Johnny_Blaze_47
01-23-2007, 03:12 AM
Thank you, Flying Spaghetti Monster!
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Fox affiliate going HD on Time Warner
Web Posted: 01/22/2007 08:16 PM CST
Sanford Nowlin
Express-News Business Writer
Soon, Fox affiliate KABB-29 will no longer be the only major network on Time Warner's San Antonio cable system without a high-definition signal.
The city's dominant cable provider Friday agreed to carry the high-definition signals of Sinclair Broadcasting Group Inc.'s KABB and KMYS-35, local affiliate for fledgling MyNetwork.
Neither company would discuss terms of the three-year deal, which also includes 20 Sinclair stations in 34 other markets.
"The agreement allows us to provide our customers with all of Sinclair's high-definition signals available within areas served by Time Warner's systems," Time Warner spokeswoman Maureen Huff said.
However, she added, "We don't have a specific launch date for San Antonio yet."
KABB already provides high-definition broadcast signals to Time Warner competitors such as AT&T Inc.'s U-verse, meaning Time Warner probably could begin carrying the signal in a matter of days.
Time Warner's agreement with Baltimore-based Sinclair ends a months-long impasse between the companies over how much the cable carrier should pay for Fox's high-definition signals. The network carries highly rated shows, including "24" and "American Idol," as well as NFL playoff games.
Sinclair demanded Time Warner pay for its digital signal, something other broadcasters have largely provided for free to cable companies that carry their network stations. Time Warner — which serves 360,000 San Antonio cable customers — balked at the additional payments, saying Sinclair was pricing itself out of the market.
Sinclair officials were unavailable for comment Monday, but issued a brief news release saying the deal includes a "mutually acceptable economic agreement between the parties."
While high-definition channels carry the same programming as their network affiliates, the lack of a Fox high-definition signal has been frustrating for local viewers who spent hundreds, or sometimes thousands of dollars, to upgrade their TV sets to handle crisper, sharper HD signals. There are now more than 30 million high-definition TVs in the United States.
"If your (cable system) isn't able to offer content in high definition, that TV has lost its purpose," said Zippy Aima, digital media analyst for Frost & Sullivan in San Antonio.
Among Time Warner markets, San Antonio is second only to New York in percentage of customers who take HD channels. Interesting.
Time Warner customer Dan Smith said he and his wife mulled a switch to direct broadcast satellite like EchoStar's Dish Network because Fox was unavailable in high definition. Now, he said, he's unlikely to make such a move.
While Time Warner has settled its disagreement with Sinclair, the company still has no agreement to carry the NFL Network.
The company last year engaged in a public dust-up with the NFL over the price the league was demanding for its fledgling network. The cable carrier said it was unwilling to pay the $137 million price tag because it didn't want to pass on the expense to its customers.
Such conflicts between cable systems and networks are becoming more commonplace, experts said. Once virtual monopolies, cable carriers now must balance rising programming costs with pressure from satellite providers and phone companies like San Antonio-based AT&T to keep prices down.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/stories/MYSA012307.01E.TimeWarnerdeal.12257e7.html
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Fox affiliate going HD on Time Warner
Web Posted: 01/22/2007 08:16 PM CST
Sanford Nowlin
Express-News Business Writer
Soon, Fox affiliate KABB-29 will no longer be the only major network on Time Warner's San Antonio cable system without a high-definition signal.
The city's dominant cable provider Friday agreed to carry the high-definition signals of Sinclair Broadcasting Group Inc.'s KABB and KMYS-35, local affiliate for fledgling MyNetwork.
Neither company would discuss terms of the three-year deal, which also includes 20 Sinclair stations in 34 other markets.
"The agreement allows us to provide our customers with all of Sinclair's high-definition signals available within areas served by Time Warner's systems," Time Warner spokeswoman Maureen Huff said.
However, she added, "We don't have a specific launch date for San Antonio yet."
KABB already provides high-definition broadcast signals to Time Warner competitors such as AT&T Inc.'s U-verse, meaning Time Warner probably could begin carrying the signal in a matter of days.
Time Warner's agreement with Baltimore-based Sinclair ends a months-long impasse between the companies over how much the cable carrier should pay for Fox's high-definition signals. The network carries highly rated shows, including "24" and "American Idol," as well as NFL playoff games.
Sinclair demanded Time Warner pay for its digital signal, something other broadcasters have largely provided for free to cable companies that carry their network stations. Time Warner — which serves 360,000 San Antonio cable customers — balked at the additional payments, saying Sinclair was pricing itself out of the market.
Sinclair officials were unavailable for comment Monday, but issued a brief news release saying the deal includes a "mutually acceptable economic agreement between the parties."
While high-definition channels carry the same programming as their network affiliates, the lack of a Fox high-definition signal has been frustrating for local viewers who spent hundreds, or sometimes thousands of dollars, to upgrade their TV sets to handle crisper, sharper HD signals. There are now more than 30 million high-definition TVs in the United States.
"If your (cable system) isn't able to offer content in high definition, that TV has lost its purpose," said Zippy Aima, digital media analyst for Frost & Sullivan in San Antonio.
Among Time Warner markets, San Antonio is second only to New York in percentage of customers who take HD channels. Interesting.
Time Warner customer Dan Smith said he and his wife mulled a switch to direct broadcast satellite like EchoStar's Dish Network because Fox was unavailable in high definition. Now, he said, he's unlikely to make such a move.
While Time Warner has settled its disagreement with Sinclair, the company still has no agreement to carry the NFL Network.
The company last year engaged in a public dust-up with the NFL over the price the league was demanding for its fledgling network. The cable carrier said it was unwilling to pay the $137 million price tag because it didn't want to pass on the expense to its customers.
Such conflicts between cable systems and networks are becoming more commonplace, experts said. Once virtual monopolies, cable carriers now must balance rising programming costs with pressure from satellite providers and phone companies like San Antonio-based AT&T to keep prices down.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/stories/MYSA012307.01E.TimeWarnerdeal.12257e7.html