Does the launch of Disney Junior on DirecTv tell Viacom that they can expect a long, protracted fight for carriage of Nickelodeon and its other networks? It certainly seems like a shot across the bow. While Comedy Central and its other networks will be missed, DirecTv must believe that no one cries louder than children and if anything makes mom and dad switch providers, it is the loss of kid programming. Whether Disney Junior characters like Handy Mandy and others can replace Sponge Bob and iCarly remains to be seen. Still it appears an attempt by DirecTv to offer some substitution for their loss.
So what happens the longer this negotiation lasts? What if DirecTv discovers that they can actually absorb a loss of subs related to the drop of a set of channels and still improve their bottom line. If the impact of a drop proves negligible, could this be the impetus to start assessing the cost/value model of all channels to provide a better value model to the end consumer? With the rise of alternative platforms to receive networks and shows, change is in the air.
