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Time Warner Cable may drop more channels after CBS spat

The Time Warner Center in New York City. (The Desk: Matthew Keys)
The Time Warner Center in New York City. (The Desk: Matthew Keys)

Time Warner Cable customers who have already lost CBS and Showtime may lose even more cable channels if retransmission agreements cannot be reached with other companies within the next month

Time Warner quietly published a legal notice in newspapers across the country saying dozens of standard- and high-definition channels could be removed by early next month. Those channels include E!, Lifetime, Style, Sprout, YouToo and NHL Center Ice.

The cable company also said it may be forced to remove 45 audio-only channels provided by Music Choice.

Time Warner said it was not certain that those channels would be removed, only that the deals to carry the channels were soon expiring. The FCC requires cable companies to notify customers 30 days prior to the removal of any channel.

Last week, Time Warner removed CBS-owned local and cable channels after it failed to reach a retransmission agreement with the company. CBS responded by blocking Time Warner internet customers from viewing videos on its website.

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About the Author:

Matthew Keys

Matthew Keys is an award-winning journalist with more than 10 years of experience covering the business of television and radio broadcasting, streaming services and the overall media industry. In addition to his work as publisher of The Desk, Matthew contributes regularly to StreamTV Insider and KnowTechie, and has worked for several well-known news organizations, including Thomson Reuters, McNaughton Newspapers, Grasswire, Comstock's magazine, KTXL-TV and KGO-TV. Matthew is a member of IRE, a trade organization for investigative reporters and editors, and is based in Northern California.

Email: [email protected] | Signal: 530-507-8380