Time Warner Cable Signs CBS, Showtime Retrans Pact
Broadcast Stations, Showtime Carriage Ensured Through 2013
By Linda Moss -- Multichannel News, 1/6/2009 2:57:00 AM EST
Time Warner Cable and CBS have reached a comprehensive carriage deal that extends retransmission consent for the broadcaster’s owned-and-operated TV stations and includes carriage of Showtime through 2013, officials said Tuesday.
In addition, select CBS and Showtime programming will participate in Time Warner Cable's enhanced video services including Start Over and Look Back, as well as extensive video-on-demand offerings, including primetime programming from CBS, the two companies said.
The retransmission-consent part of the deal includes 14 CBS stations and 15 CW Network and MYNetwork TV stations, for their HD signals. CBS declined to comment on whether Time Warner is paying cash to carry its stations, and Time Warner couldn’t be reached for comment.
CBS had several deals with Time Warner were set to expire next year, in 2010, but the new comprehensive pact essentially syncs them up now, to all expire next in 2013, a CBS spokesman said.
The on-demand portion of the pact only includes participation by the CBS stations, according to the CBS spokesman.
"We are extremely pleased to have reached this agreement which recognizes the value of our programming to Time Warner Cable and its subscribers," CBS president and CEO Leslie Moonves said in a prepared statement. "The CBS Television Network and Showtime are an essential component of any meaningful programming lineup. We are pleased that Time Warner Cable and its subscribers will continue to enjoy our programming for many years to come."
Noted Melinda Witmer, Time Warner Cable's executive vice president and chief programmer officer: "We are glad that we were able to reach an early renewal of our agreement with CBS and extend our relationship with Showtime.This new arrangement represents an exciting expansion of our relationship with the CBS Corporation."
Time Warner Cable is the second-largest U.S. cable operator, with clustered systems located mainly in five geographic areas — New York (including New York City), the Carolinas, Ohio, southern California (including Los Angeles) and Texas. As of Sept. 30, 2008, Time Warner Cable served approximately 14.7 million customers who subscribed to one or more of its video, high-speed data and voice services, representing about 34.2 million revenue generating units.
Last week, after a nasty public spat, Time Warner and Viacom reached a new affiliation agreement for carriage of the programmers 19 cable networks.
