• TV Week, Tuesday, April 18, 2006 11:33 AM

Michele Greppi of TVWeek.com does a nice job of summarizing what for television affiliates is not a very pretty picture. Their long-held exclusivity arrangements are now essentially gone. Programming that could be seen on their air and their air alone is rapidly becoming available, often at no charge, on the Web--which, among other things, offers audiences total time-shifting freedom. Each of the major networks has lately announced deals to make shows viewable on the Web, and while only Fox has said it will share revenues from any on-demand extensions of its programming (with CBS likely to follow), the fact of the matter is that affils are seeing their exclusivity arrangements slip away and with little or no reward as part of the bargain. It's a new day. Writes Greppi: "Stations' participation in the profits from prime-time shows being available on-demand does not change the undeniable fact that by making shows available via any distribution means other than affiliates, the local stations lose the clout that comes with being able to offer viewers and advertisers something no one else can."

Read the whole story at TV Week »