TWC Customers Miss Top Shows as CBS Blackout Continues

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Retro TVMillions of viewers in New York, Dallas and Los Angeles can’t watch their favorite shows on CBS‘s (CBS) broadcast network or its premium cable channel Showtime.

Those channels have gone dark for subscribers to Time Warner Cable (TWC) due to a clash between the two companies over retransmission fees. CBS is accusing the cable provider of blocking the channels before the kickoff of football season in order to increase its leverage over the broadcaster, the New York Times notes.

CBS is looking to roughly double the fee it charges Time Warner to carry its channels from $1 to $2 per subscriber. But the cable company has balked at the hike, which would ultimately raise subscriber bills. Time Warner claims CBS wants to be paid 600% more than other broadcasters.

Time Warner is apparently willing to make concessions on fees, if it can also license older CBS shows for streaming. CBS has declined to connect a potential streaming deal to is broadcast fees.

The impasse between the two companies leaves viewers out in the cold with popular CBS and Showtime shows like Under the Dome, Ray Donovan and Dexter effectively off the air for Time Warner subscribers. The two sides repeatedly postponed the blackout last week before talks broke down.

Resolving the dispute could take anywhere from 10 days to six weeks, analysts say.

Shares of CBS edged up slightly in Monday morning trading, while Time Warner Cable shares climbed modestly.


Article printed from InvestorPlace Media, https://investorplace.com/2013/08/twc-customers-miss-top-shows-as-cbs-blackout-continues/.

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