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The arts channel went dark on the No. 2 cable company’s systems yesterday, although Crown Media’s Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel — which were also on the bubble — survived with a last-minute, long-term carriage deal. But Time Warner Cable warns subscribers in an online notice today that there’s no guarantee it will continue to carry several other channels whose contracts expire soon including mainstays such as E!, Lifetime, and Starz, and a bevy of international services. While AMC Networks-owned IFC and WEtv made it into 2013 on Time Warner Cable, they’re still in jeopardy — along with soccer channel GOL TV — as part of CEO Glenn Britt’s campaign to rationalize the company’s bloated channel offerings. Former Vice President Al Gore’s Current TV also remains in danger, although it survived a possible year-end purge. Other channels Time Warner Cable identified as being under review include Encore, Music Choice, News 12, NHL Network, ShopNBC, Smithsonian HD, and Style Network. Last month, Britt said at an investor conference that his company is “going to take a hard look at each service and those services that cost too much relative to the viewership, we’re going to drop them.” With the economy “bouncing along the bottom,” he said that “the consumer is telling us that we can’t afford these prices anymore.”
Related: Time Warner Cable Plans To Drop Ovation
Ovation hasn’t given up hope of returning to Time Warner Cable, which has 12.2M video subscribers. At year end it presented the cable company with a petition with more than 25,000 signatures urging it to keep the channel. Last month, Alec Baldwin tweeted followers to “take a stand for the arts” by telling Time Warner Cable not to drop Ovation. “The outpouring of support we have seen over the past few weeks demonstrates that the arts matter to people and that Ovation is fulfilling an important role as the only cable network dedicated to the arts,” Ovation COO Chad Gutstein says. “Time Warner Cable should listen to the voices of tens of thousands of viewers, partners, celebrities and arts lovers.”
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Then why the Hell don’t they drop every thing but ABC, CBS & NBC and get it over with?
then why dont we just go back to the old antenna tv…makes as much sense as that comment…as an american we do like variation
I have Time Warner Cable, and of the channels listed, keep only E! and Music Choice…the rest can go.
Here’s a better idea, why not end the unethical monopolistic practice of forced bundling and take the choice of which channels are available out of the hands of the cable companies and put it where it belongs, in the hands of the consumers who are willing to pay for the channels they want?
Ala carte programming is inevitable whether Comcast or Time Warner like it or not and the sooner they accept it the better.
If Intel’s recently announced effort to bring ala carte programming to consumers isn’t succesful then sooner or later a telco cable provider with no ownership stake in a content producing company or a SATV company is going to realize they can bleed traditional cable of all their customers by offering consumers the option of not paying for whole bundles of channels they don’t want or watch.
One way or another, sooner rather than later it’s coming and the current cable model is going away.
Have to agree with Paul. Time Warner Cable is attempting to strong arm the networks in order to renegotiate carrier agreements at a lower cost in order to maximize profits. Chances are, if they succeed in doing so, they won’t pass on the savings to the consumer, and you can bet that the other carriers [DISH, DirecTV, etc] will follow suit. The current pay TV model us unsustainable.
I’m also a Time Warner subscriber, and there’s no reason for them to drop E! from their lineup. It’s a popular network. The others can go though. Also, who is Alex Baldwin? Is he related to Alec?
E! is apparently not popular enough.
Why exactly did they think a petition with only 25,000 signatures would sway TWC? It only makes TWC’s point that very few are watching.
According to Nielsen, Ovation is up 35% “in total day household ratings year over year, placing it #5 in terms of annual growth across 102 ad-supported cable networks.” TWC is a bully.
Come on e!, lifetime, and starz? What a bunch of bs. Sounds like time Warner is just trying to cover the cost of the lakers without just upping the cable bill anymore.
Yet another reason why a la carte options should be in place for television providers. If enough people were willing to pay a nominal feel to keep Ovation, they can pay and let the rest of us spend our money for channels we want.
Does anyone find the TW logo a bit creepy – the eye of horus?
they are watching us thru our tv’s…..
Ovation was my fallback channel after Trio got slaughtered.
If there’s any channels that need to get the ax, why not History seeing how it’s the Pawn Stars marathon, A&E with continual Storage Wars and Tru with round the clock Hardcore Pawn. More channels and less offerings.
History was one of my favorite channels. They have become one of pay TV’s reality programming whores. Last I knew, they had a mere 10% increase in viewership. Its the way the pay TV industry has been going. Get more for less.
What is the first thing you are taught when you play sports? Always look at the scoreboard to see if you are winning. Accord to Google Ovation only had a 1% market share with an average of 27,000 viewers. Sad fact? The lowest common denominator will draw more viewers. Garbage floats to the top, while quality broadcasting will sink like a rock!
My prediction for the new year: Many TWC subscribers will drop them and sign up for DirecTV, Dish, Verizon FiOS, etc.
What TWC does now, the other will surely do. Carrier jumping isn’t the cure — cutting the cord is.
So once these channels are dropped and TWC is saving money, will those savings be passed on to the subscriber?
