Time Warner, Fox caught in dispute

DirectTV...here I come....

Cable-TV viewers nationwide could start a new year without channels such as FX, Fuel, Speed TV and Fox Soccer.

Media giants News Corp. and Time Warner Cable are fighting over money, and the dispute could lead to some Fox channels going dark on Jan. 1. The two companies are still in negotiations and their current contract expires Dec. 31.

News Corp. today began warning Time Warner Cable customers about the "very likely possibility" that they will lose access to Fox programming.

In some markets where News Corp. owns the local Fox stations, the dispute could affect Fox's flagship channel, home to popular shows such as "Glee," "House" and "American Idol."

The bickering could lead to local cable customers losing other channels owned by News Corp., including FX, home to shows such as "Nip/Tuck" and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." Other channels include Fuel, Speed TV, Fox Reality and Fox Sports World Espanol.

"We're hoping Fox will allow us to carry the programming even if negotiations continue past Dec. 31," Buscher said. "It's our hope that Fox won't punish our customers while they try to reach an agreement."

Time Warner Cable will look for replacement programming for the channels if they are pulled, Buscher said. And the company will "educate" viewers about other ways to see shows, such as online streaming.

The company, one of the country's largest cable-TV providers, recently started its own marketing campaign where it asked customers to vote whether it should "roll over or get tough" with broadcasters and programmers that are demanding more money. Those higher fees would result in costs passed on to customers, Time Warner argues.

News Corp. contends in a prepared statement it is "simply asking for fair compensation for the impressive value our Fox programming offers."

Last year, Time Warner Cable had a public spat with Viacom that nearly resulted in local customers losing access to channels such as MTV and Nickelodeon on Jan. 1. That deal was resolved at the last minute.

 

I understand that FX has some decent programming, but those other channels are for homosexuals. Time Warner is total shit. Get NFL Network already.

 

Here we go again. Didn't we have something very similar last December with Nickelodeon or Disney and Time Warner Ripoff?

 

FX is the only channel I really care about. What about FoxSportsSouth or Fox News - seems like they would get pulled as well.

 

If FX closes down I hope somebody else picks up their shows. I kinda like Sons of Anarchy and It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia.

 

All the Charlotte area Republicans heads will explode will explode if they can't have Fox News