Looks like Time Warner Cable subscribers will be able to watch ESPN's Monday Night Football opening night game Sept. 13 between the Baltimore Ravens and the New York Jets after all. TWC and ESPN parent company Disney were locked in the latest carriage fee battle that, like all the rest recently, became a public game of chicken, but appear to have reached a truce. The New York Post reports the deal is a signature away.
TWC subs were caught in the middle as the two sides battled not just over carriage fees for broadcast, but over Disney's demand to be paid for its ESPN3.com service on a per subscriber basis. Bloomberg last week reported that Disney wanted 10-cents per subscriber from TWC for access to the site that carries an assortment of live events online. Disney currently has an agreement with Comcast.
The dispute has been as public as a celebrity divorce, with both sides running a barrage of advertisements. Disney ads warned TWC subs to look to satellite or telco offerings if they wanted to be sure not to lose their favorite channels.
For more:
- see this report
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