Viacom vs DirecTV-The facts

Ok first thing's first. I hate that DirecTV CEO Mike White is explaining to me why DirecTV and Viacom can't get their shit together so I can  watch Kenan and Kel, Workaholics, and True Life. Frankly I don't give a crap about most of Viacom's channels. What I do give a crap about is Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, and some shows on VH1 and MTV (for the most part MTV and VH1 are worthless too). In fact if I had to pick between DirecTV now and Dish Network I'd still take DirecTV. At least I'd still have AMC, home of (arguably) the best basic cable television shows (Mad Men, Breaking Bad, The Killing, The Walking Dead, and Hell on Wheels. To name a few).

Alas I will miss Tosh.0, Workaholics, South Park, and Ugly Americans. I will even miss my late night viewings of True Life on MTV until 6 a.m.  I will most importantly miss my classic Nickelodeon shows. "Does Winston love Kenan and Kel?" "I do I do I doooooooooooo!"

Unfortunately in order to get these back several things would have to happen.
1. I would have to switch to Dish Network and lose AMC (bump that shit)
2. DirecTV will agree to Viacom's demands and give them 30% more to carry their channels. Which will most assuredly mean my family's already skyrocketing satellite bill will now be astronomical. (bump that shit)
3. Viacom will backdown and realize it is ridiculous to ask for that type of money when ratings for their  channels is at an all time low. (best case scenario will never happen)
4. Viacom will agree with Mike White that subscribers should have the option to pay individually for each channel they want. (Bump that shit again)
4. Finally what will invariably happen is they meet somewhere in the middle we get the same channels back we always had and will be paying more per month. (In essence the best way this can be described is to take a phrase from the new film Savages, "They would be feeding us their shit and calling it caviar")

In all fairness to Viacom they probably aren't getting as much money as other channels, but it is hard to argue that they should be making more money when their ratings across the board are so low. It just seems desperate.

But DirecTV will stand firm until they start getting complaints about consumers wanting to drop their subscription. Because why should DirecTV give Viacom any money if no one is unsubscribing? If anything Viacom will be clamoring to get back on DirecTV if no one decides to back them. Especially since DirecTV is one of the leaders in paid television with almost 20 million subscribers. So it is really up to us to decide. Do you want your television bill to go up $30 dollars a month or basically $360 dollars a year, or do you wait it out and hope Mike White and DirecTV lives up to their promise and makes Viacom come back with it's tail wagging between its legs?

Like everything else the bottom line is what matters here. It all comes down to who loses the most money first. Viacom with the lack of advertisers due to the fact it's losing 20 million subscribing families or DirecTV with people leaving for other paid television services to get their Viacom fix. It really is up to us. Viewers decide. I for one am sticking with DirecTV. We have had it ever since they bought out Primestar satellite. Hopefully Mike White can make good of his promise to I've me the channels I want for a reasonable and fair price. If not. Well then it might be time for a change of scenery for this couch potato.

Let me know what side you take! Give me your impressions of this dispute! Message me here, on Facebook, e-mail @mrniceguyreview@gmail.com, or follow me on Twitter @mrniceguyreview. I want to know what you guys have to say.