Update (April 1, 2014)
An agreement has been reached to keep the Viacom channels on your line-up. Thank you for your patience. For more information please visit www.TVOnMySide.com.
Eyecom Statement Regarding Viacom Programming
Eyecom Cable customers could soon lose programming from Viacom, the parent company of MTV, Spike, CMT, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, TV Land and VH-1, if a deal with small cable operators is not reached by March 31. The National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC) is in negotiations with Viacom on Eyecom’s behalf. Eyecom believes the current proposal from Viacom would have costly repercussions for our customers in Unalaska and Galena. While we are restricted from talking about specific rates, Viacom demanded a rate increase that’s 40 times the rate of inflation. Viacom may demand we drop their networks if we don’t agree to their proposal.
Eyecom wants our customers to know that fees from these networks account for the bulk of monthly cable bills. Today’s entertainment marketplace is changing rapidly, and we have seen consolidation among major media companies. These mergers allow large programming companies significant leverage over independent cable companies such as Eyecom.
Our goal is to protect our customers from significant programming fee increases. We pay programmers such as Viacom a fee per channel, per month, per customer, for their programming. When these contracts conclude, we negotiate new agreements and that concludes that business deal. But when a multibillion dollar company such as Viacom demands an unprecedented increase in its monthly fees, we believe it’s our responsibility to take a stand.
These large increases impact all of us throughout Unalaska and Galena and we want to make sure our customers know we are working on their behalf.
