Cablevision/Viacom Settlement Doesn’t Benefit Consumers

Cablevision had filed suit over how Viacom packaged and priced their basic cable networks. The case was recently settled. Here is the PTC's response. According to The Wall Street Journal, “Cablevision had alleged that Viacom forced it to carry and pay for a series of 'lesser-watched' channels, such as MTV Hits and VH1 Classic, to be able to carry Viacom’s most popular networks, such as Nickelodeon, MTV and Comedy Central.” “Consumers, and especially families, were counting on a solution to this lawsuit that gave them more control over their programming bundle. With this settlement, it appears that consumers are once again left to foot the bill for unwanted and even harmful cable TV programming. Consumers are left stuck between a rock and a hard place, the rock being programmers and the hard place being the distributors, with no real solution for more choice over their cable TV bundle except to cut the cord altogether,” said PTC President Tim Winter. “We advocate tirelessly for a real solution to combat increasing cable TV prices, and a way to give consumers more control over what they allow into their homes. That solution is Cable Choice, which would allow consumers to choose and pay for only the cable TV networks they want. Today’s settlement doesn’t get us any closer to that solution and we hope that cable networks will eventually change course and offer more choice to consumers.”