Comcast, Disney Hammer Away at Retransmission Deal

Mike Reynolds

Facing an Oct. 15 deadline, Comcast and Walt Disney at presstime were continuing to negotiate for a retransmission-consent deal in the Philadelphia market.

At stake is continued Comcast carriage of ABC-owned and -operated station WPVI, which serves Philadelphia and surrounding areas in New Jersey.

"We're still talking with them," says a Comcast spokeswoman. "It's business as usual at this point."

An ABC spokeswoman adds, "The parties are still at the table."

Neither party would discuss contingency plans if an accord could not be struck.

Comcast's pact with WPVI expired Dec. 31, 1999, but the 10-month extension was granted during the period when Disney was also negotiating retransmission consent with Time Warner Cable in New York and other markets.

Sources say many of the same things that led to the pulling of WABC-TV by Time Warner in New York last May - and the national conflagration it created - are on the table in Philadelphia, namely: the migration of Disney Channel from premium to basic; carriage for Toon Disney and 24-hour soap opera channel SoapNet; and better positioning and rate increases for ESPN networks.

Others suggest another extension might be in the offing.

"Given what happened in New York, I can't imagine the station would not be carried," says an ABC source. "The parties will likely agree to agree to continue talking."

Anne Sweeney, president of ABC Cable Networks Group and Disney Channel Worldwide, who played a significant role in the Disney/Time Warner dispute, declined to address the specific issues that were on the table with Comcast.

"Each relationship with operators is unique, with its own set of issues," she says.

Sweeney had no plans to be in Philadelphia over the weekend as part of the negotiations but instead says she will be spending time at home with her family in California.

Sweeney, who had been president of Disney/ABC Cable Networks and Disney Channel since 1998, last week added worldwide responsibilities to her oversight of Disney Channel in the United States. Sweeney is charged with extending the company's television presence internationally.