The moves underscore tensions between cable companies and broadcasters as they move into the digital era of making content available to their customers on mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones. Does Time Warner Cable (TWC) have the rights to beam the TV shows it buys from Fox, Viacom, and Discover over the Internet to its customers? There is no clear answer to that question.

Analyst Rob Enderle, with the Enderle Group, called this fight a collision of old technology and new. "While this battle rages the consumer is caught in the middle," he said.

In the interim, companies such as TWC, are boldly testing the limits of broadcasting and offering consumers new choices they have never had before from their cable company. TWC is unique in that it allows you to watch live feeds of television shows letting you to watch live CNN programming, for example, on your iPad the same way you would watch on your TV.

TWC is Winning the Live-TV-on-the-iPad Race

Friday's move is an impressive rebound for TWC from Thursday's retreat. It also solidifies the TWC app as the one to watch in live-TV-on-the-iPad race.