The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Time Warner Cable has made another attempt to strike a deal before the start of the baseball season, by increasing their offer to other pay-TV providers in hopes of gaining wider carriage for the Los Angeles Dodgers TV channel. Despite the effort, there still are no takers. As a result, it appears likely that for the third straight season there will be limited availability of SportsNet LA, the TV channel owned by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Time Warner Cable confirmed Tuesday that it proposed a new deal but pay-TV providers nixed the offer, saying that the price for the channel is still too high. Even with a price reduction, SportsNet LA remains one of the highest-priced TV channels in the nation according to pay-TV executives.
Los Angeles is not the only market where a dispute exists over distribution of a regional sports network. In New York, Comcast dropped the YES Network which carries New York Yankees games. That decision impacts more than 900,000 homes in the New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania areas.
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
