Time Warner Cable fires back at Viacom in dispute over streaming channels on iPad

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Time Warner Cable has fired back at Viacom in a dispute the two are having over whether the cable operator has the rights to stream the programming giant’s networks on an iPad.

In a request for a declaratory judgement, Time Warner Cable has asked a federal court to rule that the company has the rights to stream Viacom networks including MTV and Comedy Central on an iPad to its subscribers in their homes.

“We have steadfastly maintained that we have the rights to allow our customers to view this programming in their homes, over our cable systems, without artificial limits on the screens they can use to do so, and we are asking the court to confirm our view,’ said Time Warner Cable general counsel Marc Lawrence-Apfelbaum. The filing was made in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

The move comes just a week after Time Warner Cable stopped streaming a dozen cable networks owned by Viacom, News Corp. and Discovery after getting complaints from the three that their contracts with the pay-TV distributor did not allow for the signals to be streamed on an iPad.

At issue is whether the deals that Time Warner Cable has to carry programming extend beyond the set-top box on the television to new platforms such as the iPad. Although Time Warner Cable did pull the channels last week, it also indicated it would take its battle to the courts.

A Viacom spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.

-- Joe Flint

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