CBS and Time Warner Cable resolved their carriage dispute last night, and sources said that the network "made a deal that will run four or five years and secured an increase to more than $1.50 per subscriber," up from $0.50-0.85 per month under the old contract. Adding in the cost of CBSSN and the Smithsonian Channel, it is expected that CBS will receive more than $2 per sub per month "by the end of the pact." TWC CEO Glenn Britt in a statement noted that the agreement "raised the issue of whether there should be retransmission consent" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 9/3). The deal came amid "increasing heat from local and national lawmakers and regulators." The FCC "had urged the two sides to make peace" (L.A. TIMES, 9/3).
The L.A. DAILY NEWS' Tom Hoffarth writes the deal likely was "expedited by the fact that CBS begins coverage of the NFL on opening weekend Sept. 8, and advertisements had aired warning viewers they could miss those games if the dispute hadn't been resolved." Former CBS Sports President Neal Pilson said, "The NFL is the biggest ratings event in all of television. NFL football is a pretty important property in those cities. The sports audience is passionate, not passive" (DAILYNEWS.com, 9/2).
