Amazon Prime, the $79 a year service that gives free 2 day shipping and $1.99 per item one day shipping, will be adding Viacom shows to it’s online video streaming service. They signed an agreement with Viacom to add shows from their multitude of channels such as Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, MTV, and TV Land to name a few.

For customers who have a Prime account, you also get free access to thousands of TV shows and movies which somewhat competes with Netflix. If you buy a good amount of stuff, Prime pays for itself over time and the online video streaming service is a nice added bonus.

Via Businessweek:

“This deal with Viacom brings Prime customers and Kindle Fire users thousands of comedies, kids’ shows, reality TV and much more from some of the best cable networks available,” said Brad Beale, director of video content acquisition for Amazon. “We are constantly working to improve the service by adding the shows that our customers enjoy the most.”

“The number of videos bought or rented and the number of customers on Amazon Instant Video, the company’s online streaming service, more than doubled in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, Amazon said last month.”

The e-commerce site has grown massively over the years and has a very large and loyal customer base. Great customer service is key, as they demonstrate, and giving more value to the consumer leads to more sales in the long run. Whether people will soon be watching Jersey Shore or not, well, let’s hope they stay away from that show.

Do you have an Amazon Prime account?

Amazon Prime Customers Will Soon Be Able To Watch Viacom Shows is a post from: The Inquisitr

Viacom on Tuesday petitioned a New York City Second Court of Appeals to overturn a dismissal in their YouTube lawsuit. The company argued that YouTube’s visitor upload policy doesn’t fall under “safe harbor” rules and that they should therefore be held liable for illegally copied videos.

In a moment of fear mongering Attorney Paul Smith said the entire video industry would see dangerous consequences because of the “vast exploitation” of content online.

According to smith:

“It would immunize from copyright infringement liability even avowedly piratical Internet businesses.”

Various historical case studies in the meantime have show just how little effect sites like YouTube have on copyright infringement in terms of harming a media company’s overall product since they do not allow for full copyrighted videos to appear on the website and they quickly remove all infringing content.

In the meantime while Viacom claims that YouTube knew in their early days that some videos were being copyrighted the sites current owner Google, Inc. says they work adamantly to remove videos that are in violation of current copyright laws, pulling illegal clips within 24 hours.

It should be noted that Viacom is one of the few TV networks that refuse iPad video streaming even when those videos are restricted to a persons internet connection within their own home where cable TV services are subscribed to.

Do you think Viacom has a case against YouTube or will this case soon be pushed to the side? I personally see this case as a losing battle for Viacom officials.

Viacom Attempts Reversal Of YouTube Court Decision is a post from: The Inquisitr

The digital streaming rights management lawsuit between Cablevision and Viacom has come to an end with both parties agreeing to terms.

The lawsuit began when Viacom claimed the use of iPad streaming was a violation of the company’s delivery rights, however Cablevision countered their claims, noting that only Cablevision provided modems would allow for streaming to take place, keeping the digital rights in the Cablevision users home.

The lawsuit which was settled after being filed in a Southern District of New York court came to an end with the two company’s release of a joint statement that reads:

“Viacom and Cablevision have agreed to resolve their pending litigation, and the Viacom programming will continue to appear on Cablevision’s Optimum Apps for iPad and other IP devices. In reaching the settlement agreement, Cablevision and Viacom were able to resolve the iPad matter and an unrelated business matter to their mutual satisfaction. Neither side is conceding its original legal position or will have further comment.”

At this time the two company’ have not revealed any new terms that have been reached.

During a time when new technology is allowing programs to be streamed over internet connections to various devices I won’t be surprised if we witness more provider lawsuits in the future, while new contracts between networks and providers will likely contain more digital management options.

It should be noted that Cablevision was not charging customers for the right to stream shows to their devices in their home, in fact many subscribers would have been using the device instead of their regular TVs in many cases.

Cablevision and Viacom Settle Lawsuit Over iPad App is a post from: The Inquisitr

Viacom on Thursday filed a lawsuit against Cablevision. The lawsuit involves the cable providers Optimum iPad app which delivers cable TV shows to the tablet. Cablevision argues that the service operates in the same way a tradition TV works, while Viacom wants more money before their programs are delivered to “new screens.”

