Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
My Profile
Top News
Reuters top ten news stories delivered to your inbox each day.
Subscribe
You are here:
Home
>
News
>
Entertainment
>
Article
Home
Business & Finance
News
U.S.
Politics
International
Technology
Entertainment
Film
Music
People
Television
Arts
Industry
Sports
Lifestyle
Oddly Enough
Environment
Health
Science
Special Coverage
Video
Pictures
The Great Debate
Blogs
Weather
Reader Feedback
Do More With Reuters
RSS
Widgets
Mobile
Podcasts
Newsletters
You Witness News
Make Reuters My Homepage
Partner Services
CareerBuilder
Affiliate Network
Professional Products
Support (Customer Zone)
Reuters Media
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
Blackout looms as Time Warner, Viacom talks stall
Wed Dec 31, 2008 3:10pm EST
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page
[-]
Text
[+]
By Yinka Adegoke and Paul Thomasch
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Viacom Inc and Time Warner Cable remained at a standoff on Wednesday, but were hopeful that top executives would step in to resolve a dispute that threatens to prevent more than 13 million U.S. subscribers from seeing "Dora the Explorer" and Jon Stewart.
No face-to-face meetings between executives have occurred for several weeks, sources on both sides said. The sources asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to discuss the situation publicly.
At issue is an extra $35 million to $40 million that Viacom wants Time Warner to pay for carrying its cable channels, including MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon.
Time Warner has refused saying the economic climate makes it impossible to pass along such costs to its customers. Viacom has denied Time Warner's request for an extension of the current terms.
Instead, Viacom threatened to pull its TV networks from Time Warner at midnight on January 1 unless a deal was reached. Viacom also wants Time Warner Cable's Chief Executive Glenn Britt to become more active in the talks, sources said.
Although disagreements between cable carriers and programmers are common, this one is particularly notable given it involves two major companies, threatens top shows, and has prompted a high-profile advertising campaign.
Time Warner is a major outlet for programmers with its 13.3 million video subscribers and presence in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and Cleveland.
But Viacom has an equally strong hand. It controls 19 cable TV networks that offer "Dora the Explorer" and "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" among others.
Viacom has taken its case to the public in an ad campaign.
"Why is Dora crying?" read an advertisement Viacom placed in The New York Times. "Time Warner is taking Dora off the air tonight! Along with 19 of your favorite channels."
HIGH STAKES STANDOFF
Affiliate fees have become even more important as the recession has crimped advertising revenue.
But neither side is well-positioned for a long standoff. Time Warner Cable is about to lose the protection of parent company Time Warner Inc, with a planned split off in early 2009. Viacom, meanwhile, has come under scrutiny as its controlling shareholder, mogul Sumner Redstone, faces his own debt crunch.
"As has been the norm, we would expect a settlement -- terms undisclosed -- in a relatively quick manner, as both sides may not want to see if this battle results in mutually assured destruction, as Viacom loses ad dollars and Time Warner loses subscribers," wrote Bernstein analyst Michael Nathanson.
Viacom is arguing that it deserves more money because viewers spend more than 20 percent of their time with its networks, but its fees amount to less than 2.5 percent of Time Warner's revenues from customers. Continued...
View article on single page
Share:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Mixx
My Web
Facebook
LinkedIn
Next Article:
Hollywood publicity agent earning "15 minutes"
Also on Reuters
Tech companies push stylish, personal design
Video
Video: A look back at Wall Street's year of turmoil
Sharks have wimpy bites, study finds
More Entertainment News
Good movies, prices help Hollywood in recession
Matt Dillon arrested for speeding in Vermont
Pepsi and Beckham end endorsement relationship
Hollywood publicity agent earning "15 minutes"
"Australia" another letdown for Nicole Kidman
More Entertainment News...
Editor's Choice
Slideshow
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. Slideshow
Most Popular on Reuters
Articles
Video
Obama, daughters cause stir on Hawaii outing | Video
Apple shares turn negative on Jobs "rumor"
China dairy boss pleads guilty in melamine case | Video
More economic pain seen in 2009 | Video
Kevin Bacon among latest hurt in Madoff scheme: reports
"What are you doing here?": man asks wife at brothel
Matt Dillon arrested for speeding in Vermont
Israel rebuffs call for Gaza truce | Video
Jobless claims dive while mortgage rates ease again
Researchers unlock secrets of 1918 flu pandemic
Most Popular Articles RSS Feed
Video
Talk of the Town: Comeback kid
Russian volcano erupts
Blagojevich picks Obama replacement
Calls for truce as Gaza deaths rise
An historic year in U.S. politics
Gazans seek refuge in schools
Sarkozy's EU presidency ends
Iraq shoe thrower's trial postponed
And Finally.. The Oddest of 2008.
Gaza: pressure mounts for truce
Most Popular Videos RSS Feed
Reuters Deals
The global destination for corporate leaders, deal-makers and innovators
Knowledge to Act
Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS |
Interactive TV |
Labs |
Reuters in Second Life |
Archive |
Site Index |
Video Index
Thomson Reuters Corporate:
Copyright |
Disclaimer |
Privacy |
Professional Products |
Professional Products Support |
About Thomson Reuters |
Careers
International Editions:
Africa |
Arabic |
Argentina |
Brazil |
Canada |
China |
France |
Germany |
India |
Italy |
Japan |
Latin America |
Mexico |
Russia |
Spain |
United Kingdom |
United States
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.