LIN, Time Warner cut new deal
Business First of Buffalo
LIN TV Corp. and Time Warner Cable have reached a broadcast retransmission agreement, ending a dispute that impacted more than a viewers in multiple markets including Buffalo.
The agreement ends a stalemate, in place since Oct. 3, that blocked Time Warner subscribers in the Buffalo market from watching two LIN-owned stations, WIVB, the CBS affiliate, and WNLO, which broadcasts the CW network.
Neither company revealed terms of the deal though a statement from WIVB General Manager Chris Musial said, "This is a fair resolution for both WIVB/WNLO-TV and our viewers."
More than a dozen LIN stations in the U.S. were impacted by the dispute.
“We are pleased to have reached a fair market agreement with Time Warner Cable,” said a statement from LIN TV’s President and Chief Executive Officer Vincent Sadusky. “This agreement, which represents a mutually acceptable economic agreement between the parties, is further indication of the value of our television stations. We thank our viewers and our advertisers for their tremendous support throughout these negotiations.”
LIN (NYSE: TVL) is based in Providence, R.I.
Both companies have likely suffered financial losses. LIN has experienced a sharp decline in ratings by having its news programming and two Buffalo Bills' games on WIVB blocked to hundreds of thousands of Time Warner subscribers. The cable company, too, has seen an erosion of customers who have opted for satellite or other outside service such as Verizon Inc.'s FiOS package.
“We are pleased to come to an agreement that will return programming to our customers,” said Melinda Witmer, chief programming officer for Time Warner Cable. “We thank our customers for their continued patience and support as we worked to resolve this issue.”
The settlement also comes just days before the start of the November ratings' sweeps period, which guides TV stations in setting advertising charges.
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