Time Warner Cable provided a ray of hope today to viewers affected by the company’s impasse with CBS, which has taken the broadcast network and CBS-owned cable networks off TWC’s systems.

USA Today reports: "With a CBS programming blackout well into its fourth day for Time Warner Cable customers, the cable company proposed to restore the stations if CBS agrees to ‘the new economics TWC reluctantly agreed to’ during negotiations while other terms from their expired contracts are kept."

TWC CEO Glenn Britt made the offer in a letter sent today to CBS CEO Leslie Moonves. "Britt also implied that TWC was willing to forgo its insistence on the digital rights that would allow the cable company to distribute the network’s older shows," the report adds.

Britt’s letter reportedly states: "Although those terms are not ideal to CBS or TWC, and would leave TWC and our customers without the digital rights that CBS has provided to others, since both parties have lived under those terms productively for many years, we believe we should continue to live with them in the interest of restoring CBS immediately for the benefit of the consumers."

The report adds: "If CBS refuses the new proposals, TWC is still willing to resume network programming by allowing CBS to make its stations available to TWC a la carte at prices and terms of its choosing, Britt’s letter said."

Britt added: "This way, rather than our debating the point, we would allow customers to decide for themselves how much value they ascribe to CBS programming."

CBS said it had received the letter, adding in a statement: "We are formulating our response."