Steve Mehs
06-04-03, 04:19 AM
Companies are beginning to approach the Federal Communications Commission concerning News Corp.'s proposed takeover of DirecTV and Hughes.
News Corp. and FOX approached FCC staff concerning retransmission consent for FOX owned and operated stations, in relation to their takeover of the satellite TV business. In a correspondence sent to the FCC, FOX said it has retransmission consent deals in place with every cable and satellite TV operator in the markets where it has a an O&O station, specifically the 11 largest cable operators and DirecTV and EchoStar.
The retrans deals with the largest pay-TV operators represent about 33.5 million subscribers, and 93 percent of pay-TV subscribers in the markets where FOX owns a station, the companies told the FCC.
About 450 smaller cable systems saw their agreements with FOX expire Dec. 31, 2002, the companies said. Those operators serve about 2.4 million customers. As of the end of May, roughly two-thirds of that group of smaller cable operators was granted retransmission consent without seeking carriage of any FOX cable/satellite networks, FOX and News Corp. said.
The remaining third were asked to carry FOX networks in exchange for retransmission consent. About 45 percent of operators in that remaining group have signed agreements or were granted retransmission consent, while the rest of the group is in negotiation of are awaiting execution of a deal, the companies said.
In another move related to the takeover, executives with Pegasus approached Kenneth Ferree of the FCC's Media Bureau on the pending transaction. There wasn't a lot of detail concerning the meeting, except that the sides discussed pricing and other issues related to the sale of programming and other services to distributors by non-affiliated and affiliated programmers and vendors, stated a filing Pegasus made at the FCC.
From SkyReport (http://www.skyreport.com) (Used with Permission)
News Corp. and FOX approached FCC staff concerning retransmission consent for FOX owned and operated stations, in relation to their takeover of the satellite TV business. In a correspondence sent to the FCC, FOX said it has retransmission consent deals in place with every cable and satellite TV operator in the markets where it has a an O&O station, specifically the 11 largest cable operators and DirecTV and EchoStar.
The retrans deals with the largest pay-TV operators represent about 33.5 million subscribers, and 93 percent of pay-TV subscribers in the markets where FOX owns a station, the companies told the FCC.
About 450 smaller cable systems saw their agreements with FOX expire Dec. 31, 2002, the companies said. Those operators serve about 2.4 million customers. As of the end of May, roughly two-thirds of that group of smaller cable operators was granted retransmission consent without seeking carriage of any FOX cable/satellite networks, FOX and News Corp. said.
The remaining third were asked to carry FOX networks in exchange for retransmission consent. About 45 percent of operators in that remaining group have signed agreements or were granted retransmission consent, while the rest of the group is in negotiation of are awaiting execution of a deal, the companies said.
In another move related to the takeover, executives with Pegasus approached Kenneth Ferree of the FCC's Media Bureau on the pending transaction. There wasn't a lot of detail concerning the meeting, except that the sides discussed pricing and other issues related to the sale of programming and other services to distributors by non-affiliated and affiliated programmers and vendors, stated a filing Pegasus made at the FCC.
From SkyReport (http://www.skyreport.com) (Used with Permission)