BETHPAGE, N.Y., Oct. 27 (UPI) -- Cablevision Systems Corp. says it is disappointed News Corp. rejected its offer Wednesday.
At issue is Fox's demand that Cablevision pay a $150 million fee to air Fox programming. That's more than twice what the cable company has been paying, media reports said.
Fox programs have been missing from Cablevision systems since last week. The continued blackout will include Wednesday's broadcast of the World Series.
"On behalf of our customers, we are very disappointed that we offered News Corp. what they asked to be paid for Fox 5 and Fox 29 and News Corp. has said no," Charles Schueler, Cablevision's executive vice president of communications, said in a statement. "It is now clear beyond a shadow of a doubt that News Corp. is operating in bad faith. We call on the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) to intervene immediately to restore the Fox signals to Cablevision's 3 million homes and order News Corp. to agree to binding arbitration to resolve this conflict."
News Corp. insisted it remains "committed to negotiating a fair deal with Cablevision, but today's incomplete proposal is not acceptable," The Hollywood Reporter said.
"Cablevision is seeking a discounted 'package rate' without buying the entire package. 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, Fox29 and My9, News Corp. said.
