I received a tip from a source tonight that 13 million homes are about to lose Spike TV. Apparently Viacom and Time Warner were unable to reach a deal, and unless they are able to iron something out, millions of people will lose Spike access very soon. They are apparently in crisis meetings as we speak to save the deal, but the announcement is set to be made very soon if it is not saved.
I know personally that Time Warner is a major cable provider in Los Angeles. This is obviously not a good thing for the UFC, and a worse thing for Spike. Spike is available currently in over 96 million homes, so it’s not like it is going to disappear, but it is a painful loss nonetheless.
Update: It looks like this is more than a rumor.
There is already a whole movement to call Time Warner and demand they change their position. Viacom released the following statement:
This move by Time Warner Cable to force such channels as Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and MTV off the air is another example of a cable company overreaching for profit at the expense of its viewers.
The renewal we are seeking is reasonable and modest relative to the profits TWC enjoys from our networks. We have asked for an increase of less than 25 cents per month, per subscriber, which adds up to less than a penny per day for all 19 of MTV Networks’ channels. We make this request because TWC has so greatly undervalued our channels for so long. Americans spend more than 20% of their TV viewing time watching our networks, yet our fees amount to less than 2.5% of what Time Warner generates from their average customer.
Update 2: The same source tells me Time Warner and Viacom have reached a deal.