Viacom threatening to pull channels from Time Warner

Cable giant Viacom Inc. is threatening to yank its channels – including Nickelodeon, MTV and Comedy Central – from Time Warner Cable Inc. systems at 12:01 a.m. Thursday if the two companies can’t reach an agreement over fees.

If Viacom makes good on its statements, that would mean the blackout of kids’ shows such as “Dora the Explorer” and “SpongeBob SquarePants” as well as Comedy Central’s popular “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and “The Colbert Report.”

Time Warner Cable, based in New York City, is the franchise provider for much of Albany, N.Y.

Viacom’s announcement stems from a debate it’s having with Time Warner (NYSE: TWC) over carriage fees, the money the cable providers pay to air programming. In a statement, Viacom said it’s asking for a reasonable increase of less than 25 cents per month per subscriber. The company said Americans spend 20 percent of their TV viewing time watching Viacom networks but that Viacom’s fees amount to just 2.5 percent of what Time Warner gets from the average customer.

The company has taken out advertisements in national newspapers in an effort to stir up customers.

Time Warner responded by saying the dispute really stems from Viacom’s slumping ad revenue and that a fee increase would amount to a squeeze on the cable company’s customers.

Viacom (NYSE:VIA.B) channels include MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Comedy Central, Country Music Television, Spike TV, TV Land, Logo and BET.

I saw this scrolling across the TV all last night. :wtf is the issue here. I’m going to be pissed if those channels get pulled.

meh no big loss for me as long as MSG and espn are still on the air.

i called the 1-800 number last night and they told me i wasnt going to be effected

yea, that is gonna suck.

no more a double shot of love orrr

the city!

i need spike tv

you like

dont you

nope, ufc fight nights and ultimate fighter

If I miss out on the premier of Tool Academy I’m going to be sooo pissed

2nd that

if this shit goes through im gettin a dish

Yeah my brother just told me about this today and i was like :wtf

This will not affect the tiniest detail of anyone’s life.

your brother is gonna be too busy playin video games lol

your ok with it since SPEED wasn’t mentioned

LOL dude, Wii Fit is where it’s at right now.

Have you played Wii beer pong

I have not, but we just got Wii Fit and it’s pretty wild

Speed’s programming has forsaken me so I have forsaken it right back.

This kind of stuff has been announced before, it never happens. They both stand to lose way more by blacking it out than by working out a deal.

no love for HIN and livin’ the low life? :sad