Re: AT&T/Comcast rates

[Richard Chonak <rac@gabrielmass.com>]

Garrett wrote:

> If you want to carry an ABC O&O (or even many affiliates if the affil
> is tight with Mickey) on your cable system, you *must* carry all of
> the Disney channels in extended-basic or digital-basic tiers on your
> cable system (and pay rights fees for every subscriber whether they
> have any interest in watching or not).  You want to offer HBO
> multiplex on your digital system?  Better be prepared to stick all
> your subscribers with the programming costs for ten unrelated AOL-TW
> channels.

Very puzzling.  To me, a non-lawyer, some of this sounds as if
it would be illegal.  

If an affiliate (not Disney-O&O) were to collude with Disney to
impose conditions on a cable operator, I would think that it's a
"combination in restraint of trade".  Obviously there must be
some aspect of the deal that makes this all pristine.

--RC




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