Posted on 12/18/2009 2:46:05 PM PST by Zakeet
News Corp warned that testy carriage negotiations with Time Warner Cable Inc could leave viewers unable to see programing from its Fox broadcast network, including it blockbuster hit "American Idol" and NFL football.
Negotiations between the two sides have been primarily held up by a disagreement over the value of Fox's free-to-air broadcast network. Fox is asking Time Warner Cable for around $1 a subscriber in payment for the retransmission rights to carry its network, according to a person familiar with the talks.
Time Warner Cable executives have balked at paying that much and have claimed that negotiations with broadcast companies like Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc and Local TV which carry local affiliate stations are in the 25 cents to 50 cents a subscriber range.
CBS Corp CEO Les Moonves, who has been a very vocal supporter of getting pay-TV providers to pay cash for the right to carry his broadcast network, has publicly said he expects his company to be paid around 50 cents a subscriber.
Fox said it has for the past nine months attempted to "negotiate in good faith" with Time Warner Cable, the No. 2 U.S. cable operator, which serves some 14 million customers, and said those talks are ongoing.
But there is a "very likely possibility that Time Warner Cable may choose to no longer carry Fox Broadcasting, Fox Cable and Fox regional sports programing," Fox said.
The negotiations do not include Fox's news channels or National Geographic channel in which it has a 50 percent stake.
Executives at Time Warner Cable will be hoping to reach an agreement ahead of January 12, when the new season of hugely popular "American Idol" returns to air.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
I dumped them a long time ago.
Well, goodbye Time Warner...idiots...
Oh man. I have been happy with Roadrunner Internet. Nice bundle. But DirecTV does a better TV job I think, wonder if I can still keep the internet?
what date does the current agreement end?
they raised internet another 2 dollars a month which makes it now almost 50.00 a month when it used to be 43.00 back in 2006. I am likely going back to dsl.
TWC is the main provider in NYC (Manhattan). I wan’t them to tell their subscribers that you can’t watch the NYGiants this or next Sunday...
That does it! I’m switching
The funny part is that Time Warner will be the ones who suffer as they loose a TON of subscribers if they drop FOX.
And Time Warner Cable will find itself getting dumped by millions of subscribers.
*lose — geesh where is my head today?
Ummm... I think FOX may be the bad guy in this one.
FOX wants to charge them $1 per subscriber for their FREE, OVER-THE-AIR local channel. FOX charges other cable companies about 25 cents per subscriber.
FOX is demanding 4 times as much as they have in the past (and who do you think will pay that in increased cable bills?)
And Time Warner Cable will find itself getting dumped by millions of subscribers.
You definitely want to short this stock if this is the case. It is funny how these liberal corporations are just imploding.
I will dump Time Warner.
Time to dump Time Warner.
How convienient, being right at the START of the 2010 election season and before Obamassiah’s 2012 re-election.
And surprise of surprises...they wished me a Merry Christmas...not happy holidays. They have my money for the foreseeable future.
I think you’re right. I don’t like losing a major network (and it won’t happen; this “threat” comes around every year and resolves itself), but there isn’t a thing I watch on Fox anyway.
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