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Time Warner Plugging In CSTV
And NBA TV For Pulled Channels |
MSG and FSNY were pulled from 2.4 million Time Warner Cable subscribers at midnight last night after Cablevision and Time Warner could not reach a new carriage agreement, according to Gersh Kuntzman of the N.Y. POST. Time Warner, which is paying $2.90 a month per sub for rights to the two nets, in a statement said that it had worked “‘to bridge the gap in our proposals’ by making a higher offer yesterday.” Cablevision’s statement said, “We call on (Time Warner) to agree with us to binding arbitration and give the fans back their games.” Time Warner rejected the binding arbitration offer, saying, “Binding arbitration has proven to be the fuel contributing to the skyrocketing costs of professional sports.” Time Warner, which will offer $2 rebates to each subscriber for the lost channels, has replaced MSG and FSNY with CSTV and NBA TV, respectively (N.Y. POST, 3/8). In N.Y., Bob Raissman cites sources saying that Cablevision is looking for per sub increases as high as 30% (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 3/8). Time Warner spokesperson Keith Coccoza said that Cablevision “had rejected three proposals since Thursday” (NEWSDAY, 3/8).
GET MET: In a separate piece, the N.Y. DAILY NEWS’ Raissman writes Cablevision President & CEO James Dolan is “taking a page from the YES Network,” which called for binding arbitration when Cablevision refused to carry YES. The Mets — whose games are currently aired on MSG — are partnering with Time Warner and Comcast on a new RSN launching in ’06, and with no carriage this season on Time Warner, Dolan “puts a severe dent in [Mets Owner Fred] Wilpon’s ability to market the Mets in Manhattan. If Dolan can’t have the Mets, he is going to kick them in the butt on their way out” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 3/8).
