Everyone's happy that DirecTV and Viacom finally worked out their problems late this week, but it looks like one of the byproducts of that new deal is that online access to TV shows could become more difficult in the future for those who aren't paid subscribers.

According to media reporter Brian Stetler in today's The New York Times, the deal means that Viacom-owned shows like "Jersey Shore," which airs on MTV, will become more accessible online for DirecTV subscribers through a sign-in system. (HBO offers a similar model for its subscribers called HBO GO, which has customers sign in through their cable or satellite provider.)

The Times article says, "free access to people who don't subscribe to DirecTV or another similar distributor is likely to become more restrictive, thereby fortifying the existing model of TV distribution."

Nothing has changed yet, but analysts believe that's the way things could be headed.

From NYT: "The disruptive role of online video will almost surely rear its head again in negotiations between DirecTV and CBS later this year, and in other such contract negotiations."

There's much more in the full article, which is definitely worth checking out.

As of today, Triangle area Time Warner Cable digital cable customers should notice some changes when they sit down to watch their favorite shows -- an upgraded on-screen viewing guide.

The upgrade took place automatically overnight last night.

Time Warner Cable says the upgrade will make it easier for customers to search for On Demand content or use digital TV features like Start Over, which lets you start a program over at the beginning, and Look Back, which lets you go back three days to watch a program you missed but didn't record.

Other upgrades: The "A" button on the remote now brings up "Find Channels," which lets you find channels by category (sports, news, movies, etc); the "B" button still calls up the search function, but TWC says the search screen is now more intuitive.

For more information about the new guide, visit the Time Warner Cable site.

Among the signs of a new year: a ball (or acorn) dropping, champagne popping and TV titans fighting.

Television broadcasters and pay-TV providers are increasingly at odds over programming fees. With many contracts tied to the calendar year, those disputes tend to flare up as Jan. 1 approaches.

This year's edition pits Time Warner Cable, the Triangle's dominant pay-TV provider, against Sinclair Broadcasting, which owns WLFL, or CW22, and WRDC, or MyRDC. Both sides are warning customers of blackouts when their contract expires at midnight on Dec. 31.

An extended blackout could disrupt fans of popular CW shows such as the Vampire Diaries, Nikita, 90210 and Gossip Girl, left.

Shares of Time Warner Cable rose today after the Triangle's largest pay-TV provider reported stronger financial results and announced plans to buy back $4 billion of its stock.

The company is selling more services to its existing customers, helping offset the loss of some cable-TV subscribers.

Nationally, Time Warner Cable added 104,000 broadband subscribers, but lost 155,000 video subscribers. The company blamed increasing competition from phone and satellite TV providers, and the economy.

CEO Glenn Britt said the company is considering a "value" cable-TV package to win back some of the budget-focused households it's losing.

The fight between the Triangle's cable-TV provider and Walt Disney, the owner of ESPN, ABC 11 and other channels, is coming down to the wire.

Time Warner Cable and Disney officials have been in negotiations for months, but haven't agreed to terms of a new contract. If they don't reach a deal by Wednesday, the spat could lead to blackouts for millions of cable subscribers across the country -- just in time for football season and the new fall-TV lineup.

In today's News & Observer, Time Warner Cable ran a full-page ad blaming Disney for the blackout threat.

Congress: "No healthcare? Take a hike, you dirty, rotten so-and-so! No baseball on TV?! Oh my goodness, we have to do something!"

It seems members of Congress are joining in a bipartisan effort to end a dispute that hits us where we live and breathe: keeping MLB games on cable TV. Get the details from our friends at Under the Dome.

We're not endorsing the notion that you should cancel your cable or satellite service (or that you should purchase cable or satellite if you don't already have it). But a Happiness reader (thanks, Jake) tipped us off to this website, which explains how you can see your favorite shows -- legally! -- without paying for cable. And we're all about more ways to watch TV shows (our favorite way is Hulu).

We definitely like it, but here's why we don't love it: