CBS boss blasts Time Warner Cable offer to end blackout over fees

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – CBS chief executive Les Moonves blasted an offer from Time Warner Cable to end a blackout over fees that lingered into its fifth day Tuesday, calling it a clever public relations ploy.

In a letter released Tuesday, Moonves rebuffed Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt’s offer to allow CBS to sell its programming to consumers “a la carte” instead of bundled with other channels.

Moonves said if the cable operator were truly open to the idea, it would allow Los Angeles customers to choose whether to pay for Time Warner Cable’s new sports networks covering Los Angeles Lakers basketball and Los Angeles Dodgers baseball games.

The fight has resulted in a blackout of CBS programming to some 3 million Time Warner Cable subscribers in New York, Los Angeles and Dallas since Friday.

Moonves also declined a Time Warner Cable proposal that would require the cable provider to pay higher rates while getting video streaming rights for no extra charge.

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