Political reporter focuses on telecommunications, media, crypto inverters and competition
Sports hangers nationwide can soon find themselves cut off from some of the most anticipated television football games of the year as massive media and television companies are at war with each other over the programming fees required to fly these battles.
Beginning week, TV customers at Verizon Fios and Charter & # 39; s Spectrum service will be hit by widespread channel disruption by company "major programming giant contracts.
In their dispute with Disney, Verizon and its 4.5 Millions of TV customers lose access to ESPN, Freeform and Disney Channel, as well as ABC subsidiaries based in Philadelphia and New York on December 31. Meanwhile, 6 million Spectrum viewers could miss Tribune Media programming in as many as two Dozen markets across the country from January 1.
Disputes highlight how rising media consolidation in the United States, along with the pressures caused by string cutting, has increasingly hit contract renewal negotiations into high-stakes, winning-take-all cases. as more content has come under the ownership of a shrinking handful of powerful firms – and with many Americans limited to just a few cable options – undergoing companies now blowing, down long battles over content prices and terms. In November, HBO went offline for Dish Network customers for the first time in the history of the premium channel; The splash remains unresolved.
The contract battle between Verizon and Disney has played publicly this week, with both companies sending out messages to customers who are telling who to blame if a new deal is not signed by the deadline.
Verizon started delivering e-mails to customers on Wednesday accusing Disney of trying to hunt up their content prices, and trying to force Verizon TV subscribers to pay for an additional channel dedicated to regional sports, ACC Network . Verizon said that Disney is seeking "hundreds of millions of dollars more" than what Verizon had previously paid.
"The rising cost of programming is the biggest factor in higher TV bills, and we stand up to networks like Disney, refusing to accept these huge increases," Verizon said. The company's spokeswoman Adria Tomaszewski said in a statement that Verizon is " actively negotiating with Disney to secure the best deal for our clients. "
In a statement, Disney said Thursday that while it is still optimistic to reach an agreement, Verizon has refused to" reach a fair, market-based agreement with us Although the terms we seek are in line with the latest market agreements we have reached with other distributors. "The company claimed, referring to a recent survey by the public opinion company Hart Research Associates, that two-thirds of Fios subscribers would consider canceling if they could not get Disney networks on the service.
Disney is now running ads targeting Fios Customers, and encourage them to call Verizon "to keep the networks you pay for." The ad includes logos for key channels and events that may be dark, including the Disney Channel and National Bowling Athletic Association's Rose Bowl Games. ABC and ESPN are also expected to carry one of the National Football League's wild-card playoff games and Pro Bowl.
The NFL playoffs may also be more difficult to access Spectrum customers as a result of the dispute with the Tribune , according to a company's spokesman, because the Tribune runs CBS, Fox and NBC affiliates in various markets.
"We want football fans in our markets to be able to see these games and the root of their favorite ag – we want to reach an agreement with Spectrum, "says Gary Weitman, Tribune's senior vice president of business relations." We have offered Spectrum fair market prices for our top-ranked local news, live sports and high-quality entertainment programs, and equally affordable prices for our cable network, WGN America Spectrum has denied our offer. "
Justin Venech, a spokesman for Spectrum's parent, Charter Communications, said the company is negotiating with the Tribune and that" we hope to reach a fair consent. "
Despite the headache of pay-TV subscribers, those with digital TV antennas can still bypass a blackout by aligning into broadcast networks directly.
