For Broadcast Nets, Cable Path Is Twisty

摘要

Chase carey, president/COO of News Corp., last week set the television world abuzz with talk about turning Fox from a broadcast network to a cable channel. At one time or another, though, the owner of each of the Big Four nets has looked longingly at cable, with its two streams of revenue, higher profit margins and freedom from FCC programming oversight. The catalyst for contemplating a conversion now is Aereo, the Barry Diller-backed streaming service that threatens millions in hard-won retransmission payments that help keep big-ticket sports on the airwaves.