It would certainly appear to be Viacom’s fault after all in regards to their DirecTV carriage dispute. Earlier in the week, the public heard that the company behind MTV, Nickelodeon, and Comedy Central was essentially creating the problem with a mandate on the bundling of Epix into the equation. If initial reports are correct, DirecTV won out and Epix will not be part of pay television packages in the future (at least for DirecTV.) The movie channel would have added additional costs to the satellite provider and ultimately the consumer would have to pay out more without much choice in the matter.
When all was said and done, the two sides came to terms on a seven-year deal that would see Viacom’s core 17 channels return to DirecTV with the absence of the premium network. It does not immediately appear that any side gained in the end though as the pay TV provider is now on the hook for several years in the face of a potential upswing in cord cutting due to rising costs (that last part is the key.) On the other side of things, Epix still appears to be a lost cause. The channel currently owned by Viacom, Lionsgate, and MGM looks to be the least celebrated of all the ‘bonus channels’ and might continue that way for some time with the lack of a mandate.
On the plus side, those who still want Epix are free to get it. Currently running movies on the network include Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Super 8, Rango, Captain America, and Thor.
