Cable programmers no longer afraid of big, bad broadcasters

There's some degree of irony that at almost the same moment Cablevision (NYSE: CVC) is caving in to News Corp.'s (Nasdaq: NWSA) demands to pay more for retransmitting its broadcast channels a story in advertising bible Adweek suggests, not too subtly, that broadcast television has lost its panache.

"There's no denying that broadcast and cable ratings have been passing each other heading in opposite directions for a decade, and it's only a matter of time before TNT or USA Network (soon to be in the Comcast fold) chalks up eight figure deliveries," Anthony Crupi writes in the piece.

In short, as a cable network exec told Crupi: "The feeling now is there's nothing to be afraid of anymore."

Unless, of course, you've just locked up a high-priced retransmission deal with a broadcaster.

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