Cablevision-ABC Feud: Deadline Looms, Millions Of New Yorkers May Miss Academy Awards

[FourScore]

Cablevision-ABC Feud: Deadline Looms, Millions Of New Yorkers May Miss Academy Awards
03/ 6/10 10:19 AM | AP

Cablevision's 3.1 million customers in New York could lose access to the Academy Awards on Sunday if ABC's parent company follows through on a threat to pull the plug at midnight Saturday in a dispute over payments.

The Walt Disney Co. is seeking an additional $40 million a year in new fees, according to Cablevision Systems Corp. spokesman Charles Schueler. He said the company currently pays more than $200 million a year to Disney.

Disney said Cablevision charges customers $18 per month for basic broadcast signals, but does not pass on any payment for ABC to Disney.

The dispute is similar to a standoff at the end of last year between News Corp. and Time Warner Cable over how much Fox television station signals were worth. That tussle, which threatened the college football bowl season and new episodes of "The Simpsons," was resolved without a signal interruption.

Cablevision also feuded with Scripps Networks Interactive Inc. in a January dispute that temporarily forced the Food Network and HGTV off the service. Neither side provided terms of an agreement that restored the channels after three weeks...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/06/cablevisionabc-feud-deadl_n_488767.html

[flvegan]

1. The horror.

I kid. It sucks to be subject to corporate bickering.

[liberal N proud]

2. These things always happen as a big TV event looms

It is almost predictable that as an event looms that potentially could have a large audience, there is a dispute.

If I recall, Time Warner had one at the first of the year, threatening to pull the plug and many would miss the bowl games on News Years day.

[Not Me]

3. You're right, this stuff is getting old...

and in every case, I support the carrier, because the network/cable channel provided is usually trying to carve some out of line payment, tat is granted will be followed by every other network/cable channel

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

4. I'm looking for a site that will be streaming the awards. :(

[Confusious]

5. I never watch the awards

I have better things to do.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

6. Just looked and ABC went dark. Oh well.

[liskddksil]

7. One more reason why we need to regulate the crap out of corporate America nt

[Whoknows44]

8. The Oscars are a joke anyways.....

While they do highlight many good films they also highlight a lot of crap that nobody ever sees. Can't speak for anybody else but I prefer fluff entertainment when I go to the movies as a general rule.

I'd rather watch giant robots or in the case of Avatar, which is nominated, dinosaurs instead of pissy neurotics whining about their life condition. Just my fetish though.