Time Warner Cable and Viacom go to court over TWCable iPad app

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Time Warner Cable and Viacom go to court over TWCable iPad app

Time Warner Cable has filed a request for a declaratory judgment regarding Viacom’s cable networks, asking the court to rule that Time Warner Cable’s current carriage agreement allows it to deliver Viacom programming over its cable systems “for viewing on devices of the customers’ choosing.” The request revolves around Time Warner Cable’s TWCable iPad app, which allows subscribers to view their cable TV programming on the iPad within their own home Wi-Fi network, essentially positioning the iPad as simply another TV screen in the home.

Last week, Time Warner voluntarily removed several channels from their app after Fox Cable, Viacom and Discovery networks challenged Time Warner’s rights to include their feeds. Viacom has responded with a complaint stating that Time Warner “blatantly grabbed the rights that their competitors have negotiated in good faith to obtain.” [via Engadget]

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Comments

1

We need to kidnap every media executive in the world and make them watch the Southpark episode “Christian Rock Hard” ala Clockwork Orange until something sinks in.

Here’s a cable company increasing the attractiveness of a paid outlet for these various media corporations products and all they can worry about is whether or not someone asked them permission first. Meanwhile, while they go to court to decrease the paid availability of their product, there will have been hundreds of millions of episodes of their shows downloaded over bittorrent in the same time.

Posted by Code Monkey in Midstate New York on April 10, 2011 at 9:55 AM (PST)

2

Time Warner should respond to this in the obvious way—move Viacom’s channels to a separate tier so we can all drop them and reduce our cable bills. And Viacom can feel how much we all appreciate their limiting our options for consuming their content.

Posted by Fanfoot on April 10, 2011 at 1:45 PM (PST)

3

@Fanfoot:
Thank you… +1 from me.

Posted by Damn Right on April 10, 2011 at 3:07 PM (PST)

4

And just in case some people aren’t sure which side to be on in this fight, the NY Times has just announced that Viacom’s Philippe Dauman was the highest paid CEO in the US last year. He apparently earned $84.5M in 9 months last year.

I’m sure that alone is a big part of why they want yet more money from Time Warner for the rights to offer their shows on tablets.

Posted by Fanfoot on April 11, 2011 at 6:38 PM (PST)

5

I would happily give up all the Viacom channels for $10 off my cable bill.

Posted by Scooter on April 12, 2011 at 8:50 AM (PST)

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