Time Warner tells price-gouging TV provider to take a long walk off a short pier
- October 7th, 2008
- 9 Comments
We really ought to applaud Time Warner, I think. A company that owns the rights to broadcast some of the major networks in certain markets, LIN TV, has been playing hardball with the cable operator, demanding more money for access to the channels. Time Warner is all, “But, you can get these channels for free over the air, and many times online, why should we pay you (and raise our subscribers’ prices)?”
So, rather than pony up the cash—so far, at least—Time Warner is telling its subscribers how to watch these networks online for free. Not illegal stuff like The Pirate Bay, but legal avenues like Hulu and ABC’s streaming. A message on affected subscribers TVs informs them to go to Time Warner’s site for more information, including instructional videos and the like.
Now, how this all resolves itself is still up in the air—no one really expects Time Warner to leave the affected networks off its cable systems for good. That said, how greedy of LIN TV. How is it going to mark up the price of something that’s freely available elsewhere? Next thing you know, we’ll all be buying bottled water!
Jeff Simmermon (Who am I?)
1 month ago
Hi — I’m the director of digital communications at Time Warner Cable. Here’s a direct link to the video the post references … shows you how to connect your laptop to your TV:
http://tinyurl.com/laptop-to-tv
Cheryl (Who am I?)
1 month ago
I think it’s kind of TWC to provide instructions and rabbit ears to us.
Really..
No progress on negotiations.
I wonder if the gas company will hand everyone two sticks to start a fire for warmth if they ever have any issues with their service…
I don’t mean to be rude, really… but it’s day 5..
The computer hookup.. that’s at least in this decade, not live, not a solution, but a better picture.
I think we should have been asked before this happened what we wanted..
Then again.. I don’t know why TWC assumes I should fork out my money for so many news and sports channels either. I’m not into sports and the news basically is repetitive.. but I’ve never complained, then again, I’ve never had a channel I do care about and watch avidly taken away before either.
Eric (Who am I?)
1 month ago
LIN TV is quite clue-impaired. But then, most media owners are these days.
Chester (Who am I?)
1 month ago
I think you have this all wrong. Time warner is making money by re-using LIN TV’s signals, so why shouldn’t they have to pay some money to LIN TV. In my local market the price is set at 1 cent per subscriber per month. That doesn’t seem very greedy of LIN TV.
If Time Warner would be more open to Ala Cart Pricing this wouldn’t even be an issue. I don’t want 75% of the crap they force onto to get, but they charge way too much for the 25% that I do want. If they would charge a flat rate to be hooked up and then charge for each channel I wanted, based on what the channel negotiates, I would be more likely to subcribe to their service.
Until then I’ll enjoy my local LIN TV channel in glorious HD with 5.1 surround sound, instead of Time Warner’s SD stereo crap.
Jake (Who am I?)
1 month ago
1 cent per month per subscriber? I think you are thinking wrong.. it is PER DAY. 30 cents PER MONTH. Time Warner wouldn’t make such a fuss if all locals always have charged, but they all are free, and LIN thinks they are special to charge money. That doesn’t sound fair at all.
No they aren’t making money by reusing their signal. They are making money by setting up the infrastructure and having a high tech setup to receive the channel, then send it out through the cable. It is free over the air, other channels that are local are free over the air, so why should Time Warner, or us the customers, pay for it?
seriouscap (Who am I?)
1 month ago
“FCC abandons its ‘a la carte’ cable programming plan” November 28, 2007 http://www.betanews.com/article/FCC_abandons_its_a_la_carte_cable_programming_plan/1196283815
Here’s an article from last year showing the FCC basically came out and said it would cost too much for ‘a la carte’ pricing. Mostly due to cable providers not getting the channels for ‘a la carte’ prices.
So, your dream of ‘a la carte’ won’t be happening anytime soon.
Butch (Who am I?)
1 month ago
I threw away TW and ATT. Then I got Netflix w/Roku and bought a HD converter for my local airwave stations. Now I have control over what I want and I don’t have to spend $100 for crap…
Fair And Balanced (Who am I?)
1 month ago
Just say no to LIN TV and the fees they want to push on to the subscribers of TV service providers.
http://www.just-say-no-to-lintv.com