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Time Warner Cable has announced that a 40% increase in retransmission consent fees is forcing the company to add "a new line item called the Broadcast TV fee" onto customer bills to "make customers more aware of these rising costs."

The broadcast TV fee for new or non-promotional video customers is $2.25, and represents a 6% increase. However, according to Time Warner, 70% of its customers won't see any immediate boost because they are in a promotional package.

Satellite and cable firms negotiate to pay a fee with all channels and networks in order to retransmit their programming. Last year, Journal Broadcast Group stations, including WTMJ-TV (Channel 4) in Milwaukee, were blacked out on Time Warner during a dispute over retransmission consent fees.

A Journal Broadcast spokesman declined comment on Time Warner's announcement.

According to Time Warner; "It's important to ... make our customers aware of the substantial amount of money broadcasters have started to charge Time Warner Cable and other TV providers. Retransmission fees paid by TV providers like Time Warner Cable have become a huge source of revenue for networks and local broadcasters ... in addition to the money they already make selling advertising on their programs."

Time Warner said its industrywide retransmission payments went from $215 million in 2006 to $3 billion, and said analysts expect that figure to climb to $6 billion in 2018.

"The increased cost has forced Time Warner Cable and many other TV providers," including AT&T, Comcast and Charter, "to pass along a portion of these costs to customers."