Expert

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1.3K Messages

Thursday, May 10th, 2012 7:02 PM

Time Warner Cable Sports to Tip Off Lakers-Centric RSNs on Oct. 1

It will be interesting to see what type of carriage issues arise with these new sports channels.  Here is an excerpt from the article found in the link below:

 

It's official now: Time Warner Cable will tip off its two regional sports networks, centering on the Los Angeles Lakers, on Oct. 1.


The largest MSO in Los Angeles will bow Time Warner Cable SportsNet and Spanish-language RSN Time Warner Cable Deportes, which will have its own production team and programming sensibilities, shortly before the National Basketball Association begins its 2012-13 season, according to Time Warner Cable Sports president David Rone.


The foundation for the services was established in February 2011, when Time Warner Cable secured local rights to the Lakers -- whose games have been televised by Fox Sports West and KCAL-TV -- for a 20-year period in a deal that is reportedly valued at $3 billion. Since then, Time Warner Cable Sports also gained rights to the defending Major League Soccer champion Los Angeles Galaxy and the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks.

Rone, in an interview, said Time Warner Cable counts some 2 million customers in the RSNs' territory that extends from "Fresno to the north, the Mexican border to the south, east to Palm Springs and Las Vegas, and Hawaii to the west." All told, those areas encompass some 6 million TV homes.



Rone said that he, senior vice president and general manager of Time Warner Cable Sports Regional Networks Mark Shuken and Dan Finnerty, the senior vice president of Time Warner Cable Sports, who heads affiliate sales, recently began discussions with potential distributors.

 

"We have not had many of them, they literally began last week. In between now and the NCTA Cable Show [which starts May 21 in Boston}, we will have gotten in front of all of the MVPDs that we need to speak to. I'm stressing MVPDs because we're speaking to MSOs, satellite companies and telcos."


Rone would not discuss pricing. Published reports have placed the ask at $3.50 per subscriber for the pair of networks. For his part, ISI Group analyst Vijay Jayant pegs the price at $2.50 per month per subscriber.



A former  executive at Fox Sports, CAA and Evolution Media Capital, Rone did say Time Warner Cable Sports' distribution game plan calls for equal footing for the services.

 

http://www.multichannel.com/article/484345-Time_Warner_Cable_Sports_to_Tip_Off_Lakers_Centric_RSNs_on_Oct_1.php

Voyager

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3 Messages

12 years ago

If U-verse does not sign up to broadcast Laker games I will drop U-verse pay the drop fee and go back to Direct, Dish, and even cable if those providers are showing Laker games.  To view Laker games when they are on the road I suggest TNT, FOX, ESPN, or NBA channels.  If TWC has exclusive rights on Laker road game telecasts they don't have the rights for the Lakers' opponents game telecasts and they will be on the NBA or other sports channels.

Expert

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1.3K Messages

12 years ago


@Dlorah wrote:

 

If U-verse does not sign up to broadcast Laker games I will drop U-verse pay the drop fee and go back to Direct, Dish, and even cable if those providers are showing Laker games.  To view Laker games when they are on the road I suggest TNT, FOX, ESPN, or NBA channels.  If TWC has exclusive rights on Laker road game telecasts they don't have the rights for the Lakers' opponents game telecasts and they will be on the NBA or other sports channels.


They are not.  As of now, only Time Warner and Bright House are carrying that channel.

Voyager

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3 Messages

12 years ago

I know Direct and Dish are not currently carrying the Lakers.  Bottom line, I will sign up with a carrier when they sign up to broadcast the Lakers.  TWC is my last choice, but if that is what it takes to watch the Lakers then I will sigh up with TWC.

Expert

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346 Messages

12 years ago

I find the notion of $3.95 per subscriber quite improbable. The most expensive network for distributors to purchase is ESPN, which is about $4.00 per month per subscriber, and that includes ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, ESPN News, and ESPNU, with all their HD equivalents.

An approximately equal price for a single channel that carries only regionally-interesting content is laughable.

ACE - Master

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480 Messages

12 years ago


@SomeJoe7777 wrote:
I find the notion of $3.95 per subscriber quite improbable. The most expensive network for distributors to purchase is ESPN, which is about $4.00 per month per subscriber, and that includes ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, ESPN News, and ESPNU, with all their HD equivalents.

An approximately equal price for a single channel that carries only regionally-interesting content is laughable.

And that would be blacked out in areas outside the Lakers viewing area. 

 

” Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports … all others are games.”- Ernest Hemingway
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ACE - Professor

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911 Messages

12 years ago

I love how these One Post One and Done people make their threats such as with the Lakers's channel. They make their threats to leave U-Verse because of a brand new channel that only two providers have at this time.

 

I am sure AT&T will immediately roll over because of their threats, and sign contracts just to please these people.


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Owning a computer and not having the internet is like buying a refrigerator and not stocking it with food.
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Visitor

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1 Message

12 years ago

When will you be adding espn 3d and the laker channel to the line up?

ACE - Expert

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36.9K Messages

12 years ago


@kenyaata wrote:

When will you be adding espn 3d and the laker channel to the line up?


ESPN 3D came and went due to lack of content and corresponding lack of interest.

 

I would think a Lakers channel would see much the same fate.

 

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Expert

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1.3K Messages

12 years ago


@JefferMC wrote:

ESPN 3D came and went due to lack of content and corresponding lack of interest.

 

I would think a Lakers channel would see much the same fate. 


The "Lakers' Channel" that people are referring to really isn't a Lakers channel.  Time Warner Cable SportsNet is a new regional sports channel which launched on October 1st.  The new RSN has acquired the rights to the Los Angeles Lakers' games.  As with any other RSN, there will be also be non-Lakers programming broadcast on that channel.

Scholar

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34 Messages

12 years ago

The channel will also carry the L.A. Galaxy and L.A. Sparks

Scholar

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34 Messages

12 years ago

ACE - Master

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480 Messages

12 years ago

FSSD has been around a lot longer than TWC's new channel.

” Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports … all others are games.”- Ernest Hemingway
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Contributor

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1 Message

12 years ago

I was told today they dont have enough requests to get it, but they could easily if everyone reading this goes to:

http://uversechannels.att.com/ and requests the channel. Totally lame but I suggest if you read this you do it....

Contributor

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1 Message

12 years ago

I am an ATT and T U-verse subscriber, but probably not for long.  I was DISGUSTED when I made a phone call to At and T Uverse and the person who answered the phone did NOT KNOW who the LOS ANGELES LAKERS was.  How disgusting is that?

ACE - Expert

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36.9K Messages

12 years ago

The Los Angles who?  There's not a lake near LA.

 

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