Time Warner's battle with Fox (followed by Cablevision's w/ABC) (1 Viewer)

[Adam Lenhardt]

Am I the only one who hopes Time Warner actually stands their ground? I have an antenna and an A-B switch from Home Depot, so Fox is particularly difficult to bring in. Time Warner's rates already went up this year with no new content, so nobody needs another dollar tacked on each month for a channel they can get free in uncompressed HD over the air.

 

[TravisR]

I'd be flabbergasted if Time Warner doesn't cave by the time that American Idol comes back.

 

[LynxFX]

BTW, anyone with Time Warner broadband, you will be blocked from viewing Fox programming online as well. No hulu, or Fox network sites will work. Similar to blocking other countries from viewing content not licensed. I personally find it the most ridiculous thing anyone could ever do.

 

[mattCR]

Extension granted while they continue to negotiate.. (who didn't see that coming)

http://www.deadline.com/hollywood/how-likely-is-a-fox-blackout-on-time-warner-cable-check-back-after-midnight/

 

[Michael Reuben]

Originally Posted by Adam Lenhardt

Am I the only one who hopes Time Warner actually stands their ground? I have an antenna and an A-B switch from Home Depot, so Fox is particularly difficult to bring in. Time Warner's rates already went up this year with no new content, so nobody needs another dollar tacked on each month for a channel they can get free in uncompressed HD over the air.

I'm no fan of TW Cable -- quite the opposite -- but there are literally millions of TWC subscribers who can't get Fox OTA.

 

[cajunhillbilly]

I plan to drop Time Warner in May when my contract is up and just get a converter box.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I'm surprised that the FCC hasn't stepped in on this, to be honest. News Corp. would have no problem pulling their cable stations, but the Fox network is covered under must-carry rules since its OTA. If Fox won't give TWC the signal, how is TWC supposed to meet its obligations under the basic tier?

 

[mattCR]

Fox has a lot of areas where there are no OTA stations. So, the issue is that for a few million homes, that contention isn't real..

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

New York Times: Time Warner and Fox Reach Deal for Cable Distribution

 

[Mike Frezon]

Thanks for the link, Adam.

I made the move from T-W Cable to Dish Network one year ago ($$$ reasons) but have been following the issue because it's going to be affect the entire industry.

I thought THIS AP STORY did a nice job this past week in explaining some of the overarching issues involved in a quickly changing industry.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I think in a few years the US government is going to have to decide whether to step in to preserve free OTA television. If Fox ended up getting close to the $1 per subscriber it was looking for, it won't be long until all of the networks switch to a cable model. That's going to mean, among other things, the death of the affiliate system and ultimately the end of OTA broadcasts. The digital transition hastened the trend by dumping a significant chunk of antenna audience virtually over night. If this recession has shown us anything, it's that many people will cut back on food and heat before they drop subscription TV.

 

[DaveF]

I've not followed this issue, but when does ignorance stop me?

My concern, as an OTA HDTV viewer, is that broadcast TV will be eliminated, forcing me to pay $70/mo for HD television.

This is a tough topic to discuss without involving politics, as politics is foundational to how broadcast and cable TV operates. And so the solutions lie with politics. If OTA TV is to go away, I think it's necessary to substantially change the cable TV landscape. This might require elminating local monopolies; forcing greater technological openness so that e.g, Tivo can fully operate in place of cable co DVR; and even setting price caps on what can be paid to networks for distributing their content. Net Neutrality is also a very important matter here -- note the comment that TW would not simply drop FOX TV but actively block internet access to FOX sites.

I can see a future without broadcast television -- I'm forced to recognize I'm in the minority in TV watching habits. But I fear that it would happen without necessary changes and reforms, and be even more anti-consumer than the current systems.

 

[LynxFX]

It wasn't that TW was going to block Fox sites, it was Fox that was going to block TW broadband customers from viewing their video content online. It was in response to TW running ads and making a how-to video on where to get the content online if the channels did go dark. Absolutely ridiculous in my mind and I agree, it revealed a scary future with concerns about net neutrality.

Originally Posted by DaveF
Net Neutrality is also a very important matter here -- note the comment that TW would not simply drop FOX TV but actively block internet access to FOX sites.

What Fox did is going to change cable and satellite television contracts. The next broadcast network up for renewal is either CBS or ABC in six months. I can't remember which. Fox laid the groundwork for all them to get their piece of the subscriber pie and we'll probably see more threatened blackouts or intense negotiations.

 

[DaveF]

Interestinger and interestinger...

Can a Network simply quit broadcasting over the public airwaves? There are some requirements levied on them as a consequence of using "public" frequencies. But does it go the other way: are they required to broadcast publicly?

If Fox wins over TW, the cable landscape is changed. But can Fox quit the public broadcasting?

If Fox loses to TW, the cable landscape may also be changed. But then Fox doesn't want to quit public broadcasting.

 

[Charlie Campisi]

Dave, after watching how long it took for the country to go digital with broadcast tv, the numerous extensions, the coupons for boxes, etc., do you really think the government would let the airwaves go dark? Not in my or my unborn grandkids' lifetimes.

 

[ThomasC]

I don't think the airwaves would go dark. I think local stations could survive on broadcasting local news (which is how the affiliates make the majority of their money) and syndicated shows. Plus, there would still be PBS. Maybe they would start doing local news as well, using reporters from an affiliate that was shut down? They run commercials too, just not during programs.

 

[Michael Reuben]

And now the latest installment: ABC/Disney is threatening to cut off Cablevision in the NY area.

http://www.etonline.com/news/2010/03/84573/

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/03/business/media/03cable.html

 

[Michael Reuben]

Time Warner wasted no time hopping on this bandwagon. The following was sent to their New York subscribers this weekend:

ABC: Not at risk... yet As you may have heard, ABC has threatened to pull its signal from all Cablevision customers in the New York City area unless a new agreement is reached before March 7, 2010. WE WANT TO ASSURE YOU THAT AS A TIME WARNER CABLE CUSTOMER YOU ARE NOT AT RISK. You won’t miss your favorite shows. You won’t miss the Oscars. Unfortunately, however, this current Cablevision versus ABC dispute is another example of what we have to deal with every day. You may remember last fall we had a similar dispute with FOX which was asking for huge rate increases for their programming. And, when we asked you whether we should "roll over or get tough" in our negotiations, more than a million of you logged on to our website and told us overwhelmingly to "get tough." We did. And with your support we will fight programmers who request excessive price increases. We may be just one company but as long as we have our customers behind us we can continue to stand strong against future rate increases. Because we believe that you should always be able to watch the programs you love at a price you can afford, especially in these difficult economic times. Thank you for all that you do and your continued support. Time Warner Cable