3.1 million Cablevision subscribers in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut had to scramble to find somewhere or some way to watch the Oscars last night, as Disney cut the ABC feed. Both sides accuse the other of betraying their audience and Disney said it has sent Cablevision a new proposal to which they have yet to respond.
Many consumers and consumer advocacy groups are asking the FCC and trade commissions to step-in and prevent broadcasters from repeating this. This marks the first time a broadcasting company has "gone dark" over a cable company in over a decade. An FCC spokesperson said they are monitoring the situation.
Disney used to receive payment just for its cable-only stations, such as ESPN, and allowed Cablevision and other networks to broadcast their major networks for free, but broadcasters are trying to change that model.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
A rambling melange of pop-culture.
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