DIRECTV Drops Channels in Viacom Dispute

Viacom dropped its networks from DIRECTV at approximately midnight EDT as the companies failed to reach a carriage agreement. This includes popular channels such as Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central and 14 others.

"We have been very willing to get a deal done, but Viacom is pushing DIRECTV customers to pay more than a 30 percent increase, which equates to an extra $1 billion, despite the fact that the ratings for many of their main networks have plummeted and much of Viacom's programming can be seen for free online," said Derek Chang, DIRECTV executive vice president of Content, Strategy and Development.
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