Time Warner May Drop Fox, Says Fox

Fox brought its testy negotiations with Time Warner out into the open today, publicly warning that it was “very likely” it would pull its programming from the cable provider. Fox wants $1 per subscriber for its free-to-air broadcast network, a price Time Warner has balked at, saying the 25-to-50-cent range is more consistent with other networks' prices.

“We hope Fox won't punish our customers by taking their programming away while we try to reach an agreement ,” a Time Warner spokesman said. The provider tried a similar public negotiating tactic last month, asking subscribers to complain to Fox lest they face rising cable bills. But the provider’s eager to work out a deal by Jan. 12, when the new season of Fox’s American Idol starts. (More Fox stories.)