“Nothing about this deal changes the way Comcast will deal with retransmission consent negotiations," said a Comcast spokesperson. "Once the deal closes TWC will be part of Comcast and thus our practices will govern.”
Comcast: TWC Won’t Affect Station Relations
Comcast’s $45-billion proposed acquisition of Time Warner Cable could be a boon to broadcasters because TV station owners will get greater protections when negotiating retransmission consent deals in TWC’s markets, or so said Comcast Thursday.
“Broadcast stations in the acquired markets will have greater protection in their retransmission consent negotiations with Comcast in the acquired systems,” said the giant cable company, in a summary of what it sees as the key public interest benefits to the mammoth deal.
Asked to elaborate on what Comcast meant by the statement — and on what impact the merger might have on the pay TV industry’s campaign to reform retransmission consent, a Comcast spokesperson said: “Nothing about this deal changes the way Comcast will deal with retransmission consent negotiations. Once the deal closes TWC will be part of Comcast and thus our practices will govern.”
TWC has been an aggressive proponent of retransmission consent reform while Comcast, with its ownership of NBCUniversal, has been largely neutral on the issue.
Ted Hearn, a spokesman for the American Cable Association, said ACA and other partners in the American Television Alliance — a group that TWC helped launch to promote retrans reform — planned to continue lobbying for reforms.
Said one broadcast industry source, however: “The momentum for ATVA’s retrans reform movement will lose steam.”
BRAND CONNECTIONS
The National Association of Broadcasters had no comment on the Comcast deal.
Comments (5)
Brian Bussey says:
February 13, 2014 at 3:56 pm
what would expect them to say.? we are going to screw them also ?
Angie McClimon says:
February 13, 2014 at 4:49 pm
They did, if you read between the lines.
Don Richards says:
February 13, 2014 at 5:01 pm
Nothing could be worse than the retrans negotiations with TWC. Nothing.
Abbie Harrison says:
February 13, 2014 at 8:24 pm
You never have to worry about station blackouts with Comcast. They either own their NBC stations, or give in to any broadcaster by jacking up the rates and imposing a “Broadcast TV Fee” on top of the basic rate to their video customers!
Steve Ingram says:
February 13, 2014 at 9:37 pm
Comcast has never taken a broadcaster off their system in a retrans dispute. Never. Of the giant MVPD’s, Comcast is the only company who actually honors broadcasters by being fair. The hoodlums that support the American Television Alliance should take a lesson from Comcast.