Viamedia's Antitrust Case Against Comcast Moving Forward

NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Viamedia, the largest independent cable TV ad management company, issued the following statement regarding the Wednesday, February 22, decision in its antitrust suit against Comcast in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division.

As recognized in the Court's November 4, 2016 decision, which was unchanged by the Court's February 22nd decision, Viamedia's antitrust claims for tying and exclusive dealing are moving ahead because Viamedia has plausibly alleged that Comcast is violating federal and state antitrust and tort laws by forcing competing satellite and cable TV providers to deal directly with Comcast if they want to advertise in regional markets.

Viamedia seeks damages of not less than $75 million, which is subject to trebling under the antitrust statute.  Comcast thus faces potential liability in the hundreds of millions of dollars.  The Court has ordered that all discovery and dispositive motions be completed by the end of Q3'17.

"We are pleased the Court issued an accelerated schedule to move our antitrust case forward," said Mark Lieberman, Viamedia president and CEO. "We also understand the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating Comcast's control and behavior in the spot cable advertising market.  Both of these should provide the marketplace protection our industry needs."

About Viamedia
Headquartered in New York City with operational headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky, Viamedia is the largest independent cable TV ad management company for local, regional and national advertising, programmatic and ad tech solutions, responsible for nearly one million spots per day on behalf of over 12,000 advertisers. The company specializes in selling advertising on behalf of 60 U.S. cable and telecommunications service providers, utility companies and municipalities, and employs approximately 380 people across the country. For more information, please visit www.viamediatv.com.

SOURCE Viamedia

Related Links

http://www.viamediatv.com