Fans of the FOX action drama “24” may applaud the network’s decision to air the second season premiere commercial-free, but network affiliates are less than amused.
Some stations have threatened to pre-empt the Tuesday, Oct. 29 debut if they are not compensated by FOX for the lost ad revenue, according to Electronic Media.
“Any station that does that is in violation of their contract and is in danger of losing their affiliation,” says Fox Networks Group President and CEO Tony Vinciquerra. The costly move could end up benefiting the affiliates he adds, explaining, “The bigger the first-day audiences on the show, the better it’s going to play the rest of the season.”
As a compromise, some stations are suggesting that FOX give affiliates one extra ad spot for six weeks to make up for the commercials that will not be inserted during the premiere episode.
Source: Zap2It
