Disney Doesn't Seek Ownership Rule Revise

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/24/2006 12:45:00 PM

Disney isn't asking the FCC to loosen any of its ownership rules, saying it already has more than enough stations and is looking to using other platforms for content delivery.

With its 10 owned stations covering not quite 24% of the nation, it is well below the national ownership cap of 39%--although that cap is not on the table in the rule rewrite having already been legislated by Congress.

What is definitely in play is owning more multiple stations in markets and owning a station and newspaper in the same market.

Disney also points out that it has not bought a TV station in more than 10 years and sold its interest in the newspaper business a while back as well. It is also going the other direction on the radio side by divesting a, "large number" of its stations.

Disney, instead, says it is looking at new content platforms, including reported talks with telcos about setting up a dedicated content streaming service and being at the forefront of putting high-value content on the Internet.

"Given the increase in, and attractiveness of, new media outlets," the company wrote in a one-page --technically two-- filing in the FCC's media ownership rule review, "in Disney's view, the commission may soon find itself considering ways to incent, rather than restrict, ownership of over-the-air broadcast stations.

However, Disney wishes to repeat that it is not advocating and does not seek any relaxation of the commission's broadcast ownership rules."

The first round of FCC comments were due Oct. 23.