Filed under: Giants, Phillies, MLB Biz, MLB Fans, MLB Media Watch, World Series, National League Championship Series, Sports Business and MediaNEW YORK (AP) -- Cablevision and FOX parent News Corp. left the negotiating table without a deal Saturday, giving 3 million customers in the New York metropolitan area little hope of watching the first game of baseball's National League Championship Series from their couch.
Both sides met throughout the afternoon Saturday but adjourned before the start of the playoff game between the Phillies and the San Francisco Giants, said Cablevision spokesman Jim Maiella. Negotiators plan to meet again Sunday.
The stalemate that led to FOX pulling its channels and, briefly, online content from subscribers in parts of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut early Saturday was the latest in a series of programming fee disputes that have led to blackouts of programs such as the Oscars. But the impasse amounted to more than corporate wrangling for Bronx resident Clifford Taylor.
"We live for sports," Taylor said. "Die-hard New Yorker fans, we love to see the Yankees and Giants play."
Hard-core hometown fans like Taylor could still hold out hope: No New York teams were scheduled for games broadcast on FOX until Sunday, when the New York Giants play the Detroit Lions. The American League Championship Series between the Yankees and Texas Rangers, which began Friday, is airing on TBS and isn't affected by the dispute.
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"I guess I'm gonna have to run to some local bar or something, to see if they get it," fellow Giants fan Joe Figueroa said. "It's all about the money. They're always greedy."
According to Cablevision, the dispute is about $80 million, to be precise. The cable company says that News Corp. is asking for that much more a year for access to 12 FOX channels, including those in dispute. That would more than double the yearly rate to $150 million, says the company, which is demanding that FOX enter into binding arbitration.
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