Viacom CEO lashes out against Apple TV’s 99 cent system

Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman recently criticized the Apple TV set-top box by saying the platform and its 99-cent TV episodes don’t offer anything significant for content holders to be excited about.

In addition to Viacom, it appears CBS and NBC Universal also seem rather pessimistic regarding the new Apple TV device. ABC and Fox will include content for rent through Apple TV, but other movie studios and broadcasters are doubtful.

“We don’t think that works for us. We don’t think that works for the industry. It’s not a good price point,” Dauman said during a recent investor meeting. “And for that reason we are not supplying our programming to [Apple TV].”  “We are happy to distribute our content to consumers wherever they want it through channels that will reflect the value of the content. We don’t think Apple has it quite right yet.”

The new $99 Apple TV was announced to little fanfare, as the struggling device will face numerous competitors and also lacks 1080p high-definition support. The set-top box industry has numerous competitors entering the market, with Google and others also joining the scene.

Most recently, Roku launched three new HD Internet video players to its growing catalog of set-top boxes.

Viacom’s criticism of Apple isn’t a big surprise since the two sides have had numerous disagreements regarding royalties and online distribution in the past.  The Netflix agreement with Epix, a pay TV channel that includes Viacom’s involvement, will be shaking up the industry by providing even more streaming content to the all-you-can-eat Netflix instant viewing customers.

As consumers begin to learn what content is available through online means, advertisers and content owners are trying to create custom agreements with providers. Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Roku, Netflix, and several other companies have become entrenched in the streaming industry, while others are attempting to quickly migrate into the market.