, Amazon has announced a new licensing deal with Viacom that will add TV shows from its networks -- MTV, Comedy Central, BET, VH1, Spike, Nickelodeon and the rest -- to the Prime Instant Video service. There's still no word on any potential spinning off of the all-you-can-eat video portion from the rest of Amazon's Prime membership program, but it does bring the count of movies and TV shows available to around 15,000, up from the 13,000 cited recently. The details are in the press release after the break, but it appears Amazon will have many of the same selections Netflix obtained in its earlier deals, from MTV favorites like RJ Berger and The Hills to kids shows like Yo Gabba Gabba and iCarly.
Jon Stewart interviews Jobs biographer Walter Isaacson
Walter Isaacson recently appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart to promote his biography of Steve Jobs. In the seven-minute interview (embedded below), Stewart and Isaacson discuss the the process of writing the biography while trying to stay objective about its subject -- a task Isaacson admits was difficult, especially in the face of Jobs's long illness. The two men discuss something I also found fascinating about Jobs when I read the book: his extremely emotional nature. Stewart: The really interesting thing in the book is how often Steve Jobs cries. Isaacson: He's a very emotional person. That was the biggest surprise to me. Stewart: He is a weeper. They go on a bit of a tangent after that, but eventually Isaacson gets to the core of both Jobs himself and public opinion of him. "He connected emotion to technology. This is why the outpouring of grief at his death was beyond what most may have expected," Isaacson says. "I think that emotionalism came from a deep passion for artistic things." The real gem of the interview comes at the end, when Isaacson describes the difference between Jobs and Bill Gates. "In the end, [Bill Gates] makes the Zune and Steve makes the iPod." Stewart busts out laughing, along with the audience, and responds, "That is the best eulogy I have ever heard in my life." The full video's embedded below (sorry iOS users, Comedy Central doesn't offer a non-Flash version and there's nothing we can do about it), and it's definitely worth watching. If you're looking for a more comprehensive review of the biography itself, we just happen to have one right here at TUAW. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook
Netflix adds more Viacom videos for streaming including stuff for kids and bigger kids
There was a notable update to the Netflix Watch Instantly streaming catalog today, and it consisted almost entirely of content from the various Viacom networks (MTV, BET, VH1, Spike, Logo, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon). According to a post on the official blog, you can now view new shows like Yo Gabba Gabba, The Buried Life and The City as well as additional episodes of shows like iCarly, True Jackson VP and Dora the Explorer. Unfortunately quite a bit of the content maxes out in SD resolution simply because it was made that way, but it was interesting to note that the second season of Jersey Shore made is among the growing segment of shows with optional English subtitles.
The Daily Show takes on the Verizon iPhone
While the tech world debates both the merits and the shortcomings of the Verizon iPhone, The Daily Show's Jon Stewart and John Oliver used the occasion to do some good ol' AT&T bashing. They celebrated the announcement of the Verizon iPhone with a rousing chant of "Freedom!" and poked fun at the dropped calls that plague iPhone owners on AT&T. The pinnacle of the seven-minute skit occurred when a band of frustrated iPhone owners trampled an AT&T sign. You can enjoy watching the segment in its entirety after the break. The video comes straight from The Daily Show's website, which uses Flash; sorry!
Viacom drops the ban hammer on Google TV devices, blocks streaming episodes
We have high hopes that Google TV will evolve into something magical and wondrous over the next year or so as its namesake adds apps and features to flesh out the platform's somewhat underwhelming current state. Today, though, it just got a little less attractive thanks to a move by Viacom to block full episodes from streaming on your Logitech Revues and your Sony Internet TVs and the like. We've confirmed with our own Revue that attempting to stream episodes from network sites like MTV, Nickelodeon, and Comedy Central show messages like "this content is not available for your device," which is an unfortunate and frustrating change. Yes, the user agent tweak still works, but wouldn't it be nice if we could all just get along? Surely Google is still working on its content partnership agreements and hopefully things will improve in the future, but given how friendly the company's past dealings with Viacom have been we're not optimistic about this particular front.
Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear app now available
MTV Networks has released the official Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear app for this Saturday's Jon Stewart rally and Stephen Colbert march. The app features a map of the rally site, Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare integration, a portal to upload photos to the official rally photostream, news updates, and an exclusive message from the master satirists themselves. The app also features a complete FAQ about the rally including directions on how to get there, accessibility for the disabled, the average weather forecast, and what you are and are not allowed to bring to rallies in the National Mall. The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear takes place on Saturday, October 30 at the National Mall in Washington D.C. from noon to 3pm. The app is available now as a free download. [via Obamapacman]
Comedy Central mutes "eyePhone" Futurama parody
If you saw Thursday night's new episode of Matt Groening's Futurama on Comedy Central (and let's take a moment to relish those beautiful words, 'new episode of Futurama' -- mmm, yes), you got an earful of biting satire focused on the enthusiasm of a certain company's customers and their appetite for new, shiny things. As Engadget reported, the episode was unsparing in its portrayal of a world where underpaid laborers dealt with the toxic leavings of other planets' consumerist tendencies. Ouch. Apparently, not everyone found it amusing. As Mac|Life's Roberto Baldwin noted, one of the clips from the show on the Comedy Central website has been selectively muted; when the Mom character says "Introducing the all-new eyePhone 2.0" in the original episode, now there is silence. Wouldn't you have liked to have been an eavesdropper on that phone call. Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
RCN picks up seven of Viacom's HD channels
RCN's hardly the first to go for Viacom's 7-pack of HD channels, but we're sure fans of Ultimate Warrior, The Hills, The Daily Show, iCarly and other programs will be glad to have them. Comedy Central, CMT, MTV, Nickelodeon, Spike, VH1 and BET go live today, with HD video on-demand offerings hitting servers July 1. RCN's claiming 100 HD VOD viewing choices, just a few thousand or so behind Comcast at this point, but we figure an upgrade is an upgrade, and at least on RCN you can watch them on a TiVo Premiere, so there's that right?
