ABC, Affiliates End Joint Ownership Talks

Content ownership seems to be the main sticking point for failed talks between ABC and its affiliates about launching a national-local cable news channel built of content from ABC News and ABC affiliates. Content provided by the local stations was to be an essential element of the proposed channel, to be called ABC News Now. Therefore, ABC stations maintained from the start that it should be a joint venture, with the affiliate body and network both holding equity stakes and sharing control, an issue they regarded as just as important as a share of any revenues. More than once over the course of the discussions, ABC and parent Walt Disney Co. had agreed to joint ownership, only to reverse position. NBC and its affiliates share ownership in the NBC Weather Plus joint venture, but no other network has contemplated a joint news operation.
http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/07/abc_affiliates_end_news_now_ta.php
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