Les Moonves Says It Would Be “Dumb” For Lawmakers To Change Retransmission Rules: Video

The CBS chief rejects Time Warner Cable’s view that networks have too much power to win big price increases in pay TV carriage negotiations, and Washington should help level the playing field. “These deals should be made in the free market,” Les Moonves told CNBC following the 32-day blackout of his stations on TWC systems. Even so, he acknowledged that TWC probably couldn’t have held out much longer. “We sort of knew” that the cable company would come to terms before the NFL season begins.