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

ACE - Professor

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911 Messages

12 years ago


@texasguy37 wrote:

@Gospy wrote:

 

What other providers do is irrelevant to the discussion.

 

I will cancel my tv subscription if a deal is not reached.  I only have cable for sports, so if that gets taken away I might as well not buy it anymore.  There are plenty of alternative options.


I completely disagree.  The fact that no carriage agreements have been negotiated should tell you something about the strategy being used by Time Warner.

 

http://www.latimes.com/sports/lakersnow/la-sp-ln-lakers-distribution-negotiations-20121021,0,6757007.story


Gosby: To further add to what Texasguy has said, unless you live in the Regional Sports Network area served by the Lakers, and can get Time Warner Cable at your home, you are completely out of luck with other television providers. There are NOT plenty of options. Your only option at this time is Time Warner Cable.

 

I hope you are not a one and done one post wonder, and will come back to the forum to comment.


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

 

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

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1.3K Messages

12 years ago

Looks like TWC is having a hard time negotiating carriage of the new Time Warner SportsNet channels:

 

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-lakers-channel-time-warner-cable-20121025,0,5784829.story

Scholar

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7 Messages

12 years ago

Charter has signed on to carry the channel. Missed opportunity for Uverse to gain substantial subscribers in socal

ACE - Master

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480 Messages

12 years ago


@AmishGuy91 wrote:
Charter has signed on to carry the channel. Missed opportunity for Uverse to gain substantial subscribers in socal

Not really.  So far none of the "Major" players have signed up for the channel. Sounds like they have over priced themselves.  Sounds like TWC. They were overpriced as a service when I had them but they were the only game in town when I had to use them.

 

” Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports … all others are games.”- Ernest Hemingway
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*I am not a DIRECTV employee, and the views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.

Expert

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1.3K Messages

12 years ago


@AmishGuy91 wrote:
Charter has signed on to carry the channel. Missed opportunity for Uverse to gain substantial subscribers in socal

Charter is a minor player among the providers in the Lakers' market, and as you stated, they only signed a deal today.  Where are DirecTV, Dish and Cox, who are the major players in that market?

Scholar

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71 Messages

12 years ago

Verizon Fios will carry it now as well as TW is shuffling to make deals before the season kicks off. U-verse will get it I'm sure, but for those of us not in CA it really makes no difference to us so when you say U-Verse is doomed if they don't get it.......not so much.

Guru

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62 Messages

12 years ago

Oh Hamburgers, All Southern California TV Providers should say No the LA Lakers pure Greed. Too Bad Charter and Verizon Fios Just Screwed over all Customers. for network that should be offer as a Premium Channel.

ACE - Master

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480 Messages

12 years ago


@siouxmoux wrote:

Oh Hamburgers, All Southern California TV Providers should say No the LA Lakers pure Greed. Too Bad Charter and Verizon Fios Just Screwed over all Customers. for network that should be offer as a Premium Channel.


On both TWC and the Lakers.  Way to go Lakers, really showing fan loyalty.

 

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

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2 Messages

12 years ago

U-Verse has the channel now!!! Im starting to think they had the deal in place already but theyre just announcing it until now, that probably explains why on titan tv it showed TWCLA on channel 1777 and the deportes channel on 1779

ACE - Master

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480 Messages

12 years ago


@texasguy37 wrote:

It's official!

 

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-lakers-att-20121027,0,6696175.story


Can I start throwing my rants in here about my rates better not go up for a channel that I don't care about and a team that I won't be able to watch.  Smiley Wink

 

Time for all the folks who left to feel really bad now.

 

” Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports … all others are games.”- Ernest Hemingway
Award for Community Excellence Achiever*
*I am not a DIRECTV employee, and the views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.

Expert

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1.3K Messages

12 years ago

Do like the Aggies, call AT&T and demand a credit on your bill for this channel you don't care about.  LOL

ACE - Master

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480 Messages

12 years ago


@texasguy37 wrote:

Do like the Aggies, call AT&T and demand a credit on your bill for this channel you don't care about.  LOL


It's not like the NBA is going to change blackout rules just because the Lakers now have their own channel.  You still have to be in the Lakers viewing area to see the games. So even if I cared remotely about the Lakers it still wouldn't do me any good.

 

” Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports … all others are games.”- Ernest Hemingway
Award for Community Excellence Achiever*
*I am not a DIRECTV employee, and the views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.

Tutor

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1 Message

12 years ago

Looks like it will be channel 1777 on U-100 plans and above! Go Lakers!!

 

http://www.twcsportsnet.com/sportsnet/Press-releases/time-warner-cable-to-be-carried-by-att-102712.html

Scholar

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88 Messages

12 years ago

Since U-verse was so nice to sign a deal with the Lakers and add the Longhorn network which is no use to us in Southern California, it would be even nicer if they could add the Pac-12 network in addition.

Scholar

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2 Messages

12 years ago

So will this only be available to those in So-Cal or Nationwide??  Thanks!


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