New York ABC television's broadcasts went through a blackout earlier this Sunday. ABC broadcasts were not available to Cablevision Systems Corp. customers, after disputes over monthly subscription fees failed to resolve between ABC owner Walt Disney Co. and Cablevision.

The blackout comes in at a time when ABC is set to televise the Academy Awards, which one of the most-watched television programs in the United States.

The General Manager of ABC's New York station, said in a statement on Friday, "If Cablevision CEO James Dolan and the Dolan Family Dynasty have any regard at all for the millions of customers who pay hard earned dollars for their service, they will order their troops to stop slinging mud and start cutting a deal".

Cablevision spokesman Jim Maiella, commenting on the state of the talks on Saturday, said, "The switch is in Bob Iger's hands", referring to Disney's Chief Executive. The feud between the two parties is not a recent thing.

Disney and Cablevision have not been able to reach a long-term deal for the ABC station in New York for almost two years now. Instead, they have been working under short term deals.

The two companies have tried to reach a consensus since January, without reaching any resolution.

Bernstein Research analyst Craig Moffett, says about the debacle, "These fights come down to a very simple calculus: Who can cause whom the most pain?" "Cablevision is uniquely exposed to ABC -their entire business operates in one media market", said Moffett.

Cablevision's TV service reaches approximately 3.1 million households in parts of Connecticut, New York and New Jersey, and its services also include Disney's TV stations.