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 ...
Perhaps, but they’ve got the ratings to back up their demand. The other networks cannot say the same. People don’t need to have cable to get FOX’s local free programming, what Time Warner is being asked to pay for is the right to re-broadcast FOX’s programming via their service.
You’re right that this will probably be used by TWC to up their subscriber fees, or it may decide to push the FOX broadcasts up a notch on their “basic/premium” ladder, however, this is business and that’s the way it goes, frankly — there is no “bad guy” in this.
FOX has worked hard as a network to provide quality programming, and is facing a lot of pressure right now from outside groups, incl. the gov’t. - they have a right to be paid for the programming THEY provide. If they didn’t have numbers to back this up, they wouldn’t be asking for it in the first place.
LOL! :)
You can. I have DirecTV and roadrunner. In my experience, Time Warner Cable keeps raising prices with an annoying frequency.
Don’t have them and would never have them.
I love my satellite service.
Does that Magic Jack thing really work online? Can we really make phone calls that way?
Does the $1 include Fox local broadcast AND the cable network? If so, where’s the beef? It’s the most watched cable news network and the broadcast stations have the NFL, NASCAR in the Spring, American Idol and 24.
Dish and DirecTV may see their subscribers go up, not to mention ATT Uverse TV, which I understand from some people is pretty good.
just pay them $5 less per month
Folks...pull your heads out...this is the art of negotiation ..don’t get your panties in a wad one way of the other. It’s called capitalism...a dying art in America, unfortunately.
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.
How much do ABC, CBS and NBC charge Time-Warner per subscriber? That's the only valid comparison. And I'd bet it is at least $1 per subscriber.
For many years, Fox has lived with a lower rate of remuneration, because they were in the process of building their audience and expanding distribution.
Fox is now in a position to capitalize on the groundwork they've laid with superior programming that has captured a higher share of audience. They are perfectly within their business rights to demand compensation equivalent to -- if not greater than -- the other networks.
In the end, Times-Warner dare not drop any of the Fox programming.
I have Roadrunner internet from TWC and Dish satellite.
I question why there is advertising on cable channels at all? I PAY to watch these channels so why do I have to endure pointless commercials? I also pay sirius radio and don’t have to endure ads there.
Retransmission agreements are an extra charge to the cable provider. The cable provider will just raise everybody’s rate.
I have dish network basic package which is mostly not worth watching but I live too far away for an antenna. The local cable provider charges about $70 per month for their “basic digital” package which is 70 channels with 22 shopping or church channels, 15 music channels - what a joke.
And I disagree with retransmission agreements. It is free over the air so why charge the cable company to carry it?
I don’t have Time Warner, but it wouldn’t take much for me to dump cable TV altogether and go to a subscription only model, watching what I want to see on Hulu and downloading other programming from online outlets like Microsoft or Amazon.
It works well -- so long as you are not using up bandwidth with other online items at the same time. If you do, you may get a bad echo.
It is well worth the $20 for the device and $20 a yeaar. Super easy to hook up and you get your own local phone number with voicemail (which emails your voicemail messages to you if you want).
Forgive the stupid question but just how do you short a stock?
Sneak up behind it, grab the waist band and pull up hard.
Here you go:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_%28finance%29
$40... thats worth a shot.
Let’s see. Fox is the channel of Oprah, American Idol, House MD, Simpson, So You Think You Can Dance, 24, and other shows. Who is stupid enough to drop a bunch of shows that dominated the ‘air waves’ through out the year?
I wonder if this is why Fox muzzled its talk show hosts on Obama’s birth certificate and natural born status.
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