UPDATED 13:30 EDT / JANUARY 04 2010

FOX Vs Time Warner Cable: More Revenues for Fox-Higher Rates for Consumers

image Two giants in the telecommunications industry battle publicly over Retransmission Consent. Both FOX and Time Warner Cable have let cooler heads prevail in their war over money to be doled out in fees to Fox by extending their negotiations beyond the Dec 31, 2009 deadline.

At issue, the Fox owned broadcast networks carried by the Time Warner Cable pipelines. Under Retransmission Consent broadcasters can choose (Must-Carry), where cable operators agree to carry stations throughout the consent period for free, or negotiate for (Advertising) or (Fee-Based) arrangements to solidify carriage. Obviously, Fox has chosen the latter with a proposed $1.00 per month charge per Time Warner Cable subscriber.

image Keep in mind that local Fox Affiliates have agreed to terms with Time Warner Cable, which is significantly lower in compensation than the $1.00 fee proposed by Fox owned stations. Evidently Fox views its owned stations in larger markets to be worth much more than its affiliates in smaller DMA’s.

A $1.00 per sub fee to Time Warner Cable for Fox broadcast stations would mean millions of additional expense added to their bottom lines on a per month basis. How will the cost be absorbed? Traditionally, these costs are passed on to customers in increased monthly fees, and with linear programming configurations taking the heat from consumers, as paying for more than they want, Time Warner Cable does not want to take that inevitable backlash. This is evidenced by Time Warner Cable’s website asking customers where they should draw the line.

With broadcasting revenues on a continuing decline, Retransmission Consent negotiations have become a target for broadcasters like Fox to recoup falling revenues. While content is worth money, where do cable companies draw the line on preventing the rising costs? It would seem monetary negotiations should reflect program ratings on a per market basis, i.e. American Idol, and NFL Giants Games and local programming? What is market demand for this type programming?

Unfortunately, this saga has moved to the public arena with both sides trying to sway public opinion. It has become so public that both Senator John Kerry and FCC Chairman Julian Genachowski have stepped in to cool the situation, which serves to highlight the fight over revenue and costs, and consumers disdain for being caught in the middle. So much for public relations!


A message from John Furrier, co-founder of SiliconANGLE:

Support our open free content by sharing and engaging with our content and community.

Join theCUBE Alumni Trust Network

Where Technology Leaders Connect, Share Intelligence & Create Opportunities

11.4k+  
CUBE Alumni Network
C-level and Technical
Domain Experts
15M+ 
theCUBE
Viewers
Connect with 11,413+ industry leaders from our network of tech and business leaders forming a unique trusted network effect.

SiliconANGLE Media is a recognized leader in digital media innovation serving innovative audiences and brands, bringing together cutting-edge technology, influential content, strategic insights and real-time audience engagement. As the parent company of SiliconANGLE, theCUBE Network, theCUBE Research, CUBE365, theCUBE AI and theCUBE SuperStudios — such as those established in Silicon Valley and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) — SiliconANGLE Media operates at the intersection of media, technology, and AI. .

Founded by tech visionaries John Furrier and Dave Vellante, SiliconANGLE Media has built a powerful ecosystem of industry-leading digital media brands, with a reach of 15+ million elite tech professionals. The company’s new, proprietary theCUBE AI Video cloud is breaking ground in audience interaction, leveraging theCUBEai.com neural network to help technology companies make data-driven decisions and stay at the forefront of industry conversations.