CBS-Time Warner Cable fight invites football fans’ wrath

Peyton and Eli Manning may play a starring role in bringing the long-running CBS-Time Warner Cable fight to an end while at the same time putting pressure on Washington to change the law at the heart of the dispute.

The contract battle, which has dragged on for nearly a month, has resulted in CBS blackouts for Time Warner Cable customers in New York, Los Angeles and Dallas. But if it plays out like other major “retransmission” spats in recent years, a major sports event like the Sept. 15 Manning brothers matchup in the Giants-Broncos game may act as a catalyst to bring the companies together for an agreement. Disputes like this one — with a broadcaster demanding more compensation from a pay-TV operator to run its programming — often precede a big NFL game, the World Series or the Oscars, high-profile events that raise the negotiating stakes. But by turning consumers into pawns, the strategy also carries risks.