Bueller? Bueller?
That would make too much sense. Unfortunately, once prices go up they never go back down. It’s like the gas prices. Barrels could drop to $30, but gas will never go below 2.50 . The price of cable amazes me. In like 10 years these bundles will be $300-$400 a month. It’s obvious they don’t care. This pay more, must be better complex makes no sense. Wouldn’t being the cheapest price and getting all the customers be the way to go? Tell the cable channels that this is what we can afford to charge our customers and be the industry leader. If you don’t like it, good luck going elsewhere and having little to no viewers, because we have them all.
The funny thing is, these are ad-supported networks that are constantly asking for more $, while at the same time, they are not offering anything new and original. I can get behind increases when they are actually spending more $ to produce it. It does not cost a whole lot to produce a reality TV show, and I can’t see any of the networks justifying passing on the cost of syndication increases for shows like The Big Band Theory, Prison Break, Two & A Half Men, etc.
Ed Rooney to TWC;
“Come here doggy! Look what Uncle Ed’s got for you, you little f***er!”
Can’t see TWC dropping rates.
Seems to me that Time-Warner and other cable/satellite companies would do better by their customers’ complaints about rising prices by letting them (us) opt out of subscribing to the highest-cost channels, the ones that are most often clearly not worth the price.
Case in point: ESPN.
I love Ovation…and neilsen says they are one of the fastest growing networks..and besides if the reports are right there are 20 other channesls that could be dropped that are lower rated and keep only arts network alive. They kept that
Hey, way to show you’re an ostrich with your head in the sand, Time Warner. You’re doing exactly what publishers have done with writers. Those writers went directly to readers and are doing generally fine. In this age of tablets and other streaming services, you’ll find out what you’re *really* cutting is your own damn throat — and that even *more* people will cut their cord with *you*.
I agree, Rob. I’m paying for several ESPN channels and Univision, which I never watch.
I wish they would drop IFC; it would teach them for going commercial, a seemingly glaring contradiction to the entire point this channel exists in the first place.
that move really bothered me too ..putting commercials on IFC. just seems like they have gotten greedy for money
Same goes for the once wonderful AMC, now the John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Brad Pitt Channel with 20 minutes of commercials per 60 minutes of cinematic crap. Drop AMC now! It won’t be missed.
I am a TWC subscriber and would not miss a single one of the channels being discussed. Funny thing about TWC… every couple of months they try to raise my rates; I call and bitch about it; they cut my bill back to something a bit lower than I started with. One of these days I will have to drop them I am sure
Opting out of ESPN, if Disney would even allow it, would mean all the other Disney channels would cost you more to make up the difference. Not to mention the sports fans that opt out of ABC, ABC family, The Disney channels etc would no longer be subsidizing those channels, raising their price even more.
Basically you would have to have the choice of either opting out of the entire Disney package, or pay just as much if not more than you are now for the same channels, except the one sports/general interest channel you don’t want.
One thing is for sure, Disney and other content providers aren’t going to accept less money than they get now until their customers abandon them in droves, which isn’t showing any signs of happening anytime soon.
I think all companies cable or satellite should reconsider ala cart channels. So people just pay for channels they want. Saves cable money and people get what they want.
I would be all for it if my bill was reduced in kind but it won’t be.
It is just like food makers putting out “New!” packaging which means they reduced the size but kept the price.
No thank you – good bye TWC
Considering the way in which TWC has been brutalizing its subscribers (and I’m one of them), I’m at the point where I look back fondly on the days when television was 3 networks, an antenna on the roof, and no outrageous monthly bills for channels I don’t want or watch. Am I alone?
Good riddance to Ovation. If Ovation wanted more viewers, the channel could have gotten rid of its “bug,” the annoying logo it plastered on its broadcasts (but not on its numerous commercials). TWC should survey its subscribers asking which cable station “bugs” the viewers dislike the most ans then boot off the TWC lineup those stations who come out worst. The DIY channel, with its promos plastered on its shows along with a bug, should be the first to get knocked off TWC. Getting rid of The Movie Channel’s bug infested programs would be no loss. WNET’s “thirteen” bug qualifies that PBS station for elimination, it could do its fundraising for viewers with antennas. And Turner Classic Movies, almost bug-free, should get moved up to the channel 3 position where it belongs.
I’m a TWC subscriber in NYC who has been forced to keep their lousy service since my building has an exclusivity contract with them. I maybe, MAYBE watch a dozen or so channels: CBS, NBC, FOX, ABC, TBS, FX, TV Land, WGN, MY9, WPIX11, HBO (original), and Showtime (original). You can have the rest, and i wouldn’t even care.
Many people in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have cut the cord and gone to Digital TV. And look at what they get: free soccer from Mexico, Chinese dramas, THIS TV, ethnic music…DTV will put cable out of business in the Big Apple in 10 years.
If Time Warner is dropping channels, then will I get a discount? I should. We all should. I am and have been an ongoing customer since the company first started in New York City.