Time Warner Cable is locked in a licensing battle with News Corp., which could result in News Corp. pulling Fox Broadcasting, Fox Cable, and Fox regional sports programming from the cable provider's lineu

Time Warner Cable is locked in a licensing battle with News Corp., which could result in News Corp. pulling Fox Broadcasting, Fox Cable, and Fox regional sports programming from the cable provider's lineup.

"For the past nine months, Fox has attempted to negotiate in good faith with Time Warner Cable," News Corp. and Fox said in a Friday statement. "Our position in these negotiations is entirely reasonable - we are simply asking for fair compensation for the impressive value our Fox programming offers."

In a Friday e-mail to customers, Time Warner said this fair compensation amounts to a 300 percent increase in the fees the cable provider would pay to keep Fox on the air.

"We know prices keep going up. We've had to announce a few price increases of our own and we know no one's ever happy about that. But up to 300 percent? That's going too far," Time Warner said.

Both companies have now launched Web sites intended to provide their take on the issue. Time Warner's "Roll Over or Get Tough" site debuted on Nov. 25, while Fox on Friday launched www.keepfoxon.com. The Fox site features a countdown to New Year's Eve, when the current licensing deal expires. Fox is also running print advertisements and TV spots, and has set up a call-in number.

"The compensation being sought for the Fox stations is entirely reasonable," Fox said on its Web site. "According to SNL Kagan, the equitable rate Fox is proposing for all its networks is in the same ballpark as what Time Warner pays for ONE cable network, ESPN."

ESPN charges about $4 per subscriber each month, Fox said. Fox did not reveal how much it charges per subscriber, but said that the value of its programing is close to $10 per subscriber.

"The bottom line is that the Fox stations feature some of the nation's most-watched programming with shows such as "24," "American Idol," "House," "Glee," and "The Simpsons," as well as the most compelling sports on television with the National Football League, Major League Baseball, and NASCAR," Fox said.

This is not the first time that Time Warner has been locked in a last-minute licensing battle. Last year, it was Viacom that from Time Warner's lineup unless Time Warner paid 25 cents more per customer, or $39 million.

Days prior to New Year's Eve, Viacom said a deal could not be reached and that its channels would go dark on Jan. 1  but the two sides hours before the deadline. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"Going forward, we will continue actively negotiating with Time Warner Cable in hopes of reaching a fair agreement and will attempt to keep our viewers informed of the situation every step of the way," Fox concluded.

Time Warner also said it will "continue negotiating for a fair agreement that protects our customers' pocketbooks."