Viacom contract and Direct TV expiring Friday, blackout possible

DirecTV customers may soon end up with fewer channels.

Friday at midnight, the contract between AT & T and Viacom expires, which means that popular stations such as Nickelodeon and Comedy Central could become black.

Viacom warns AT & T subscribers on DirecTV that they may lose access to 23 channels if a fee dispute is not resolved before the contract expires. Viacom also encourages its customers to contact AT & T.

"Unfortunately, AT & T is abusing its new position in the market by focusing on its own content – which is significantly lower than Viacom's – to stifle competition," Viacom said in a statement.

However, AT & T hopes to "avoid any disruption to channels that some of our customers are concerned about," the company said in the United States today in a statement last Tuesday.

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"We are disappointed that Viacom has placed its customers in the middle of their negotiations," said AT & T in a statement. "We are on the side of customer choice and value and we want Viacom's channels to stay in the queue of our customers."

AT & T is the largest pay-TV provider in the United States with 24.5 million subscribers.

Viacom publishes updates on its website, www.keepviacom.com, and posts announcements inviting customers to contact AT & T. The media company has done the same in other contract negotiations.

Trevor Noah, host of "The Daily Show" of Comedy Central, is featured in one of the ads.

"If you think the government's cuts are bad, get ready for something worse," said Noah. "AT & T-DirecTV could remove Comedy Central and up to 22 other Viacom channels."

In its statement, Viacom said it was "the # 1 cable family serving customers and key communities in AT & T-DirecTV's service to children, teens aged 18 to 49 , African-Americans and Hispanics ".

According to AT & T, "several Viacom channels are no longer popular".

"In total, Viacom channels have lost about 40% of their audience in the last six years," said AT & T in a statement. "Viacom is a bad player in these trade negotiations and has used this tactic on many occasions with other distributors."

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And after?

Disputes between content providers and cable and satellite providers are not uncommon as companies try to negotiate new offers.

AT & T and Viacom say they want a solution.

"We have presented a series of favorable offers for consumers and for AT & T, offering subscribers better access to Viacom channels than they like, including Nickelodeon, BET, MTV, Comedy Central and Paramount, while by allowing AT & T-DirecTV to reduce ongoing bills, "said Viacom.

AT & T also aims to "deliver the content our customers want at a price that's right for them."

"We have always struggled to get the best deal possible for our customers, providing the content they are looking for at a great price," said AT & T. "We will continue to fight for this here."

Sometimes, negotiations are extended to allow the parties to reach an agreement. In many situations, the stations do not become black.

Dish Network, HBO and Cinemax have been two for several months.

HBO and Cinemax went into the dark for Dish Network subscribers in November as part of a programming conflict between Dish and AT & T, owner of both premium cable companies.

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Contribute: Eli Blumenthal

Follow Kelly Tyko on Twitter: @KellyTyko

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