Washington, D.C.
(February 2, 2007)
-- Sinclair
Broadcasting and Mediacom Cable tonight announced they
have reached an agreement on the carriage of 22 Sinclair
TV stations in the Midwest.
The deal, which ends a weeks-long dispute between the two companies, means that Mediacom viewers will be able to watch the Super Bowl in HDTV and standard definition. The Sinclair stations were returned tonight to Mediacom lineups.
Sinclair had ordered Mediacom to remove their high-def and standard definition signals on January 6 after the two companies could not agree on compensation. By federal law, a TV provider, such as a cable company, can not carry a local station's signal without its permission.
The order, however, generated widespread complaints from Mediacom subscribers, which eventually led to state and federal lawmakers urging the Federal Communications Commission to intervene.
The FCC refused Mediacom's request for binding arbitration, but the agency reportedly urged the two companies to end the dispute in backstage talks.
“We’re thrilled to have the channels restored, and we’re thrilled that our customers will be able to watch the Super Bowl this weekend,” Tom Larsen, vice president for legal affairs at Mediacom, told the Associated Press.
The deal, which ends a weeks-long dispute between the two companies, means that Mediacom viewers will be able to watch the Super Bowl in HDTV and standard definition. The Sinclair stations were returned tonight to Mediacom lineups.
Sinclair had ordered Mediacom to remove their high-def and standard definition signals on January 6 after the two companies could not agree on compensation. By federal law, a TV provider, such as a cable company, can not carry a local station's signal without its permission.
The order, however, generated widespread complaints from Mediacom subscribers, which eventually led to state and federal lawmakers urging the Federal Communications Commission to intervene.
The FCC refused Mediacom's request for binding arbitration, but the agency reportedly urged the two companies to end the dispute in backstage talks.
“We’re thrilled to have the channels restored, and we’re thrilled that our customers will be able to watch the Super Bowl this weekend,” Tom Larsen, vice president for legal affairs at Mediacom, told the Associated Press.
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In the past, local stations and cable operators have reached agreement on carriage of analog channels usually by exchanging promotional considerations.
However, many local stations, including those owned by companies such as Sinclair, Belo and LIN TV, are now demanding fees from cable ops to carry their high-def channels (and standard definition in some cases.)
In several cities, cable operators have refused the request, which has led to the local stations forcing the cable operators to remove the HD channels from their lineups.
Click TVPredictions.com to see today's Swanni Sez.
© TVPredictions.com
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
In the past, local stations and cable operators have reached agreement on carriage of analog channels usually by exchanging promotional considerations.
However, many local stations, including those owned by companies such as Sinclair, Belo and LIN TV, are now demanding fees from cable ops to carry their high-def channels (and standard definition in some cases.)
In several cities, cable operators have refused the request, which has led to the local stations forcing the cable operators to remove the HD channels from their lineups.
Click TVPredictions.com to see today's Swanni Sez.
© TVPredictions.com
____________________________________________
Phillip Swann is president and publisher of
TVPredictions.com. He has been quoted in dozens of
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Fox News, Inside Edition, The New York Times, The
Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Financial
Times, The Associated Press and The Hollywood
Reporter. He can be reached at
swann@tvpredictions.com
or at 703-505-3064.
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