According to Viacom:

“We have taken this action to protect our valuable content. Over the last few months, we have had limited and unproductive discussions with Cablevision about licensing iPad rights. We remain open to productive discussions, but we cannot wait indefinitely while our networks are being distributed without permission.”

While Cablevision shot back:

“Cablevision’s very popular Optimum App for iPad, which has been available to our customers for nearly three months, falls within our existing cable television licensing agreements with programmers – including Viacom. It is cable television service on the iPad, which functions as a television, and is delivered securely to our customers in the home on Cablevision’s own proprietary network.”

I have to give this battle to Cablevision, if customers are paying for cable service and then receiving that service on their iPad it should be no different than if they chose to watch their favorite shows on a regular sized TV. Cablevision has never had the best relationship with network and cable providers, remember the time they were in a dispute with Fox TV and they were caught telling users how to illegally access Fox TV feeds online.

Viacom Sues Cablevision Over Optimum iPad App is a post from: The Inquisitr

Daily Show, Colbert Report Could Return To Hulu, Talks Underway is a post from: The Inquisitr

Well YouTube can breath easy now.

The official YouTube blog has a post up announcing its win over Viacom in their long running court case. The court issued a summary judgement which means that the court decided that YouTube was indeed protected by the safe harbor of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) when it comes to charges of copyright infringement.

Kent Walker, Vice President and General Counsel for Google, said this in his post

This is an important victory not just for us, but also for the billions of people around the world who use the web to communicate and share experiences with each other. We’re excited about this decision and look forward to renewing our focus on supporting the incredible variety of ideas and expression that billions of people post and watch on YouTube every day around the world.

I’m betting a few champagne corks will be flying around the Googleplex tonight.

YouTube gets to tell Viacom to #suckit – wins case is a post from: The Inquisitr

YouTube Chief Counsel Zahavah Levine posted some interesting things today on YouTube’s official blog about Viacom’s strange, love-hate relationship with the video streaming giant.

I am not a lawyer©, but the allegations made certainly seem like Viacom is using the legal system to bully YouTube merely because Viacom resents its existence. (The post alleges that Viacom vacillates between trying to shut the site down and trying to purchase it. If I can’t have you, no one will!) Levine makes an excellent case for the absurdity of Viacom’s actions against YouTube:

For years, Viacom continuously and secretly uploaded its content to YouTube, even while publicly complaining about its presence there. It hired no fewer than 18 different marketing agencies to upload its content to the site. It deliberately “roughed up” the videos to make them look stolen or leaked. It opened YouTube accounts using phony email addresses. It even sent employees to Kinko’s to upload clips from computers that couldn’t be traced to Viacom. And in an effort to promote its own shows, as a matter of company policy Viacom routinely left up clips from shows that had been uploaded to YouTube by ordinary users. Executives as high up as the president of Comedy Central and the head of MTV Networks felt “very strongly” that clips from shows like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report should remain on YouTube.

Bolding mine. On first glance, it looks like Viacom never watches Judge Judy. If I’ve learned one thing from TV judges, it’s that the law’s impartial guardians do not like to be misled or lied to, and if you’re acting in a shady fashion, you have less legal ground to stand on. I believe the deliberate obfuscation of where content was uploaded from and by whom would certainly rankle Judge Sheindlin. Don’t pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining, Viacom!

Interestingly, it seems that Viacom doesn’t even know which clips are the offending clips and have actually complained in court about videos uploaded by Viacom employees on behalf of Viacom. Awkward.

Viacom’s efforts to disguise its promotional use of YouTube worked so well that even its own employees could not keep track of everything it was posting or leaving up on the site. As a result, on countless occasions Viacom demanded the removal of clips that it had uploaded to YouTube, only to return later to sheepishly ask for their reinstatement. In fact, some of the very clips that Viacom is suing us over were actually uploaded by Viacom itself.

Levine points out the idiocy quite concisely. Take it away, Counselor:

Given Viacom’s own actions, there is no way YouTube could ever have known which Viacom content was and was not authorized to be on the site. But Viacom thinks YouTube should somehow have figured it out. The legal rule that Viacom seeks would require YouTube — and every Web platform — to investigate and police all content users upload, and would subject those web sites to crushing liability if they get it wrong.

