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AT&T U-verse customers may have to do without these shows if an agreement cannot be reached with Rainbow Media
AT&T U-verse customers may lose access to three basic cable networks in less than two days if a dispute over how much money AT&T should pay for the networks isn’t settled.
Rainbow Media’s AMC, We TV, and the Independent Film Channel are all threatened with removal from AT&T’s nationwide U-verse lineup as a two week extension of carriage negotiations appears to be going nowhere.
In an ironic “now the shoe is on the other foot” twist, Rainbow Media is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cablevision Industries — the cable system serving parts of downstate New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. AT&T is using some of the same language Cablevision used earlier this year in a dispute over fees charged by Scripps’ Food Network and HGTV, as well as Disney-owned WABC-TV in New York. Rainbow even borrowed a page from Scripps and launched an AT&T protest site, Facebook page and Twitter account.
“AT&T is acting in an aggressive manner that puts their corporate interests ahead of their customers,” AMC said in a statement. “We are negotiating in good faith with AT&T and are hopeful that we can reach an agreement as soon as possible so that our viewers don’t lose out.”
Meanwhile, AT&T is publicly insulting Rainbow’s cable networks.
“Based on aggregate data we obtained from third party industry sources and our own subscribers, some of the Rainbow channels are among the least-watched and most overpriced per viewer compared to other major programming providers,” an AT&T spokeswoman told Deadline. “They’re also trying to force the renegotiation of a contract for one of their other channels that is not yet expired and force us to carry a new channel that wasn’t even formally presented to us until after the recent July 1 contract extension. We want our customers to know that we can’t and won’t give in to unreasonable deals that unfairly disadvantage our customers.”
Despite AT&T’s bravado, Rainbow may have the upper hand with a more aggressive outreach campaign. AT&T’s website for U-verse has not mentioned the dispute — a potential PR mistake if it wants to argue its position about programming costs.
Other stories of interest:
- HissyFitWatch: Cablevision-Scripps Dispute Over HGTV and Food Network Drags On… And On…
- Cablevision Redux: Cable Customers May Lose WABC-TV New York in Another Rate Dispute
- AT&T Brings U-verse to Springfield, Mo. — Mediacom Will Face Competition… Eventually
- AT&T U-verse Relaunches Video Site Filled With Shows You Can Already See Elsewhere Online
- HissyFitWatch: A Fee Dispute Causes Cablevision Subscribers to Lose WABC-TV New York
