--- title: Comcast Accuses TWC Merger Critics Of 'Extortion' | TIME description: Comcast says companies like Netflix, which opposes Comcast's merger with Time Warner Cable, are trying to extort the cable giant. canonical: https://time.com/video/WpAKzaxU/ og:title: Comcast Accuses TWC Merger Critics Of 'Extortion' og:description: Comcast says companies like Netflix, which opposes Comcast's merger with Time Warner Cable, are trying to extort the cable giant. og:url: https://time.com/video/WpAKzaxU/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/WpAKzaxU/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Comcast Accuses TWC Merger Critics Of 'Extortion' twitter:description: Comcast says companies like Netflix, which opposes Comcast's merger with Time Warner Cable, are trying to extort the cable giant. twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/WpAKzaxU/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # Comcast Accuses TWC Merger Critics Of 'Extortion' > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: Comcast Accuses TWC Merger Critics Of 'Extortion' [Watch (HLS stream): Comcast Accuses TWC Merger Critics Of 'Extortion'](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/WpAKzaxU.m3u8) (1:52)  _Published 2014-09-25. Comcast says companies like Netflix, which opposes Comcast's merger with Time Warner Cable, are trying to extort the cable giant._ --- Jul 27, 2023 5:17 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [Can the AT&T-Time Warner Merger Compete with Big Tech? ](/video/j15aO3wl/) ### Can the AT&T-Time Warner Merger Compete with Big Tech? [Comcast Now Has More Internet Customers Than Cable Customers](/video/6lWMrkXU/) ### Comcast Now Has More Internet Customers Than Cable Customers [Charter Bids For Time Warner Cable After Comcast Deal Dies](/video/b1SFtXlT/) ### Charter Bids For Time Warner Cable After Comcast Deal Dies --- ## Transcript Comcast has been in talks to acquire Time Warner Cable since February. A plan that has faced a lot of opposition. But now Comcast is firing back saying the deals opponents are extorting the cable titan in exchange for their approval. The claim comes in 337 page filing to the Federal Communication Commission. In which Comcast singles out Discovery Communications, Netflix, Viamedia, and Dish as demanding special conditions for their approval. In response, Comcast says the FCC should forcefully reject these extortionate anti- consumer efforts, which clearly have nothing to do with the public interests. But are their requests actually extortion? While that's still up for debate a writer for Re / code says the companies were only upholding a long held tradition that those affected by a merger such as this one attach self- serving conditions to their approval of it. And the Consumerist notes when Comcast bought NBC Universal it actually agreed to all sorts of conditions. Such as letting Bloomberg air alongside MSNBC and CNBC. In response to Comcast's claim of extortion Netflix released a statement saying, it is not extortion to demand that Comcast provide its own customers the broadband speeds. Is it extortion when Comcast fails to provide its own customers the broadband speed they've paid for unless Netflix also pays a ransom. Netflix has regularly voiced its opposition to the merger deal, with CEO Reed Hastings expressing his concern in May. Comcast seems to, would love to be the post office. [ LAUGH ] And you know, be, have a national monopoly and collect on everything. But you know, that's not the way the internet works. A spokesman for Discovery Communications, which owns. Channels such as the Discovery channel and Animal Planet also dismissed the extortion claim, telling Bloomberg we stand by our concerns that Comcast could use its enhanced leverage from the proposed merger to impose onerous terms. 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