Comcast deal may offer media companies leverage on fees

Media companies plan to press Comcast for higher fees in 2015, seeing an opportunity to squeeze better terms from the US cable company as regulators review its planned takeover of Time Warner Cable.

Comcast and Time Warner Cable paid nearly $14 billion to content companies in 2013 for rights to distribute their films, television shows and sporting events. Broadcasters and cable television networks have "assignment clauses" in their contracts with Time Warner Cable that require the networks to sign off before Comcast can merge the two cable operators' agreements, according to people who have negotiated agreements in the past. Media executives say most programmers will push for higher rates in return for expanding their deals to cover digital distribution of their content.