FCC Needs To Tackle ADM Terms in Carriage Deals, Ride TV Says
Alternative distribution method (ADM) clauses in carriage agreements are anticompetitive, hurt the video market and require FCC action "to negate the harmful effects [on] competition and diversity," Ride TV CEO Michael Fletcher said in a filing Monday in docket 15-149.…
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Ride said independent networks like it need relief from practices like ADMs because multichannel video programming distributors "have no right to restrict programmers from distributing their programming via all distribution methods so long as the programmer honors the 'most favored nations' clause of their agreement." Ride said it's not carried on Bright House Networks, Charter Communications or Time Warner Cable systems, but it supports conditions on Charter/TWC/BHN as called for by Herring Networks (see 1603090028).