I fully realize these are two greedy corporations fighting over who gets to keep the money. I don't think bills would lower without the Viacom contract renewal.
With that said, every time these cable networks ask for MORE money, it absolutely DOES result in higher bills from the providers of these channels, and for that, I fully support Direct TV, even though I am a Comcast subscriber. At some point, enough has to be enough, as consumers watch TV bills rise year after year, often outpacing inflation. And what bugs me the most about this, is that not only do they want me to pay for networks I don't care to watch, but they ALSO get to ask for money from advertising.
Furthermore, Viacom needs to tread very lightly here. Not only do they look bad because they are asking more money for a luxury service while our economy struggles to rebound from the worst recession in recent memory, but they also look very bad for blocking all online access to shows on their websites. DTV is a small fish in a big pond of pay TV providers, and to punish EVERYONE because of a contract dispute that covers 10-15% of the country just shows how greedy the company has become. I watch a few Viacom shows on cable (mostly Comedy Central) and I'm starting to think I may no longer wish to do that, seeing as how little Viacom cares about me, the ultimate customer for programming. Yes, they still get my money while they bundle channels together, but they no longer get my eyeballs, which leads to lower ad revenues.
