Witmer to WSJ: If Networks Let Apple Sell Shows, How About Cable?

Time Warner Cable programming executive Melinda Witmer told The Wall Street Journal that if, as reported, Disney and CBS are considering allowing Apple to sell shows separately, "it's worth pondering whether they'll embrace that for all distributors."

Witmer, in an interview published on Dec. 23 in The Journal's Digits blog, echoed comments by TWC CEO Glenn Britt that TWC would like to have the flexibility to offer smaller groups of channels to consumers. Some reports of the Apple scheme have said consumers might be able to buy season subscriptions to individual shows.

"We have long sought the right to have more flexibility in packaging," the blog quoted Witmer, TWC's executive vice president and chief programming officer, as saying. "That's something programmers push back really, really hard on."

(This story was edited for content on Dec. 28.)