New Charter Should Be Conditioned on Adding Independent Channels, Ride Television Network Says
New Charter should be required to launch more independent channels as a condition of Charter's buying Bright House Networks and Time Warner Cable, Ride Television Network CEO Michael Fletcher and President Craig Morris told FCC Media and Wireline bureau staff…
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and Owen Kendler, who's heading the FCC working team overseeing the deals' review, said an ex parte filing Thursday in docket 15-149. Ride executives also said the FCC should launch a proceeding about making this an industrywide requirement and look at multichannel video programming distributors "requiring 'most favored nation' treatment by programmers but not offering the same to independent programmers." Ride said large MVPDs "for the most part, have little interest in launching new, independent channels," leading to artificial constraints on consumer choice. In a statement, Charter said it "is committed to providing its customers access to diverse and independent programming and we carry more than 100 minority focused networks and offer more Spanish language programming than any other major provider. We appreciate the support for New Charter by numerous independent programmers including TV One, Baby First, RFD-TV, One World Sports, Fuse Media, Ovation, Inspire, AXS TV, The Blaze, Condista, Bounce TV, Crown Media and Reelz.”