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Cable Technology Feature Article

March 03, 2010

Comedy Central Cuts Online Video Agreement with Hulu, Cable Industry Suffers More Drama

By Kelly McGuire, TMCnet Editor


It’s been a tough couple months for the cable industry, especially for those shows and networks who have suffered numerous cancellations. And now, one more thing is on the chopping block in the realm of cable and TV.
 
According to Reuters, Viacom’s Comedy Central is now removing some of its most popular shows from Hulu (News - Alert), an online video service.
 
“The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and “The Colbert Report” will be things of the Internet past, Andy Forssel, Hulu’s senior vice president of content and distribution, said on Tuesday.
 
While the online video provider offered a percentage of ad sales to Comedy Central, it must’ve not been enough to keep the agreement in tack.
 
Coincidentally – or perhaps not – this cancellation comes at a time of some other high-profile disputes over programming fees. Just this morning rumors surfaced of a disagreement between Cablevision and ABC that could leave NYC and surrounding area customers without the Oscars and the network in general.
 
And, out of the blue, network TLC dropped coverage of the Miss America pageant this morning as well.  
 
Earlier this year, Fox and Time Warner (News - Alert) Cable Inc had a disagreement about broadcasting fees, but reached a deal on January 1, avoiding a blackout after months of negotiations.
 

Kelly McGuire is a TMCnet Web editor, covering CRM and workforce technologies, and anchor of its daily TMC Newsroom video broadcast. Kelly also writes about eco-friendly "green" technologies and smart grids, compiling TMCnet's weekly e-Newsletters on those topics, as well as the cable industry. To read more of Kelly's articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Kelly McGuire