Time Warner Cable

The more things change, the more they stay the same. On Tuesday, Viacom, parent of MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central, was accused in a lawsuit filed by New York-based cable operator Cablevision Systems Corp. of engaging in anti-competitive and monopolistic business practices. The suit, filed in federal court in New York, charges that Viacom unfairly leverages the strength of its strong networks to get distribution for its weaker channels. "Viacom effectively forces Cablevision's customers to pay for and receive little-watched channels in order to get the channels they actually want," the suit said, adding that such behavior is an abuse of market power and does irreparable harm to the pay-TV industry.

Pay-TV distributors Time Warner Cable and DirecTV have come out in support of Cablevision Systems Corp.'s lawsuit against Viacom Inc. The battle is over how Viacom, parent of more than 20 cable channels including MTV and Nickelodeon, sells its networks to cable and satellite companies. Cablevision claims that Viacom illegally forces distributors to carry low-rated channels in return for access to its popular networks. The practice, known as bundling, is commonplace in the media industry.

After the coffee. Before a much-needed three-day weekend! The Skinny: As you Angelenos drive into work today and gripe about traffic, be grateful you don't live in D.C. The traffic here makes Los Angeles look like a paradise. But we do have a football team! I'm looking forward to being back home this weekend. Friday's headlines include the box office preview, a new partner for CBS and a review of "Safe Haven. " Daily Dose: Now that the cable channel has struck a deal with CBS for more content (see below)

After the coffee. Before figuring out who forgot to send me a valentine. The Skinny: I'm in D.C., where a tiny bit of snow and rain has frozen the roads and created distress. In my youth that meant snow day! Now it's just a pain in the you-know-what. Thursday's headlines include Time Warner looking to unload many of its magazines and a review of the new "Die Hard" movie. Daily Dose: Actor J.K. Simmons is doubling down on his TV options. Set to star in an ABC mid-season comedy called "Family Tools," he has now also been cast in a new NBC sitcom in development for next season.

Time Warner Cable Deportes will kick off its first season telecasting Galaxy games Tuesday, Feb. 19, by broadcasting a preseason exhibition between Major League Soccer's defending champions and the reigning Mexican League champion Xolos of Tijuana. Time Warner Cable signed a record 10-year, $55-million broadcast deal with the Galaxy 16 months ago, and a big part of the deal was exclusive Spanish-language coverage on TWC Deportes. It was such a big part of the agreement, in fact, that this off-season Galaxy President Tim Leiweke focused almost exclusively -- and, ultimately, unsuccessfully -- on signing a player who would resonate with Southern California's Latino fans.

After the coffee. Before deleting my Twitter Vine app. The Skinny: I think the producers of "Smash" should watch "Nashville" to learn how to produce a musical drama. I'm even starting to get into country music. Thursday's stories include Time Warner's plans to increase original programming on the Turner networks and CBS's concerns about revealing costumes during Sunday's Grammy Awards. Daily Dose: Satellite broadcaster Dish Network has struck a deal with Fox Sports to carry the latter's San Diego regional cable channel, which is home to the Padres.

News Corp. continues to bet big on sports. Rupert Murdoch's media company is planning a new national 24-hour Fox Sports cable channel and has been adding regional sports networks to its portfolio. But a top company executive conceded Wednesday that the TV sports landscape is becoming increasingly tricky -- and expensive. “We believe we are making the right decisions in navigating this invaluable yet complicated business,” News Corp.'s chief operating officer, Chase Carey, told analysts during a call to discuss the company's earnings.

Time Warner Cable has made both TWC SportsNet and TWC Deportes available for Internet and mobile viewing. Subscribers through Time Warner Cable and DirecTV can watch Lakers games on their computers, Android tablets and phones, iPads and iPhones. “Time Warner Cable SportsNet and Time Warner Cable Deportes are using the latest technology for on-the-go viewing because it is critically important to sports fans to be connected to their teams 24/7,” said Mark Shuken, general manager of TWC Sports Regional Networks.

Time Warner Cable has sought to downplay a report that its chief executive, Glenn Britt, was planning to leave the nation's second-largest cable company at the end of the year. The Wall Street Journal, citing an anonymous source, said Friday that Britt had decided to depart his position of 12 years, a tenure marked by large expansion in residential cable service, technological upgrades to broadband Internet and the 2009 separation from parent company Time Warner Inc. The 63-year-old Britt's contract was extended last year and is set to expire at the end of 2013.  However, Time Warner Cable said Friday that no decision has been made about a possible departure.

Now that Time Warner Cable has beaten Fox Sports for the TV rights to the Los Angeles Dodgers, it's time for the loser to make a dramatic move in retaliation. And that should be lowering the price of its Prime Ticket cable channel next year after it stops carrying the Dodgers. After all, the Dodgers are the channel's marquee property and without them, ratings for Prime Ticket will take a hit. The fee for Prime Ticket to distributors such as DirecTV and Time Warner Cable is about $2.50 a month per-subscriber, according to industry research firm SNL Kagan.