Sunday, Cablevision Systems Corp. (CVC) announced its proposal of continued delivery of Scripps Networks Interactive's (SNI) HGTV and Food Network, provided that the latter chooses to put its programming back on network, while both companies negotiate a new agreement.
The agreement to carry Scripps' channels expired at midnight on December 31, following which, Scripps pulled its Food Network and HGTV channels off Cablevision after the two companies failed to arrive at any agreement over carriage fees in the year-end negotiations.
The Bethpage, New York based cable operator catering to about 3.1 million customers in NY area, said that Scripps took an extraordinary step by removing its channels from Cablevision with virtually no warning. Further, it claimed that Scripps pursuit of more than 200% fees hike held its own viewers hostage.
Cablevision said that extention is a common practice in the cable industry, and such extensions occurred in the recent dispute among peers, between Time Warner Cable Inc. (TWC) and the Fox Network; and in Scripps' own negotiations with Time Warner Cable. Cablevision's channels where HGTV and Food Network appeared continues to remain available and Scripps was offered to put its programming back while negotiations were on.
"We believe it was irresponsible for Scripps to take the channels off, and it is irresponsible for them not to put the channels back on," noted Cablevision.
In response, Scripps Networks retaliated saying Cablevision is actually the one holding their customers hostage and is trying to characterize the rate increases as exorbitant and its negotiating strategies as unusual or unethical.
The Cincinnati, Ohio-based interactive services provider noted that short-term contract extensions were granted only if both parties were involved in productive negotiations and when substantive agreement prevailed. For more than past six months the companies did not arrive at any productive negotiations. Also, repeated requests for sit-down negotiations in order to discuss a fair market price for its networks were rejected, even as recently as Sunday afternoon.
Under the current contracts, Cablevision pays about 25 cents per subscriber for the combination of Food Network and HGTV. That combined rate is substantially lower than rates earned by other, individual top 10 cable networks and considerably less than rates Cablevision pays itself for less popular networks that it owns, claimed Scripps.
Further, it noted that Cablevision can't get something for nothing, and said it has been and remains ready and willing to negotiate.
"Yet, every other cable and satellite provider in the country has willingly and professionally renegotiated a fair market rate for the rights to carry these popular networks. That's why both networks can still be seen on every other cable, satellite and telecom system in the country except Cablevision," added Scripps.
Meanwhile on January 1, Time Warner Cable Inc. and the Fox Network announced a programming deal in principle to a comprehensive distribution agreement, relating to programs from Fox Television Stations, Fox Broadcasting, or FOX, Fox Cable Networks and Fox's regional sports networks. The agreement also included carriage agreements for Bright House Networks' 2 million additional subscribers.
Little earlier, Scripps reached an extension with Time Warner Cable in similar negotiations encompassing Food and country-music network GAC.
CVC, SNI and TWC finished Friday's trading at $25.82, $41.50 and $41.39, respectively, on the NYSE.
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