As of this moment, ABC is dark on Cablevision.
The two have not been able, evidently, to reach a re-transmission agreement. The difference -- it says on my TV screen -- is only $40M.
If they do not reach an agreement, that means Cablevision subscribers do not get the Academy Awards.
That would be very bad for Cablevision subscribers, Cablevision, ABC, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences -- owners of the Oscars, Oscar broadcast advertisers, the future of the Oscar telecast, the movie industry, and movie fans.
It is also a warning shot about the danger of allowing any valuable commodity to have a limited number of providers, whether that be a commercial company (like ABC & Cablevision), a public utility (eg gas & electric), a large union, a government run service, or even a bridge or tunnel.
Without alternate methods of providing needed goods or services, a complex society like ours is very fragile. Bottlenecks are dangerous!
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