Time Warner Cable subscribers may be cut off from favorite shows

Time Warner Cable subscribers to lose favorite shows

Time Warner Cable may pull the plug on its shows leaving subscribers in many states without access because of a dispute with Sinclair Broadcast Group. The disagreement between the two companies began when Sinclair asked Time Warner Cable for higher fees for broadcast rights but Time Warner balked. Sinclair said that Time Warner has not suggested its counterproposal for a new deal. Time Warner only said that it is still open for more talks to resolve the matter. If a compromise agreement is not worked out by Friday midnight, 33 Sinclair stations, including NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox affiliates in 21 television markets will lose Time Warner Cable programming. Cable providers and broadcast firms have been involved in often bitter disputes over carriage fees. Earlier this year, Cablevision subscribers missed half a month and two games of the World Series because of a spat with Fox.  But as contracts near their expiration dates, most companies have been able to resolve their differences to avoid leaving subscribers in the dark.

News Corp., the owner of Fox, reassured Time Warner Cable subscribers that they will still be able to watch popular shows like "House", "Glee" and "The Simpsons" even though their local operator would not come into an agreement with Time Warner. This is because of an earlier deal between News Corp. and Time Warner that ensures Fox programming in cases like this. The disputes between cable operators and local stations have left sports and television fans fuming. The airing of the Outback Bowl by ABC may be missed by college football fans if Time Warner Cable and Sinclair do not agree on terms by the weekend.

Posted by Kade Quinn on Wednesday December 29 2010, 2:11 AM EST. Ref: AP. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Entertainment, Featured News. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0