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Cincinnati Bell customers no longer at risk of losing FOX cable channels

Cincinnati Bell reaches new FOX deal.
Posted at 1:30 PM, Jan 01, 2020
and last updated 2020-01-01 19:34:32-05

CINCINNATI -- Cincinnati Bell Fioptics will continue to provide FOX cable channels to customers in a new agreement announced Wednesday.

The deal comes after Cincinnati Bell announced negotiations with FOX last week, saying in a letter to customers that FOX was demanding a 20% increase in rates.

FOX responded in a statement accusing the National Cable Television Cooperative, a nonprofit that represents more than 750 independent cable companies, of fabricating a crisis and “putting its own business objectives ahead of the needs of its members and their respective customers.”

In a statement, FOX accused the NCTC of “putting its own business objectives ahead of the needs of its members and their respective customers.” Before the new agreement, FOX said they offered short-term agreements to each participating NCTC cable company at risk of losing FOX networks.

Channels include FOX News Channel, FOX Business, FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports 2 -- with the addition of the Big Ten Network and Fox Broadcast Video On Demand.

Cincinnati Bell spokesperson Josh Pichler said that since 2009, FOX cable channels have increased their rates over 200 percent.

The terms of the negotiation are unclear.