While the reasons behind such a legal move are certainly complex and impossible to sum up in a few sentences, it would seem that Viacom has a bit of a bone to pick with YouTube and is using litigation to attempt to slow the competition down. Levine caps the post by asserting that they “look forward to defending YouTube, and upholding the balance that Congress struck in the DMCA to protect the rights of copyright holders, the progress of technological innovation, and the public interest in free expression.”

What do you think? Is this like some roundabout form of corporation-level civil entrapment? Should Viacom be able to sue for their own violations, against themselves?

Fun with copyright laws: YouTube says Viacom uploaded own videos, sued is a post from: The Inquisitr

The New York Times is reporting that Viacom will be pulling The Daily Show and The Colbert Report from popular online TV  streaming service Hulu. The move is set to occur next week.

As the story goes, Viacom realized that a huge demographic of Hulu subscribers were watching both shows and they demanded a ridiculously large amount of money to keep the shows on the service. Rumors are also stating that they demanded an upfront payment for their programming.

In the meantime TheDailyShow.com and ColbertNation.com will continue to rebroadcast their shows past episodes. The deal, while not a big blow to Hulu, does show a big problem the company faces in terms of attracting third-party network providers to their service, companies which could help build the site into a major online player of digital content should they stay or  come on-board.

With this recent jumping of ship by Viacom we expect to see a more viable pay model from Hulu in the near future or they could end up as nothing more than a wasteland for second rate programming. [Gizmodo]

Viacom Pulling Colbert and Stewart From Hulu is a post from: The Inquisitr

Time Warner Cable has reached a last minute deal with Viacom Inc. on carriage fees, avoiding a blackout of 19 cable channels to around 15 million customers.

Channels that would have disappeared from the United State’s second largest cable provider included Comedy Central, Logo, BET, Spike, TV Land, Nick at Nite, Nickelodeon, Noggin, The N, Nick Jr., TEENick, MTV, VH1, MTV2, CMT and Palladia.

The channels were expected to be pulled at midnight January 1. Viacom has been asking viewers to lobby Time Warner to come to a deal.

Details of the agreement are said to still be finalized, but reports suggest that Time Warner has agreed to the high rates demanded by Viacom.

Last Minute Deal Keeps Viacom Content on Time Warner Cable is a post from: The Inquisitr

A break down in negotiations between Viacom and Time Warner Cable will mean customers on Time Warner’s cable network, the second largest in the United States, will no longer be able to view Viacom channels from January 1.

Channels to go from Time Warner include (not everyone has all these to start with) Comedy Central, Logo, BET, Spike, TV Land, Nick at Nite, Nickelodeon, Noggin, The N, Nick Jr., TEENick, MTV, VH1, MTV2, CMT and Palladia.

Viacom claims it has been trying to negotiate a fair renewal of its cable channels for months, but claims Time Warner Cable has been unresponsive and unreasonable. Time Warner claims Viacom is asking for exorbitant increases in carriage fees which would have to be passed along to the customer, reports the Huffington Post.

Who ever is to blame, the net result is the same: if you’re on Time Warner Cable, no Viacom content for you from midnight, January 1, reportedly EST so 9pm December 31 on the West Coast. Around 12.3 million customers will be affected by the dispute.

Viacom though isn’t going out without a scene, running the following ad across its entire network to Time Warner customers.

Time Warner Cable Customers: Say Good Bye to Nick, MTV and Comedy Central is a post from: The Inquisitr

Media giant Viacom has announced a 7% reduction in its workforce, or 850 employees.

Viacom said in a statement that cuts would be implemented across all divisions of the company, which includes MTV Networks, BET, Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks movie studios. The restructuring and write-down will result in a pre-tax charge of $400 million to $450 million in the fourth quarter of 2008, but will deliver a result in pre-tax savings of $200 million to $250 million in 2009.

The New York Post reports that cable channel CNBC is expected to deliver 80 pink slips today. The report notes that CNBC has been spared cost-cutting efforts conducted by NBC to date.

Parent company NBCU announced a 3% across the board cut in October.

Another day, another round of cuts: Viacom 850, CNBC 80 is a post from: The Inquisitr