Day 6 Of Cablevision-News Corp. Dispute

Blah blah blah three million Cablevision customers in NY, NJ and Pennsylvania remain without News Corp. channels, like WNYW 5, WWOR 9 and Fox News, for a sixth day as the companies have still not reached an agreement on transmission fees. The past few days, the two sides haven't really even held substantive negotiations, and FCC Commissioner Michael Copps said the FCC should "take a very serious look at whether ‘good faith’ negotiations are indeed occurring" and "move promptly to protect consumers" if they are not.

NJ Governor Chris Christie, who criticized Cablevision earlier in the week, said yesterday, "I’ve done everything at this moment that I can do so far by referring it to the Board of Public Utilities. These are two privately held companies. At the end of the day, they’re going to make the decision. But they also are going to suffer the ramifications that come along with it." And a NJ lawmaker sent a letter to Cablevision CEO James Dolan, demanding that Cablevision customers get a refund: State Senator Tom Goodwin (R), "As a Cablevision customer and a lifelong Phillies fan, I am outraged over the pace of these negotiations and the unjust punishment that your customers continue to endure. I appreciate your consideration of my request. I hope your company chooses to do the right thing and reimburse your customers for each day they are being robbed by this continued blackout."

The Cablevision-News Corp. dispute has implications for Comcast's purchase of NBC Universal. The Wrap explains, "Being questioned is an unprecedented tactic Fox employed early in the Cablevision dispute and only for hours -- blocking Cablevision’s internet subscribers from accessing Fox content on Hulu... Dish Network, DirecTV and the American Cable Association on Wednesday wrote FCC chairman Julius Genachowski warning about the tactic and its potential impacts in the $30B Comcast/NBCU deal." The groups said, "Without appropriate safeguards, it is reasonable to assume that Comcast/NBCU would take similar action against non-Comcast broadband subscribers in the event of a dispute because it could increase its leverage in carriage negotiations and encourage subscriber defection to Comcast’s own video and broadband platforms."

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By Jen Chung in News on October 21, 2010 9:14 AM

Comments [rss]

dkj_1958

Cablevision (the Dolans) are a bunch of money hungry butt heads. They have had the same dispute with at least 2 other networks and are now hoping the a-holes in DC are going to get involved. What happened to free enterprise? Let them work it out, hopefully everyone will switch to another provider and the buttheads will be out on their ear.

JacqueMehoff

how about suggest what some posters posted? Get an OTA antenna and be done with it. is that too hard?

NlGGAZ

Dude, that's way TOO Smart and Reasonable for most people. My sister-in-law demands my brother to pay for 100 bucks a month for cable just so she can watch MTV and Bravo. Scripted Television is dying cause gay men and dumb women need their daily dose of the jersey shore, real housewives, and whatever crap reality television is on. I'm like "just youtube that shit" but my sis-in-law needs to know spot on what happened on real housewives. I mean, if you ever watch a reality televison show the bon mots are few and far between and you have to watch at least 30 minutes of inane conversation until you get to that juicy snarky remark or slapdown. Not worth it when the soup will just recap the highlights for you.

Arcturus Kirwin

Wow. Take the stick out of your ass, son.

handsomedevil

+1. that and a netflix sub is all you need.

ADB

I'm sorry... what? NJ Repubs are the only people who think this is Cablevision's fault? Yeah, yeah, I think so.

Remember, the contract dispute here is basically just an issue of renewal. Cablevision has been paying approximately $70MM for transmission fees for these channels, and NewsCorp now wants $150MM for the SAME CHANNELS. There's no additional stuff, no more consideration. Cablevision has apparently been willing to come up a bit in the price, but NewsCorp absolutely will not budge. Knowing they're in the right, Cablevision has suggested binding arbitration, but NewsCorp has refused because they know they won't get anywhere near the extortionist prices they're demanding.

I call bullshit.

Splicer

In a related story, scientists find that IQ scores have risen in NY, NJ and PA over the last six days. Coincidence?

cmdrogogov

Oh the horror! Where will the great unwashed masses get their right wing propaganda and daily doses of cynically directed moral outrage now?!

random transplant

This wasn't meant to be a comment in reply to someone, sorry...

Cable-vision has that big corporate office in Union NJ & their about to own a huge chunk of NBC real estate over in Englewood...

I think the debate itself is amoral & meaningless, but I don't understand why NJ isn't sticking up for a major local employer.

Oh, wait, we're talking about republicans, Fox news, and selling voters short. I understand perfectly.

random transplant

Cable-vision has that big corporate office in Union NJ & their about to own a huge chunk of NBC real estate over in Englewood...

I think the debate itself is amoral & meaningless, but I don't understand why NJ isn't sticking up for a major local employer.

Oh, wait, we're talking about republicans, Fox news, and selling voters short. I understand perfectly.