texasguy37's profile

Expert

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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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2 Messages

11 years ago

Called customer service, still negotiating for the channel

Voyager

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1 Message

11 years ago

As much as I'm satisfied with U-Verse, I will absolutely switch to TWC if ATT does not make a deal to broadcast the Lakers games.

Expert

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14.5K Messages

11 years ago


@Tannictony wrote:

 

As much as I'm satisfied with U-Verse, I will absolutely switch to TWC if ATT does not make a deal to broadcast the Lakers games.


It appears that no TV provider is making a deal.  It's definitely not just U-verse.

 

http://www.sanclementetimes.com/blog/2012/10/18/where-are-the-lakers/

 

Instead of focusing on U-verse, perhaps you should put some pressure on Time Warner.

Contributor

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1 Message

11 years ago

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.

Expert

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14.5K Messages

11 years ago


@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

ACE - Professor

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2.5K Messages

11 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.

 

Expert

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14.5K Messages

11 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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187 Messages

11 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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6.9K Messages

11 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.

 

Expert

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14.5K Messages

11 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?

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