Long-Term Resolution Urged In Broadcast Fights
Senate Commerce Communications Subcommittee Chairman John Kerry, D-Mass., late Sunday praised cable operator Cablevision and the Walt Disney Co. for reaching an agreement that allowed 3 million New York-area viewers to tune in for Sunday night's broadcast of the Academy Awards on ABC. But Kerry urged discussion on ways to avoid such disputes in the future.
"I'm pleased to see that common sense has been restored in these negotiations and that Disney and Cablevision have agreed not to make consumers the victims," Kerry, who has been active in urging the two sides to reach a settlement, said in a statement. "Moving forward, however, we must assess the roots of these broadcast disputes and ensure that the rules of the road promote resolution rather than public conflict that strips consumers of the services they rely on."
ABC, which is owned by Disney, had cut off Cablevision viewer's access to ABC programming midnight Saturday after the two sides were unable to reach agreement over retransmission fees. But the programming was restored minutes into the Oscar show after a tentative deal was announced.
New York's WABC7 said in a statement Sunday night that the two sides had "made significant progress and have reached an agreement in principle that recognizes the fair value of ABC7, with deal points that we expect to finalize with Cablevision." The dispute is the latest in a string of disagreements between cable operators and broadcasters over retransmission fees.
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