Retransmission Battles

With the Fox-Cablevision retrans battle going seeming to go down to the wire in a public and contentious way, as similar retrans negotiations have, calls for some kind of retrans reform are heard. Cablevision ask for arbitration, Fox declines. Local area members of Congress cite concerns over access to major sports coverage. Neither the FCC nor Congress has expressed interest in acting, and if last minute resolution keeps channels on, many will say the market has worked. Yet, with news that cable and DBS subs are finding online video access an attractive alternative and concerns over subscription costs in a tough economy, retrans has become the poster child for rising program costs and fights between corporate heavyweights over money. In this kind of volatile market, some kind of government action should not be ruled out.