Just hours before the Oscars are set to begin, ABC has pulled its affiliate, WABC, off Cablevision in New York City. ABC parent company Disney and Cablevision are in a dispute over how much money Cablevision should pay. Three million New Yorkers are affected by the move. Disney wants Cablevision to pay $1 per month for each subscriber, according to an analyst. Both sides are blaming the other. Rebecca Campbell, President and General Manager of WABC issued a statement in which she said:
“Cablevision has once again betrayed its subscribers by losing ABC7, the most popular station in the tri-state area. This follows two years of negotiations, during which we worked diligently, up to the final moments, to reach an agreement. Cablevision pocketed almost $8 billion last year, and now customers aren’t getting what they pay for — again.”
Over on its website, Cablevision says it “… has asked ABC to continue delivering WABC-7 while we negotiate, but instead ABC is holding Cablevision customers hostage by pulling its programming.”
All of this leaves customers in the dark on the eve of one of the highest-rated programs of the year. WABC is still available over-the-air for free, so look to see if there’s a rush on antennas and converter boxes today.