• carriage fees.
• Although Congress passed a law back in 1992 allowing broadcasters to charge pay TV operators, both sides continue to bicker about the issue and consumers often get caught in the middle.
• asking the FCC to prohibit broadcasters from, among other things, pulling their signals from cable systems when carriage deals can't be struck.
• "The notion that Time Warner and its Big Pay TV allies are part of a group designed 'to protect consumers' is about as credible as BP executives joining Greenpeace,

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• In New York and Elsewhere, Disputes Over Television Fees Lead to a Few Blackouts

   

  By BRIAN STELTER

    

  Published: January 1, 2012
• As is normally the case, the warnings in public were superseded by successful negotiations in private.
• involved a cable channel, MSG, not a broadcast station. MSG Networks, which carries New York Knicks games and other sporting events, was taken off Time Warner Cable’s system at midnight as a dispute continued between the two companies.
• If the online comments from customers are any indication, the lasting effect of these fights may be public antipathy for both the programmers and the distributors — potentially a costly outcome at a time when both sides are worried about the prospect of Internet alternatives to monthly TV subscriptions.
• the Federal Communications Commission signaled last year that it would consider making changes to the rules that govern the process.
• “These agreements invariably get done because there’s enormous incentive for both sides to do a deal,” Dennis Wharton, a spokesman for the stations’ trade group, the National Association of Broadcasters, said Sunday.
• Television viewers have little visibility into the deals themselves. In fact, it is hard to assess how many such deals were struck last week because they mainly happen in secret.
• “Just because ‘deals got done’ does not mean the market is working or that the market isn’t saturated with anticompetitive conduct by broadcasters,” said Matthew M. Polka, chief executive of the American Cable Association, which represents small cable operators. He noted that major networks were insisting on sharing in the fees that stations received from distributors.

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• Disney, Comcast Make 10-Year Xfinity Multi-Platform Deal

   

   

   

  Published: January 04, 2012 @ 11:01 am
• Comcast and the Walt Disney Company announced a 10-year, multiplatform distribution deal Wednesday that will allow Xfinity customers to watch Disney content -- including ESPN, ABC and Disney shows live or on demand -- on television, online, and on tablets or other handheld devices.
• Terms were not disclosed.
• "This landmark deal is a great example of what can be achieved when programmers and distributors collaborate and innovate together to meet the ever-evolving needs of consumers and enhance the viewing experience," said Anne Sweeney, co-chairman of Disney Media Networks and the president of Disney/ABC Television Group.

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