Cable ad outsourcer Viamedia says the proposed Comcast/Time Warner Cable merg would adversely impact the spot cable market unless the FCC puts conditions on the deal.
That came in an FCC filing this week responding to Comcast's assertion that concerns about the spot cable market are "unfounded."
On Aug. 22, Comcast told the FCC that Viamedia's complaints that the deal would hurt small spot cable buyers, lodged with the New York Public Service Commission, was not legitimate, in part because the relevant market is the whole ad pie, not just cable.
"As noted, cable advertising is just a small part of the local advertising marketplace, and advertisers have numerous local options both on television and elsewhere," Comcast said. "The fact that Comcast today manages interconnects in other regions is irrelevant to the competitive analysis, since these interconnects do not compete with the TWC interconnects that Comcast will come to manage after the Transactions. Like other issues raised in this proceeding, Viamedia’s advocacy is driven not by a legitimate concern about competition but rather by its own business objectives."
