News Corp.'s Fox pulled its channels off Cablevision early Saturday after the companies' programming deal expired and negotiations for a new one stalled, AP reported. The move puts the baseball
playoffs for some 3 million Cablevision subscribers in New York and Philadelphia in jeopardy. Subscribers also lose access to cable channels Fox Business Network, NatGeo Wild and Fox Deportes.
Cablevision Systems Corp. has said News Corp.'s Fox is making "outrageous fee demands"; Fox called for arbitration but did not dispute the claim.
These Disputes could very well be the things that will cause Pay TV to decline in the US. The Economy is still in bad shape, and many people I know are talking about dropping their subscriptions to Cable or Satellite TV and returning to watching over-the-air TV only. These disputes will cause prices to rise, which of course will be passed on to subscribers. I see the tipping point approaching, fast!