Here we go again. Another television provider is threatening to drop another station, but this new battle is bigger than past fights. It involves CBS and Time Warner Cable and could result in TWC subscribers in New York, Los Angeles and other major markets losing CBS.
The two sides are locked in a battle over retransmission fees and if it isn’t solved by July 24, CBS-owned local TV stations may disappear for TWC subscribers, notes Variety. They are still negotiating, but the battle has now gone public as they each start a campaign against the other.
CBS has never gone dark because of a contract dispute, but its desire to see retransmission fees double from last year may drive it to do just that in this case. “Time Warner Cable is holding your favorite shows hostage,” the network said in a new ad on KeepCBS.com, which ushers viewers to contact TWC.
According to The Los Angeles Times, for its part, TWC claims that CBS is trying to drive up the cost of television. “CBS is driving up the cost of cable TV – charging higher and higher prices for shows they give away for free online and over the air,” one of its ads say.
TWC claims that CBS is looking for a 600 percent premium for its shows. “It's unreasonable to expect our subscribers and Time Warner Cable to pay that price, and we are negotiating very hard for a reasonable price,” the company said in a statement.
While these distribution battles have become more and more common, this is a big one, since if no deal is reached, 13 CBS-owned stations in eight TWC markets could disappear. These markets include LA, NYC, Dallas, Detroit, Denver, Chicago, Boston and Pittsburgh.
image: CBS