Media Companies Want Programming Contracts Kept Confidential
Some media companies, including CBS Corp. and Walt Disney Co., have sought a court order to stop the U.S. Federal Communications Commission from disclosing programming contracts as part of its review of Comcast Corp.’s proposed purchase of Time Warner Cable Inc.
Bloomberg News reports that the companies will suffer “substantial harm” if distribution agreements are disclosed, lawyers for media companies wrote yesterday in a request for an order in the U.S. appeals court in Washington blocking release of the information.
“The FCC repeatedly has recognized that distribution agreements are entitled to the highest level of confidential treatment,” the companies said in the filing.
Comcast, the largest U.S. cable-TV company, proposed buying No. 2 Time Warner Cable for $45.2 billion in February.
