Comments on: Time Warner vs. Fox: Here We Go Again

By: How Online Video Affects the Time Warner Cable-Disney Retrans Spat | Hector Alvarez

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:45:32 +0000

[...] back its “Roll Over or Get Tough” marketing campaign, which it originally launched during its retrans spat with Fox at the end of last year. Disney, meanwhile, is reminding consumers they could always switch [...]

By: Is Online Video to Blame for the Time Warner Cable-Disney Retrans Spat?

Is Online Video to Blame for the Time Warner Cable-Disney Retrans Spat? — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:12:58 +0000

By: Time Warner Cable Threatens to ‘Get Tough’ Again

Time Warner Cable Threatens to ‘Get Tough’ Again — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:31:54 +0000

[...] Over or Get Tough” was first launched last winter, in the midst of Time Warner Cable’s retransmission standoff with Fox. But the marketing campaign, which is designed to educate consumers about where their cable dollars [...]

By: Cablevision and ABC Reach Deal During Academy Awards

Cablevision and ABC Reach Deal During Academy Awards — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:17:58 +0000

[...] like this one have become fairly common as broadcasters are trying to find new sources of revenue. Time Warner Cable squabbled with Fox during the recent holiday season, and earlier this year Scripps Network pulled its HGTV and Food [...]

By: ABC Threatens to Pull the Plug on Cablevision

ABC Threatens to Pull the Plug on Cablevision — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:08:37 +0000

[...] unlikely to result in subscribers’ screens going blank. As we saw with the standoff between Time Warner Cable and Fox earlier this year, and Time Warner Cable and Viacom the year before, such brinksmanship usually [...]

By: Could Retrans Fees Save the Broadcast Industry?

Could Retrans Fees Save the Broadcast Industry? — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 16:22:21 +0000

[...] Retrans Fees Save the Broadcast Industry? The fight over retransmission fees between Fox and Time Warner Cable last week highlights an increasingly contentious relationship [...]

By: Lory

Lory — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 21:10:02 +0000

If FOX, NBC, and CBS are broadcasting over the air for FREE. It makes no sense to charge TW for rebroadcasting their signal. TW is doing them a favor by rebroadcasting. Those channels earn money through COMMERCIALS. I'll pay $1/month for FOX if they cut out all the commercials and give me on demand on all their shows.

If TW drops FOX I would just use my HD entenna to watch FOX sports. BUT that would mean my FOX viewing would drop significantly because of the hassle.

No cable user is going to choose FOX and those other crappy networks over all the programming cable offers.

By: INTJ

INTJ — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 05:51:06 +0000

I am no fan of TimeWarner, but it makes no sense to me for broadcasters charging someone to carry a signal they broadcast (hence the name) for free, especially when it only serves to carry that signal to more of their customers. For this once, I am on TWC's side, which is in and of itself quite a feat.

By: David

David — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 03:15:15 +0000

ABC, CBS & NBC all plan on charging cable rebroadcasters for their service. CBS will likely bundle their local stations with other Viacom stations and the same will happen with the others. Really if you wanted to get the stations over the air wouldn't you have an antenna? I haven't seen a new one in use in years. With the greed evident on both sides I hope they come to a reasonable compensation so we the consumers don't get hammered when the others follow suit.

By: The Fox vs. Time Warner Spat Takes a Turn for the Insane

The Fox vs. Time Warner Spat Takes a Turn for the Insane — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:24:28 +0000

[...] Turn for the Insane We’re not just counting down to the ball dropping tonight, but also Fox channels disappearing off some Time Warner Cable users’ TVs, if the two companies can’t agree on fees for [...]

By: Richie

Richie — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 23:41:03 +0000

Seems to me Fox was a local rerun station a few years back. Now they air a few good shows & are now trying to force people to pay extra to view their over the airwaves network, an unprecidented stance. Fine, but, then, drop the commercials, if that's what you want. Compete with HBO if you feel you're on a par but don't, under any circumstances, give me an ultimatum. Remember, Fox's signal is broadcast over the airwaves, very easy to receive. Personally, I'm no fan of TWC but I'm not too impressed with Fox's programming either. If we allow Fox to reach into our pockets, ABC, NBC CBS will surely follow & once they're helping themselves it will be difficult to make them stop.

By: Fox vs. Time Warner: What to Do When Your Screen Turns Black

Fox vs. Time Warner: What to Do When Your Screen Turns Black — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 22:33:49 +0000

[...] Corp. and Time Warner are in a stand-off about licensing fees for the right to carry Fox programming on Time Warner’s cable network. Fox wants a dollar per [...]

By: zach

zach — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:30:01 +0000

I don't get why these companies think we carec so much about their programs specifically. Their stubborness

By: Patrick

Patrick — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:13:03 +0000

Back in 2000, ABC/Disney threatened to pull Channel 7 from the Time Warner cable system in New York City unless they agreed to air the then-fledgling channel SoapNet. I don't think anything ever got yanked, as an agreement was worked out at the last minute, and now TWC has SoapNet. I don't know if anyone watches SoapNet, however. And, since soaps seem to be dying off, that channel now airs silly reality shows, like "Bank of Mom and Dad."

By: HZ

HZ — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:01:26 +0000

Krystie and BMo, cable providers aren't considered monopolies; they are utilities like the electric and phone companies and operate under authority from the local municipality. I know of several apartment complexes in central Florida that use satellite as a media provider. If the majority of your neighbors are as sick of cable as you are maybe your landlord would consider switching the whole complex over to satellite. That's not a short term solution as the cable contract would have to expire (if there is one) and the satellite company would probably want a ten year contract with the complex because the change over represents a significant investment in equipment for them.

I can't side with TWC/BH because they'll raise rates and provide inadequate service whether they win or not. FOX doesn't get my support either because they traded past rate hikes for deals to make cable companies carry other FOX channels (Fuel, Speed, FX, Foxnews) which weren't yet popular. Now they're trying to recoup those past opportunities in one shot. Also because in the past they promised to pull FOX off of Cox Cable in SE VA because they demanded a lower channel assignment and didn't get it.

I don't recall ABC, CBS, or NBC threatening to pull programming as a negotiation tactic. You have to wonder what it is about FOX that puts them in this position.

By: BMo

BMo — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:52:47 +0000

Krystie, you bring up a good point about the monopoly contracts with the apartments. It makes me wonder if there is anything in those contracts that specify minimum channels, like all local stations, that would cause these contracts to become invalid. You may want to put some pressure on the apt office to check that as well.

Personally, I do not have a choice of providers, as there is no one else covering my area and I do not point south for a satt., but I had to call the apt office to check on contract info. I will be calling the business offices of Verizon and AT&T to let them know that my complex is not contracted. Beyond that, I am already planning moving at the end of my lease, and a requirement of the new place will be, "MUST HAVE SOMETHING OTHER THAN TIME WARNER CABLE!"