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| Showtime Cast Members |
They have have gone too far. Time Warner/Brighthouse has removed Showtime. Or is it vice-versa? Each blames the other.
Is it time for me to switch cable providers or should I cut the cable and get a Netflix subscription?
Time Warner you have until Sunday 9pm to get Showtime back up or you are history in my house.
Time Warner drops Showtime and Showtime loses millions a day in fees. This puts the pressure on Showtime. (So no, Showtime is not the good guy it wants you to think it is by offering to not pull its shows.) Showtime gets its licks in by telling viewers to call Time Warner to complain and to switch cable channels.
And we are caught in the middle. Switch cable providers only to have the same thing happen next year with the new provider? Or do we just tough it out and hope it is over in a day or two?
I complained via email to Time Warner and got this in reply.
As of 5 p.m. ET on August 2, 2013
our agreement with CBS Corporation has expired. Channels affected include
Showtime, The Movie Channel, Flix, Smithsonian and CBS content on Primetime on
Demand. It is important for our customers to know that we carry hundreds of
channels and agreements are being negotiated and renewed all the time.
Normally, these situations eventually get resolved, so we believe this is a
temporary situation.
If you had not seen information
regarding the negotiations prior to the signal no longer being available to
you, below you will find an overview of the situation and helpful viewing
options regarding CBS Corporation's programming.
As a valued Bright House Networks
customer, it is important for you to know the following:
- This happens to other providers
too. In fact, in 2012 alone, there were nearly 100 blackouts of local TV
stations across cable, satellite and telephone company distributors, according
to the American Television Viewer Alliance.
- Customers who currently pay to
subscribe to Showtime or The Movie Channel will have credits applied to their
account automatically, based on how many days the programming is unavailable.
Depending on your billing cycle, you may see credits on both your August and
September statements.
- We believe broadcaster blackouts
are wrong. Despite CBS Corporation's blackout, we expect negotiations to
continue and anticipate that the channels will be returned to the lineup
shortly.
- Get the latest updates about the
blackout and what channels are affected in your immediate area at http://onyourside.brighthouse.com.
I also learned that CBS is affected and you may not be able to get CBS programming online. I checked Hulu, Nefliix, iTunes and amazon. So far as I can tell recent episodes are not available. Does anyone have information? I guess the best bet is to find a friend who has a different cable provider.
Read the latst info on my August 13 post.
Learn how to contact CBS Showtime on my August 9 post.
Update: The dispute is over and Showtime and CBS are back on Time Warner Cable as of Monday September 2nd at 3 pm.
Learn how to contact CBS Showtime on my August 9 post.
Update: The dispute is over and Showtime and CBS are back on Time Warner Cable as of Monday September 2nd at 3 pm.
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