Where's FiOS?

The ongoing contract dispute that has left more than 3M Cablevision subscribers without their beloved Food Network and HGTV has been playing out since the New Year. Each company is trying to pin blame and public outrage on the other. Cablevision is running this message to viewers on the networks' former homes and has launched this page on its site to spin the story in its favor. Scripps (owner of Food & HGTV) has taken it a step further and launched two new microsites (ILoveFoodNetwork & ILoveHGTV) allowing angry viewers a platform to vent, organize, and send letters to Cablevision demanding a resolution. And in a brilliant ploy, they've launched a paid search campaign to capture the hearts & minds of confused viewers who rush to Google to find out what happen to their favorite networks (see above).

Of course, this is all just one example of the fee disputes that are going to wage between cable & content providers in the coming months (FOX just went through a recent standoff with Time Warner). Interestingly, Cablevision subscribers can still use their Cablevision-provided internet subscriptions to watch full episodes of their favorite shows on the Food Network & HGTV sites.

But the real question is where was Verizon FiOS hiding in all of this? Scripps was right on target by launching a paid search campaign to reach & inform their viewers. But what a missed opportunity by FiOS to capture some of the anger and let Cablevision users know that they have another option.