Viacom Blocks Suddenlink Subs’ Online Access to Shows

As expected, Viacom is blocking Suddenlink Communications’ customers’ access to its online content in the wake of its failure to reach a carriage renewal agreement with the pay TV provider.

According to Suddenlink, customers who logged into websites like Nickelodeon.com and others were greeted with a screen that said their access has been blocked due to the impasse. Suddenlink is directing its customers to other sites like Hulu and Amazon.com to view Viacom networks’ shows online.

The tactic is not a new one for Viacom or other programmers. CBS did the same in its August 2013 blackout of Time Warner Cable systems in New York, Los Angeles and Dallas. And in 2012, Viacom blocked access to its online content to DirecTV customers during a nine-day carriage standoff between the two companies. More recently, Viacom blocked online access to Cable One customers after that distributor dropped its channels in April.

For the full story go to Multichannel.com.