War of the Worlds:  Time Warner vs. CBS, vs. Showtime

In case you live in the Twilight Zone and haven’t heard…

There is a battle raging for the past week pitting Time Warner Cable (TWC) against CBS and Showtime networks.

It is interesting that many of the media aren’t telling readers about the action of TWC against CBS and Showtime channels.  TWC has dropped the two networks like a hot potato and it has to do with ending contracts and increasing costs to TWC and its subscribers.  The two networks are blacked out on TWC and subscribers are madder than hell.  Shows affected by the blackout are Dexter, Blue Bloods, various sports programs and others.

Apparently the issue has become like a three-headed beast fighting itself, where none of the heads will win or all of the heads will win.  The entity that definitely will NOT win is the three million TWC subscribers who can’t watch their favorite shows.  The blackouts also are affecting advertisers who may have to make urgent decisions.

Customers are angry, but may not know who to blame.  I blame everyone involved:  TWC, CBS and Showtime.  All have become too greedy and don’t care who they hurt.

Many in the know are saying that the blackout may continue close to the 2013 football season.  Football season is the highest rating time for TV watching.

Some believe that this war may cause TWC subscribers to move to Direct TV or Internet entities like Hulu, Google TV, etc.  Advertisers may have to find other markets and may pay more during this urgency period.

TWC has promised refunds to its Showtime customers but none for CBS watchers.  The battle is heating up and many customers don’t know who to blame.  CBS wants to double (from $1 to $2) what is termed a “pre-transmission” fee… a charge per customer that TWC generally passes along to all subscribers, whether or not they may watch CBS, Showtime, sports or not.

The head of the FCC has requested that the warring entities “kiss and makeup” and to stop hurting their customers.  That is about all the FCC can do as it has no real authority to demand anything from any of the parties involved.

So for now, the ones being hurt are the millions of customers who can’t watch their favorite shows and who most likely will get an increase for services no matter who wins.