Viacom slapped Cablevision with a lawsuit yesterday aiming to stop the cable operator from providing Viacom channels on its three-month-old in-home iPad application.

The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court, seeks damages and injunctive relief from the James Dolan-led cable firm. Viacom contends that when its TV shows are shown outside of the TV screen, they’re not counted by Nielsen, and as such affect potential ad rates and affiliate fees. Viacom also sells shows through iTunes, Hulu and Netflix.

Cablevision meanwhile argues that it is within its rights to deliver Viacom’s networks to other screens in the home.