Former Fox News Channel host Glenn Beck is voicing concern over Comcast’s $45 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable, The Post has learned.
Beck’s online news and opinion venture, TheBlaze, has held in-depth meetings with federal regulators recently to weigh in with its reservations, sources said.
The issues discussed include how “most favored nation” clauses affect competition and whether the cozy pay-TV ecosystem is shutting out new competition from digital players.
“Like other media companies,” Lynne Costantini, president of business development at Beck’s venture, told The Post, “TheBlaze has ongoing conversations in Washington for two primary reasons: to have a seat at the table relative to proposed legislation and regulation that could impact our businesses, and to provide our unique perspective.”
The DC talks follow concerns first voiced by executives at TheBlaze when the Comcast deal was first announced.
“As monopolies in the markets that they serve, cable companies often ignore their subscribers’ wishes,” TheBlaze CEO Chris Balfe said in a statement when Comcast first announced its Time Warner Cable deal. “We are skeptical that giving Comcast even more market power will benefit consumers, promote competition or lead to more diversity of voices or consumer choice on their channel lineups.”
TheBlaze has 300,000 subscribers, who pay $9.99 a month for online access but has had a hard time accessing widespread carriage. It is carried by Dish and some cable operators.
It is not the only media venture questioned by the Justice Department about the likely effect of Comcast’s acquisition of TWC, The Post has learned.
BBC America, too, has talked with regulators, sources said.
The company said it wasn’t immediately able to respond.
Niche healthy-living service Veria backed by Zee TV, also spoke up about its difficulties gaining carriage.
The battle to win regulatory approval of the mega-deal, where the No. 1 and No. 2 cable companies are set to hook up, is just amping up.
More than 50 Washington lobbyists, law firms and other entities have been enlisted by Comcast and TWC to help in their fight, Politico recently reported.
Comcast has pledged to sell off 3 million subscribers and preserve New York jobs, and to extend the net neutrality provisions it agreed to when it bought NBCUniversal.
Cablevision, which is a potential acquisition target if cable consolidation continues, doesn’t have a view it wants to share publicly, a spokesperson said.
The Justice Department, which is expected to be the regulator reviewing the merger since it handled Comcast’s purchase of NBC¬Universal, would not comment on any talks it might be having regarding the Comcast deal.
In addition to a Washington regulatory review, state attorneys general offices could jump into the fray, industry sources said, since the issue affects cities’ cable-franchise agreements that may have change-of-control provisions.