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Tristan · 24-12-2004, 19:39

Nickelodeon are claiming that they haven't asked for an increase, but that Telewest are unwilling to continue on the same terms. People are also saying that Telewest are unhappy because Sky get a much better deal for Nick carriage than they do/did.

This saga reflects very badly on both companies, and on Sky too. For those don't know, the sequence of events went roughly like this:

1) Nick and Telewest's carriage contract was due to run out, and they began negotiations about a new contract. Telewest wanted to pay Nick less, on the same level as Sky

2) With the negotiations not getting anywhere, Nickelodeon attempted to twist Telewest's arm by flashing up an onscreen message that carriage would be ending soon, and if viewers wanted to carry on watching Nick then they should call Telewest. This was wrong on Nickelodeon's part: contract negotiations should *never* be made public. They should take place behind closed doors, so that viewers are only affected if and when a decision is reached.

3) In retaliation, Telewest started giving out Nickelodeon's CS number, advising people to talk to *them*. This could be viewed as unprofessional by Telewest -- they should be the first and last port of call for their subscribers -- but IMO it's no worse than Nick's initial salvo.

4) Nickelodeon then upped the ante by running ads on their channels advising viewers to "call Sky on ..." if they wished to carry on watching after December 17th (when the contract ended).

5) Because of these adverts, Telewest took Nickelodeon off the air, a few days before the 17th.

6) Viacom (owners of Nick) then started running the adverts on their other networks, including MTV and Paramount.

7) Sky, in a display of breathtaking opportunism, also started running Viacom's "get Sky to watch Nick" pieces on Sky One, Sky News, and the sports channels.

And that's pretty much where we are today. Viacom and Sky trying to strongarm Telewest into taking the channels at the price they demand. It will be interesting to see how this one plays out, as a powerplay between the broadcaster and the carriage provider -- it may provide a precident for the future.

24-12-2004, 19:39	#20
Tristan Inactive Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Glastonbury! Services: Telewest DTV & 4Meg BB (Bath), NTL DTV and 2Meg BB (Poole) Posts: 1,350	Re: Telewest drop Nickelodeon channels!! Nickelodeon are claiming that they haven't asked for an increase, but that Telewest are unwilling to continue on the same terms. People are also saying that Telewest are unhappy because Sky get a much better deal for Nick carriage than they do/did. This saga reflects very badly on both companies, and on Sky too. For those don't know, the sequence of events went roughly like this: 1) Nick and Telewest's carriage contract was due to run out, and they began negotiations about a new contract. Telewest wanted to pay Nick less, on the same level as Sky 2) With the negotiations not getting anywhere, Nickelodeon attempted to twist Telewest's arm by flashing up an onscreen message that carriage would be ending soon, and if viewers wanted to carry on watching Nick then they should call Telewest. This was wrong on Nickelodeon's part: contract negotiations should never be made public. They should take place behind closed doors, so that viewers are only affected if and when a decision is reached. 3) In retaliation, Telewest started giving out Nickelodeon's CS number, advising people to talk to them. This could be viewed as unprofessional by Telewest -- they should be the first and last port of call for their subscribers -- but IMO it's no worse than Nick's initial salvo. 4) Nickelodeon then upped the ante by running ads on their channels advising viewers to "call Sky on ..." if they wished to carry on watching after December 17th (when the contract ended). 5) Because of these adverts, Telewest took Nickelodeon off the air, a few days before the 17th. 6) Viacom (owners of Nick) then started running the adverts on their other networks, including MTV and Paramount. 7) Sky, in a display of breathtaking opportunism, also started running Viacom's "get Sky to watch Nick" pieces on Sky One, Sky News, and the sports channels. And that's pretty much where we are today. Viacom and Sky trying to strongarm Telewest into taking the channels at the price they demand. It will be interesting to see how this one plays out, as a powerplay between the broadcaster and the carriage provider -- it may provide a precident for the future.