Cablevision Reaches Agreement With Fox -- But At What Price?

Cablevision made a deal with Fox Networks over the weekend --- but at an unfair price, according to the New York-area cable operator.

The two-week-long standoff ended over the weekend with Cablevision agreeing to carry WNYW Fox5, WWOR My9, WTXF Fox29, Fox Deportes, Fox Business Network, and Nat Geo Wild. It allowed New York area viewers to see game three of the World Series.

Terms were not disclosed -- but Cablevision wasn't happy with the deal it made.

In a company statement, Cablevision said: "In the absence of any meaningful action from the FCC, Cablevision has agreed to pay Fox an unfair price for multiple channels of its programming including many in which our customers have little or no interest. Cablevision conceded because it does not think its customers should any longer be denied the Fox programs they wish to see.

Cablevision thanks its customers for understanding the reasons for the dispute and for staying with us. We are also grateful to the 175 government leaders who raised their voices to urge government intervention and binding arbitration to prevent this blackout. It is clear the retransmission consent system is badly broken and needs to be fixed.

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In the end, our customers will pay more than they should for Fox programming, but less than they would have if we had accepted the unprecedented rates that News Corp. was demanding when they pulled their channels off Cablevision."

Analysts say Fox had been looking for as much as $1 per subscriber per month. Other broadcast networks stations had been targeting 50 cents a month and more for their current retransmission deals with cable operators.

2 comments about "Cablevision Reaches Agreement With Fox -- But At What Price?".
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  1. Charlie Stogner from StogTv, November 1, 2010 at 8:59 a.m.

    I agree with the cable companies they should not have to purchase programming they don't think their subscribers want to have to pay for.

    Yet on the other hand, the cable operators have no problem with either making "leased access" programmers pay the maximum FCC allowable rate for cable carriage and/or placing us on the lesser subscribed to digital channels, when most of the programming is of a type to attract and retain subscribers.

    The programmers are going to drive cable costs to a level subscribers will pass. Is free 'over the air' going to make a return, especially coupled with Internet delivered video fare or is cable going to begin welcoming 'leased access'?

  2. Jeff Block from KGTV, November 1, 2010 at 12:40 p.m.

    Wayne,

    where's the balance? Cablevision claims "unfair" and you report that without Fox's response?

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