Viya on Monday announced rate increases across to its cable service, the first since 2016, the company said. The rate increases will take effect May 1.
“Following our extensive negotiations with content providers over the past two years and, in particular, the negotiation earlier this year, it has become necessary to make changes to our TV packages,” Viya said.
In January, Viya announced that it had lost CBS, ABC, CW, and OCTV after negotiations between it and Lilly Broadcasting, which owns many popular networks in the U.S., fell apart. According to a source with knowledge of the January negotiations, Lilly Broadcasting more than doubled its fees for the channels in its latest round of negotiations with Viya to renew contracts, terms that Viya had refused to accept. Two weeks later, however, Viya accepted Lilly Broadcasting’s terms and announced that the channels were once again part of its lineup.
“The acquisition of programming is a complex business, which often leaves small providers like Viya in an unfavorable position as it seeks to bring relevant content to our viewers,” Viya said Monday.
The following are the packages set to see increases May 1:
- Basic | $19.99
- HD Flex| $69.99
- Expanded | $87.99
- Variety | $10.00
- Spanish | $9.00
- HD Plus | $3.00
- HBO | $18.50
- Cinemax | $14.00
- Showtime | $16.00
- Starz Encore | $14.00
- Bronze (no HBO) | $98.50
- Bronze with HBO | $103.50
- Silver (no HBO) | $111.50
- Silver with HBO | $116.50
- Gold (no HBO) | $122.50
- Gold with HBO | $128.50
- Platinum | $138.50
“Our pricing to you, our customers, is dependent on the cost of television content we receive from programmers,” Viya said. “Over the last ten years the cost of TV content, most especially those of broadcaster channels have increased exponentially. We have made, and continue to make, every effort to minimize the necessary increases passed on to our customers. Even as providers continue to increase their rates annually, Viya has never passed on the full increase to our customers. In fact, the last rate increase on Viya Cable TV was in February 2016. Much has changed since 2016 and we are at the juncture where it has become necessary to review our package pricing.”
SportsMax is now $10.00, the only package to see a decrease in cost, the company said.
Viya said it has added several new channels as it continues to bolster its product. New offerings include NFL Network, NFL RedZone, Hallmark Drama, and REVOLT TV, along with increased local content programming on TV2, which is now featured on Channel 4 and 504HD, the company said.
Beginning April 1, Viya said it will add beIN SPORTS (Expanded Tier), beIN en Español (Expanded & Spanish Tiers), Bloomberg TV (Expanded Tier), CLEO TV (Expanded Tier), LAW & CRIME (HD Flex Tier), and FIDO TV (Basic Tier) to its slate of packages.
The Federal Communications Commission requires that all cable TV providers inform their customers of rate increases 30 days before said increases take effect.
Feature Image: A scene from the final season of Game of Thrones, one of the most poplar TV series ever, which is airing on HBO.
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