Legal News

What happens when you mess with viewers of the World Series? They file a class action lawsuit for nearly a half billion dollars. And who can blame them? This is America. I think it's in the Constitution that you have to show the World Series. Or the Bill of Rights or something.

Last night approximately 3 million Cablevision subscribers were unable to see the World Series because of a dispute between Cablevision and News Corp. The same may happen tonight with Game 2. Cablevision has said that it will reimburse Cablevision customers that opt to watch the World Series online at Postseason.tv. The package costs $9.95 per month and Cablevision will reimburse up to two months of charges, the company said in a statement.

The dispute revolves around a $150 million carriage fee that Fox has demanded Cablevision to pay in order to air programs on Fox including Fox News, Glee, House, The Simpsons and the NFL. Cablevision had been paying less than half that amount. The contract stalemate is now on its 13th day.

It looked like it was all going to come to a peaceful resolution Wednesday. Cablevision offered to pay News Corp., the parent company of Fox, the same rate Fox charges to broadcast the channel on Time Warner Cable. But News Corp. wasn't having it. They called the offer "yet another in a long line of publicity stunts," The Star-Ledger reports.

"We have told Cablevision all along we are willing to negotiate a deal ? based on an entire suite of channels ? under the terms we have reached with Time Warner Cable and other providers, or a stand-alone agreement for Fox5, Fox 29 and My9," Fox said in a statement.

Cablevision has now called on the Federal Communications Commission to intervene. Let's hope that everyone can work it out, and quickly so that Cablevision customers can enjoy America's favorite past time.

Related Resources:

• Cablevision Customers File $450 million Class Action Lawsuit (The Hollywood Reporter)
• The FCC Tries To Silence Howard Stern: Can the Radio Shock Jock Sue? (FindLaw)
• CC to Propose Rules Regulating Cell Phone ?Bill Shock? (FindLaw)