Dish Network has struck a deal with Viacom that will result in several new channels being added to the company’s Sling TV offering. The deal is described as a multi-year contract that, in part, renews access to Viacom networks for those with Dish’s regular satellite service. As well, Sling TV will soon offer Nick Jr., Comedy Central, BET, MTV, Spike, and more.
Hulu and Viacom have a good relationship, something yet again demonstrated by a new expanded deal between the two companies. Under this, Hulu has scored VOD rights for a bunch of new shows, including some from Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, MTV, and more. Viacom and Hulu first began their relationship back in 2011, and have since grown it, tacking on more shows and expanding its offerings to cover a wide range of television programming.
As consumers continue to drop traditional cable in favor of various video streaming services, some companies and networks are (finally) accepting reality and getting on board with their own offerings. HBO announced its own video subscription service plans in the recent past, and consumers recently scored another option with the introduction of Sling TV. Viacom, which has notoriously been picky about where and when its shows are available online, is about to do its own dabbling in the world of video subscription services, and it'll be doing so through Nickelodeon.
Hulu is a decent subscription to have if it offers a show you like to keep relatively up-to-date on, but isn't so great when it comes to watching old episodes of long gone shows. Netflix fills that void to some degree, but it is lacking in its own way, which makes Hulu's latest announcement a welcomed one: a new deal is in place with Viacom that will usher in thousands of additional episodes, including ones from older shows like The Ren & Stimpy Show and Nickelodeon's under-appreciated Invader Zim.
Where the Microsoft-made Xbox One is set to continue the model set with the Xbox 360 as a middle-point between cable and your TV, Sony's reported deal with Viacom may just remove the third party altogether. According to news reported this week by the Wall Street Journal, Sony has only to lay out the final details of an agreement which could give them internet-based TV service rights to Viacom's network offerings. For the PlayStation 4, that might just be another killer feature the Xbox One just doesn't have.
Adding to the growing competition against traditional cable service providers, Sony has achieved a preliminary deal with Viacom in regards to offering the network's content on its planned Internet-based TV service. The information comes from sources who spoke to The Wall Street Journal, stating that before the deal is finalized, Sony needs to lay out the final details for the agreement.
We've heard talk about a possible Viacom partnership with Twitter before, bringing with it social TV show clips. Such rumors became official today with an announcement by Viacom that it has joined Twitter's Amplify program. To kick things off, Viacom will be launching with the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, and will move on from there to provide content from a variety of stations.
Once again, YouTube had risen as victor against Viacom in a copyright lawsuit that has been limping along for quite some time now. U.S. District Judge Louis Stanton sided with the video hosting service, stating that YouTube is protected by the DMCA, and that Viacom's arguments against it demonstrated an anachronistic slant on the law.
The folks at Bloomberg chatted with two sources said to be involved in some private talks that Twitter is undergoing with Viacom and NBCUniversal about offering their content on the microblogging service. The sources, who won't named, said that discussions with Viacom concern displaying TV show clips and ads, but the subject of its talks with NBCUniversal weren't specified.
Cablevision Systems has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Viacom for allegedly making the company carry 14 channels that it deems as "lesser watched" than the rest. Viacom doesn't agree, however, stating that the channels are part of a contact signed two months ago, and that Cablevision is trying to alter that contract by going through the legal system.
Hulu lovers, rejoice: the online video service has widened its current standing with Viacom, and as a result, will now offer a range of Nickelodeon TV shows. If that's not good enough for you, the new expansion will also include another two years of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, both of whom are responsible for a large percentage of Hulu's visitors. Viacom and Hulu reached their first deal back in 2011.
We've been following the negotiation battle between DirecTV and Viacom for over a week now. Viacom forced DirecTV to pull all of its networks, including Nickelodeon and Comedy Central, from the DirecTV lineup. The reason Viacom had its networks removed from DirecTV had to do with contract negotiations. According to DirecTV, Viacom wanted what amounted to an extra billion dollars in licensing fees.
