Rypro 525

this is fucking nuts. ive been following this but i didn't think they'd actually do it
from USAToday.com
CBS said Friday afternoon that it has failed to reach an agreement with Time Warner Cable by their Friday, 5 p.m. deadline and the cable company has dropped the No. 1 primetime network in key markets.

"Effective 5:00 PM Eastern Time, Time Warner Cable has dropped CBS in New York City, Los Angeles, Dallas and several other markets. We deeply regret this ill-advised action, which is injurious not only to our many affected viewers, but also to Time Warner Cable itself," said CBS, in a statement.

"We agreed to an extension on Tuesday morning with the expectation that we would engage in a meaningful negotiation with CBS," Time Warner Cable said in its statement. "Since then, CBS has refused to have a productive discussion. It's become clear that no matter how much time we give them, they're not willing to come to reasonable terms."

The companies are seeking to extend their contract for retransmission fees, the money that cable and satellite TV providers pay TV station owners for the right to carry their signals. The contract expired at the end of June but the network was kept on the cable company's lineup as the talks continued. They've set numerous deadlines in the last month that were continuously delayed.

Without a contract in place, the companies have said, the network would be dropped for TWC customers in eight markets nationwide. It'll particularly affect three major cities where TWC is the dominant pay-TV provider and CBS owns its local network station — New York, Los Angeles and Dallas.

The contract only involves TV stations owned by New York-based CBS Corp. CBS-affiliate stations owned by other broadcasting companies — even if they're in TWC service areas — are not affected by the negotiations.

RBC Capital Markets, an investment bank, estimates CBS gets paid about 88 cents per cable subscriber per month for retransmission rights.

TWC has said CBS wants to raise the fee as much as 600%, though it says that figure is based on an average fee it pays for all CBS stations in service areas.

The following eight CBS-owned stations are part of the negotiations. They include stations airing CBS or CW network programming and independent (Ind) stations:

* New York: WCBS and WLNY (Ind)
* Los Angeles: KCBS and KCAL (Ind)
* Dallas: KTVT-CBS and KTXA (Ind)
* Boston: WBZ-CBS and WSBK (Ind)
* Pittsburgh: KDKA-CBS and WPCW-CW
* Chicago: WBBM-CBS
* Detroit: WKBD-CW
* Denver: KCNC-CBS

DJariya

This happens all the time. It will eventually get resolved.

I have Directv and FOX/Viacom had transmission disputes with them in the last 2 years and they were eventually resolved within a month.

In regards to losing Showtime, it sucks that TWC subscribers who have it may not be able to see Dexter/Ray Donovan on Sunday. But with On Demand, constant re-airs, they can be watched anytime.

JeffTheAlpaca

I have not watched any shows on CBS since Nash Bridges so not really a big deal.

rw2516

I thought cable companies were required by law to carry local channels.

DJariya

Uhhh, it's a big deal for a lot of people. CBS shows during the Fall/Spring are among the highest rated shows on TV. Fortunately this blackout is happening during the summer when the only scripted show is Under the Dome along with their summer reality show Big Brother. So new programming is light on CBS right now.

TheKing

My mother is furious over this, as she watches CBS more than probably any other channel. So if this goes on past the weekend, she'll start missing her Young And The Restless. I'm gonna go over and set up an antenna/converter box for her, but she'll still be pissed.

TheKing

This was before the laws were changed to allow the local channels to charge for their transmissions.

As much as I'd love to say this is greed vs. greed and we the consumers get stuck in the middle, I have to side with Time Warner here.

There is just something inherently wrong with CBS charging Time Warner for something that they give away for free to the public.

fumanstan

Have local channels ever been dropped like this before? I'm sure it will get settled, but it seems pretty crazy to me.

DJariya

FOX had a similar dispute with Directv 2 years ago. They were threatening to pull FX in the middle of Sons of Anarchy and American Horror Story seasons, along with the FOX network and all the FOX Sports RSN's. But, it was resolved before the plug was pulled.

Superman07

Didn't TWC already endorse the NYC start up that is rebroadcasting OTA content? Aero - https://aereo.com/

Kdogg

I really, really, really hate Time Warner yet I also have to side with them. The funny thing is TWC points people affected by the blackout to CBS's website for the shows instead of telling them to put up an antenna.

fumanstan

Ah, I don't recall it involving the actual local FOX station, just the cable networks...

DJariya

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...etworks-251568

Yup, you're right. Just checked. It was just cable. Broadcast was not affected in that dispute.

TheKing

There was a famous dispute back in 2000, involving ABC in New York and Time Warner. ABC was off the air in NY for an extended period, and I remember SNL did a sketch about it.

The big difference between this one and the current one was that the 2000 dispute took place in May, right during sweeps.

EDIT: Here's a transcript of the sketch, as I can't find the actual video clip:

http://snltranscripts.jt.org/99/99rmillionaire.phtml

But here's a little nugget:

DISNEY HAS TAKEN ABC AWAY FROM YOU

Disney has once again decided to punish Time Warner cable customers by cancelling ABC. In response, we at Time Warner will construct a gigantic Mickey Mouse and piss all over it. Screw you, Disney. You may own ABC, but we've got a little company maybe you've heard of called AOL? And kudos for basing your entire primetime schedule on a f**king game show.

valkyrie

Best thing you can do is call and complain to TWC. Ask them for credits for each day the outage continues. Everyone starts playing nice when it costs them money. (That's how I always handle the DTV conflicts like this).

Ranger

Ha, that SNL transcript was great, thanks. Needed a laugh after a long week. LOl'd at the

DJariya

I just checked,

I have TWC for Internet and CBS.com full episodes and full episodes on the CBS IPad app are blocked.

stingermck

Same here, just got this on my computer:

PhantomStranger

This is always posturing on both sides to negotiate favorable licensing terms.

MarineCorps

In the end CBS will get the higher fees it wanted and TWC will pass the bill onto the customer.

mhg83

It's times like these i'm glad I still kept my antenna hooked up along with satellite.

Josh-da-man

Total dick move on CBS's part.

Jcheckel

Yep, this move makes them look horrible. They claim to be the victims in this, but this makes them look like the bullies.

JeffTheAlpaca

So true lol

Dragon Tattoo

All those geriatrics who care about this might have a palpitation if this isn't solved soon.