Los Angeles Times
When News Corp.’s Fox Broadcasting struck a big deal with Time Warner Cable last January for distribution rights to its Fox TV stations, it also included an interesting clause that may give some Fox affiliates headaches.
As part of the agreement that calls for Time Warner Cable to pay cash to carry Fox-owned stations, should a Fox affiliate (affiliate being a TV station that carries Fox programming but is not owned by Fox) pull its signal from the cable operator, Fox will offer its programming for up to one year.
That Fox clause may be put to use soon as Time Warner Cable is in a tense distribution negotiation with Sinclair Broadcast Group, a Baltimore-based TV station owner that operates 20 Fox affiliates as well as 38 affiliates of other networks. More…