CBS and Time Warner reach deal, Web access blackout to end

By Mike Flacy September 3, 2013

time warner subscribers flee company promises faster internet speeds cbs football — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Lasting more than a month, the CBS blackout on Time Warner has finally come to an end after both companies reached an agreement regarding the negotiation of retransmission fees. Time Warner subscribers in New York, Los Angeles and Dallas should have regained access to CBS as well as Showtime, The Movie Channel (TMC), Flix, and the Smithsonian Channel at 6 p.m. Eastern Time today. This agreement comes at an ideal time for NFL fans since regular season games start next week and six of those games will be aired by CBS next Sunday. In addition, the new deal will include access to Showtime Anytime video-on-demand services for viewers in the blackout areas.

Beyond the return of those channels to the Time Warner lineup, CBS will lift the ban on Time Warner Internet subscribers when it comes to episodes and clips available for streaming on CBS.com.

After the blackout commenced during late July, CBS had previously responded by displaying a call-to-action graphic for Time Warner customers on CBS.com in order to encourage subscribers to call Time Warner and complain about the lack of access.

It’s likely that both sides of the negotiation felt pressure to bring this spat to an end, especially with the Fall television season starting during September. While CBS was negotiating for a higher retransmission rate, the total revenue generated from those fees is dependent on the number of people that subscribe to Time Warner.

If a large quantity of subscribers abandoned Time Warner due to the lack of CBS and other CBS-owned channels during an extended September blackout, CBS could have been paid less when the channels finally returned to the Time Warner lineup despite negotiating a higher rate per subscriber. Neither side has specified the new rate of the retransmission fees, but the response from CBS CEO Leslie Moonves seems to put a positive spin on the situation.

Topics

Web

Contributing Editor

By day, I'm the content and social media manager for High-Def Digest, Steve's Digicams and The CheckOut on Ben's Bargains…

Audio / Video

The best soundbars under $500 for 2023

Polk Signa S4 Dolby Atmos 3.1.2 soundbar.

There’s certainly no shortage of soundbars on the shelves of our favorite electronics stores. But many of these high-tech speaker products are either a bit on the lackluster side in terms of quality, or more than $500 in total cost. And when you consider that most folks are purchasing a soundbar to improve he sound of their TVs, the last thing anyone wants is a soundbar that doesn’t deliver in one way or another.

This is why we’ve put together this list of the best soundbars under $500 that you can buy right now. We know how important audio can be when watching movies, playing video games, and streaming music, and we also know that not every shopper has an unlimited budget to play with. But some of the best audio brands in town – names like Sonos and Sony – make excellent soundbars that are also affordable.

Audio / Video

Tablo TV tips and tricks: How to master this OTA DVR

Tablo TV fourth-generation box as seen from the top.

Free over-the-air television is one of the best-kept secrets in tech. OK, it's not really a secret at all, given that it's been around for decades -- quite likely longer than you've walked this earth. But the point stands. In a world in which subscription fatigue is a very real thing, the ability to watch the most basic of live TV -- the legacy broadcast networks -- for a relatively low-cost, one-time price is tempting, indeed.

One of the major players in that space is Tablo, which significantly revamped and simplified its lineup of over-the-air (OTA) DVRs in 2023. You no longer have to supply your own hard drive to record anything. You're no longer pushed to pay for more live guide data. And Tablo's updated software is much improved. Be sure to read our full fourth-generation Tablo review, but the bottom line is that it's a very good device, with nearly all the bells and whistles you'd want at this point.

Audio / Video

Get paid $300 to switch to Dish Satellite TV [Sponsored]

apple dish network

Here's an unusual, one-time side gig that pays up to $300. It's called switching to Dish. While Dish will give anybody a $100 prepaid card to make the switch, they'll pay $300 if you switch from DirecTV. It's an odd bargain, sure, and quite the nasty attack, but they have four reasons — features that Dish has and DirecTV does not — that they feel back up their offer. So, tap the button below to investigate this $300 offer yourself, or keep reading as we discuss the four benefits of switching from DirecTV to Dish.

Why you should switch from DirecTV to Dish
As the most known satellite TV companies, Dish and DirecTV naturally have a sort of rivalry. And once you're locked into one service, the motivation to switch is low. Phone calls, cancellations, and more are a huge hassle. As a result, Dish is providing $300 for your time, plus four service-based reasons to make the switch.