"We still believe the most likely outcome is a renewal, as neither player is in a competitively strong position and would run serious risks by walking away from a deal," Doug Creutz, a Cowen & Co. analyst, said in an e-mail. "If brinksmanship by both sides does lead to a broken relationship, then we think Viacom shares could see more downside as it would create a much higher probability of future negotiations ending badly for the company."
"We are extremely disappointed that Dish has not engaged in a serious way to reach an agreement for Viacom's number one family of cable networks, including Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, VH1, MTV, BET, Spike, TV Land and CMT," Viacom said in a statement. "This is par for the course for Dish, which has deliberately derailed 10 renewal negotiations since last year by engaging in unproductive discussions and contentious public battles."
-- Bloomberg News
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In the latest dust-up between pay-TV giants, Viacom Inc. began warning Dish Network Corp. subscribers they may lose channels including Comedy Central and Nickelodeon late Wednesday because of a fee dispute between the companies.
Dish and Viacom have been negotiating a long-term extension for months, and previously agreed to temporary extensions. Both Charlie Ergen, Dish's chief executive officer, and Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman have expressed optimism in recent months.
In this article:CableMediaTV
http://adage.com/article/media/viacom-warns-dish-viewers-blackout-fee-fight/303636/
Dish is no stranger to public battles with TV programmers. Recent disputes with CBS Corp. and 21st Century Fox Inc.'s Fox News resulted in both companies taking their channels off the satellite service before reaching http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=breast+pumps new, long-term deals.
"There may be short-term hiccups along the way, but we firmly believe that we will ultimately reach an agreement that will be productive for both sides," Mr. Dauman said on a Feb. 9 call with analysts.
Viacom's channels tend to be more youth-oriented and attract fewer prime-time viewers than the most-popular cable networks, such as Fox News and ESPN. Its best-performing network this year is Nick Jr., up 37% according to Nielsen audience ratings, while its worst, Comedy Central, has declined 19% this TV season. Two small cable operators, Suddenlink Communications and Cable One Inc., dropped Viacom in 2014.
Viacom Warns Dish Viewers of Possible Blackout in Fee Fight | Media - AdAge
The New York-based media company has begun running a "crawl" message on its channels warning customers of the Dish satellite-TV service that their access to shows like "Broad City" and "Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta" could be interrupted if the two sides don't reach a new agreement.
Faced with a loss of viewers to Internet services such as Netflix, cable programmers like Viacom are seeking to increase the per-subscriber fees they get from pay-TV distributors including Dish. Dish is the third-largest pay-TV distributor after AT&T Inc. and Comcast Corp., with about 13.9 million subscribers.
"Viacom is asking for hundreds of millions of dollars in increases, despite the changing landscape that includes drastically reduced viewership of Viacom channels and wide availability of their content across multiple platforms," Bob Toevs, a Dish spokesman, said in an e-mail.
The Human Resources and Services Administration maintains a page dedicated to women's health issues under Obamacare. The page lists breastfeeding coverage as a benefit insurers must provide.
On Friday, the Washington Post reported sales of breast pumps have soared as insurance companies must now cover the cost of the devices, as well as visits to lactation specialists. While the provision received less attention than the individual mandate, employer mandate, or contraceptive mandate, it has not gone unnoticed by expecting and nursing mothers.
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http://www.examiner.com/article/breast-pump-sales-surging-thanks-to-obamacare
Before Obamacare required insurance companies to provide coverage for breast pumps, thirty-one states had breast pump coverage for long income families through Medicaid.
Insurance companies are not compensated for breastfeeding services. Federal funds are not reimbursed as with other aspects of Obamacare. Instead, insurers will be required to determine how to offset the costs of the coverage, likely http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/HomeHealthandConsumer/ConsumerProducts/BreastPumps/default.htm with higher premiums for expectant mothers.
The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, is leading many stores to sell out of breast pumps since new provisions went into effect on Jan. 1.