NEW YORK – They’ve taken the “C” out of AMC.
That’s the reason Time Warner Cable is giving for wanting to drop American Movie Classics from its cable systems. If the two sides don’t reach an agreement by the end of the year, Time Warner subscribers may no longer receive AMC as part of their cable service.
In June, Time Warner charged that AMC breached its contract to provide a classic movie channel with films that are at least 20 years old. As American Movie Classics, AMC was once cable’s top destination for films from the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s. Last year, it underwent a face-lift. Now it’s called AMC: TV for Movie People and has added more recent fare.
According to court papers, Time Warner threatened to drop the channel unless its fees to AMC were reduced.
As the two sides discussed the matter, AMC continued to add original programs about contemporary movies and stars, such as “Sunday Morning Shootout,” in which Hollywood insiders talk about the film business.
The programming moves drove Time Warner to put AMC on notice again last month – it would drop the service unless the two companies agreed on a new contract.
AMC filed a lawsuit against Time Warner last month, asserting that it was never in violation of its contract and claiming the cable company has no legal right to terminate its deal. Now the clock is ticking and AMC is counting on legal relief.
“This is a transparent attempt to create phony leverage that doesn’t exist,” an AMC spokesman said. “We are confident we will win in the courts.”
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AP-NY-12-08-03 1332EST
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