Cincinnati-area Altafiber customers are finding blank channels on their TV screen this week, most notably Comedy Central and Nickelodeon, which is very popular with children.
It is all the result of the latest dispute over over carrying fees, as programmers demand more and more money from cable companies.
But this time, it's not DirecTV or Dish customers caught in the middle of the dispute.
It is local viewers who use Cincinnati-based Altafiber for their tv package, who are now missing more than half dozen TV channels.
Instead of Nickelodeon, MTV, VH-1, BET, and Comedy Central, Altafiber customers just see a blank screen now instead of Paramount-owned channels.
The screen includes a QR code that you can check for more information.
Why the channels are now missing
Altafiber has sent an email to customers, and has posted an explanation on its website, saying: "Paramount Global was demanding rates that do not reflect the value their content delivers to you, the customer. Paramount has been shifting the majority of its new shows to the Paramount + app. At the same time, Paramount is increasing prices for cable customers. We believe this is unfair."
So what can you do?
If you rely on some of these channels, the simplest thing is to subscribe to Paramount Plus. or a service that still includes Paramount channels
Services like Pluto, YouTube TV, Hulu, and Sling offer Paramount and most other cable channels for costs ranging from $30 a moth (Philo) to as much as $80 a month.
If you decide to go with this option, you can then drop Atafiber's cable package, and just use their home internet.
A cheaper option is to simply subscribe to Paramount Plus as an add-on to your Altafiber package , which costs $8 a month for the basic plan.
Some customers claim that after they called, the company offered them a one-time $15 credit on their bill.
We reached out to Altafiber, where a spokesman told us that at this time "there are no plans to bring these channels back."
Whatever you decide to do, don't waste your money.
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