Viacom's Take—Turnaround Coming, DirecTV Deal Excellent
Viacom says to forget anything you’ve heard about DirecTV coming out on top in a public standoff that saw Nick, MTV and other nets off the DBS op’s lineup for 9 days. During the programmer’s 3Q earnings call Fri, Pres/CEO Philippe Dauman said, “The deal we ultimately signed was materially better for Viacom than the deal that was on the table at the time that DirecTV made the unfortunate decision to drop our networks." DirecTV no doubt sees things differently. During its 2Q call Thurs, DirecTV CEO Mike White said he believes DTV got a "fair deal in the end" with Viacom.
Also in the August 6 issue of CableFAX Daily:
As the FCC’s target date of Aug 21 for completing its review of the proposed Verizon/cable spectrum deal nears, rumor has it that the DOJ will impose tough decisions that would forbid some joint marketing.
NCTA pres/CEO Michael Powell shot down a Washington Post blog entry that suggested he might run for D.C. mayor.
From TCA: Soap-opera icon Susan Lucci discusses her new role as host of Investigation Discovery’s “Deadly Affairs.” Much more from the gathering of TV writers.