Fox Mobile launches Bitbop beta, a Hulu for your phone
While Hulu might be missing out on the mobile space due to licensing issues, Fox Mobile-backed Bitbop is looking to step in and take the reins. The app, currently in beta and available only for select BlackBerry devices, has 25 content partners including Fox (of course), CBS, NBC, and Comedy Central. It's said to work over WiFi or even 3G data connections and is free so far, though a section in the FAQ intimates that Fox will also launch a premium plan with "unlimited, full-length, network TV shows with no commercial interruptions" for $10 a month, and mobile movie rentals are also apparently on the way. And never fear, Android and iPhone lovers -- mocoNews reports that apps for your smartphone of choice are coming, too. Let's hope Fox gets it working on Froyo, before Hulu kills that workaround.
The Daily Show and Colbert Report changing video capture tech for the switch to HDTV
That switch to HD for The Daily Show and Colbert Report has more results than just a sharper image of their star hosts, but also the problem of capturing HD versions of the news clips presented for skewering daily. To achieve the goal of archiving more than 30 HDTV channels daily, the show is upgrading from the bank of TiVos it previously relied on to SnapStream Server, the business option from the guys behind BeyondTV. No word on exactly how it's pulling in the channels, Dave Zatz suggests ClearQAM, Happauge's HD PVR or component capture cards as possibilities, but it looks like a couple of years of development have reduced starter costs from $6,000 to $2,000, just in case your YouTube clip show needs a little more oomph.
Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert begin HDTV broadcasts January 4
Cross another one off the "waiting for them to go HD" list, as Comedy Central is upgrading The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report to 1080i. What caused the wait until 2010? Apparently that's how long it took to upgrade the control room for these shows that are continuously in production, but at least we'll get to see how many CNBC thumbnails Stewart can squeeze into a 16x9 frame before the Mayan calendar runs out.
DISH Network adds seven new Viacom HD channels, cements HD supremacy
If you want your MTV HD you can get it, and BET HD, CMT HD, Comedy Central HD, Nickelodeon HD, Spike TV HD and VH1 HD on DISH Network. Thanks to a new deal with Viacom, all those HD feeds were announced today as available to all subscribers at no extra cost. Also included? Video on-demand and Internet streaming rights that senior VP Dave Shull had no problem claiming as a testament to DISH's "continued HD leadership" while also asserting its HD supremacy. BET HD is available on the Classic Silver 200 HD package and up, while all the rest are on the Classic Bronze 100 lineup.
DirecTV adds Comedy Central HD, Engadget HD consolidates HD expansion news
Usually we don't like to post the same news twice, but by the looks of all the tips we've gotten pointing us to the fact that DirecTV added Comedy Central HD -- thanks by the way -- we figured it wouldn't hurt to ride on the exciting news to introduce a new weekly roundup post at Engadget HD. In the past, HD expansions were so few and far between that it was a very big deal around here, but in the past 6 months or so they're so common that we've decided to consolidate them into a weekly post. So from now on you can look for a weekly post with the tag channels that'll include every new HD channel on every provider for that week.
South Park finally goes HD in season 13
Hold on to your hats, kids -- South Park is making its long awaited high-def debut in just under two months. Starting on March 11th with the season 13 premier, every successive episode of the famed cartoon will be in glorious high-definition. Furthermore, the crew has been toiling around the clock in order to re-render previous episodes in native HD (presumably for Blu-ray releases), so don't be shocked to see episodes from years past show up on Comedy Central HD a bit clearer than you remember. And here you were thinking the show was teetering on the edge of irrelevance.[Thanks, Michael]
AT&T's U-verse TV picking up seven Viacom networks in HD
Just days after AT&T announced that NHL Network HD would be gliding over to U-verse TV, in flies a report stating that Viacom and AT&T have linked up on a sweet new deal. Said agreement will enable seven new networks to join the U-verse TV EPG: MTV HD, VH1 HD, CMT HD, BET HD, Nickelodeon HD, Comedy Central HD and Spike HD. The deal also "renews carriage of the MTVN and BETN channels and VOD content featured on AT&T U-verse TV, and provides for carriage of new international channels, including MTV India, later this year." Now, let's wait and see if those monthly rates creep up any after the fact.
Comedy Central HD launches today on Cablevision
Comedy Central HD launches today, and Cablevision iO TV subscribers will be the first to see it. According to Multichannel News we can expect 200 hours or so of native HD programming to start, including about 30 episodes of South Park, The Sarah Silverman Program, plus loads of archived stand up and films. Coming up fresh and new for your HDTV is season 13 of South Park, Reno 911, The Flaming Sward of Fire and Krod Mandoon, while The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,and The Colbert Report will get an HD upgrade at a later date. Besides nabbing the exclusive, Cablevision's trumpeting its numbers showing HD penetration is up to nearly 50 percent of iO TV subs, with 69 HD channels available. Otherwise, DirecTV and Cox will be adding later this month with more launches due later in the year -- hopefully Time Warner worked that into the latest deal with Viacom.[Via Multichannel News]
