• Just before the Oscars, too! For people who want to watch WABC in New York City, get out your analog-to-digital converter. After years of arguing between one of the world’s biggest content companies and a company that just turned a well-regarded regional paper into a loss leader, ABC/Disney and Cablevison have hit an impasse. The loser? The viewers. Here’s a recap of the whining on both sides:

• In one corner: Disney “Cablevision has once again betrayed its subscribers by losing ABC7, the most popular station in the tri-state area. This follows two years of negotiations, during which we worked diligently, up to the final moments, to reach an agreement. Cablevision pocketed almost $8 billion last year, and now customers aren’t getting what they pay for…again.”
• In the other: Cablevision “It is now painfully clear to millions of New York area households that Disney CEO Bob Iger will hold his own ABC viewers hostage in order to extract $40 million in new fees from Cablevision. We call on Bob Iger to immediately return ABC to Cablevision customers while we continue to work to reach a fair agreement.” source

Posted by Ernie Smith • Permalink