Expect more fee disputes from local television stations on cable TV lineups. Broadcasters hurt by declining ad revenue are demanding more fees from cable and other subscription TV providers to carry the stations. The providers are resisting, which means more blackouts, like the Cablevision/ABC debacle on Oscar night, looms. Upcoming battles: ABCTime Warner Cable. "There's a lot of money at stake," said Robin Flynn, an analyst at SNL Kagan. "There are a lot more fights coming up." Flynn expects fees for network-owned TV stations and affiliates combined to reach more than $1 billion this year. That's up from …

Six invited companies are expected to place updated offers for MGM by March 19, the newly set deadline on second-round bidding. Still, it may be heavy going for the for-sale studio. "The deeper you dig, the more bad news you get," a participant in the due diligence said. "The numbers just aren't getting any better." The chief problem involves MGM's large but heavily exploited film library, which hasn't been replenished with attractive new titles in years. Those invited to the binding round of bidding include Time Warner, Lionsgate, Liberty Media, Summit Entertainment, Access Industries and Elliott Management. The Lion …

Sony will begin selling 3D TVs in Japan on June 10 and worldwide at about the same time. 3D support and other 3D-compatible home electronics products will also be available to coincide with the television launch. It's a pricey buy: Sony's first two sets, which are 40- and 46-inch models, will come bundled with two pairs of 3D glasses and will cost $3,215+. In July, it will launch six further sets: 52- and 60-inch models that come with 3D glasses and four "3D-ready" models that have 3D circuitry inside the set, but require the purchase of glasses and an infrared …

The NFL has signed a four-year agreement with Verizon Wireless to show live games and highlights on mobile phones in a deal U.S. media pegged at $720 million, though no terms were announced. NFL senior vice president of media strategy Brian Rolapp stated: "Our fans have an insatiable appetite for football and we will be able to keep them connected wherever they are on game day but also throughout the year." The deal makes Verizon the official wireless provider for the NFL and boosts the number of games that can be viewed on mobile devices. Under the agreement, which …

Comcast SportsNet will provide Chicago-area cable subscribers with the ability to stream live Chicago Bulls games on the Internet as part of a test it plans to conduct during the remainder of the current National Basketball League season, beginning March 19. Fans can log onto CSNChicago.com and watch the Bulls play the Cleveland Cavaliers live in HD, provided they are subscribers. Specifically, To further engage Bulls fans, Comcast's online viewers can pause, rewind and fast-forward the game whenever they'd like. Plus, they can access Facebook and Twitter to interact with other Bulls fans while watching, and even participate …

This month, the News Corporation will import a foreign channel the focuses on natural history: Nat Geo Wild. The channel, Nat Geo Wild, will replace the Fox Reality Channel on some cable lineups on March 29. Like its bigger brother, the National Geographic Channel, it will be operated as a joint venture between the News Corporation and National Geographic Ventures. Wild started three years ago in Hong Kong and has since made inroads in more than 50 countries, the two companies say. Its big rival is Discovery's Animal Planet. Fox Reality is available in about 50 million homes, and the …

Sanford Bernstein analyst Michael Nathanson has been upbeat about NBC Universal's competitive position against its peers in the press. But he hasn't mentioned that his brother-in-law is NBCU chief Jeff Zucker. Nathanson was quoted twice last week -- in a Sanford Bernstein colleague's research report and in a New York Times article -- promoting NBCU's worth without disclosing his family ties. In a recent research report on Comcast written by colleague Craig Moffett, Nathanson said, "NBCU's portfolio of channels is likely somewhat underpriced relative to peers, which could provide additional support for solid price increases during negotiations." In a …

John King, CNN's chief national correspondent, has a new CNN show: "John King, USA." It debuts on March 22. King worked for AP prior to CNN -- often writing stories that appeared without bylines. In 2009, King was handed the reins of the CNN Sunday political program "State of the Union." He made it a point to report from all 50 states to show how decisions in Washington were affecting everyday Americans. So, as the network grappled with what to name his new 7 p.m. ET show, it became clear simplicity is often the most powerful message. "The …

New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. has said he doesn't know how much longer a printed version of the paper will exist and likened the medium to the Titanic. But could the paper of record have a future in video news, filling a void left as TV networks downsize their news departments? Later this spring, the paper will launch a daily Webcast, according to sources. The show, which could debut as soon as a month from now, will be produced on the fourth floor of the Times' and air around lunchtime EST, when consumption of online video …

Although MTV makes extensive use of online social networking tools, it's not likely to acquire them, according to Van Toffler, president of MTV Networks Music and Logo Group. He says if social networks are free, it doesn't make sense to spend a lot of money to buy them. MTV, he said at an industry event, is a content company. However, MTV has shifted the tone of its programming to be less cynical and snarky and more inspirational and aspirational, Toffler said. That plays to what the network's millennial viewers want. Less rebellious than their Gen-X forebears, "they …