In LA, a fight over new sports network

File this under “not particularly surprising.”

A new regional sports channel owned by Time Warner Cable is having trouble securing distribution on rival cable and satellite providers.

SportsNet, which launched earlier this month, is currently available only on TWC as the parent company tussles with other cable providers over pricing and distribution.

Cox Cable said yesterday that TWC rejected its offer to put SportsNet on a digital tier, along with another recently launched TWC network, the Spanish-language Deportes. TWC wants the channel to be available to a wider audience.

Cox has more than a million subscribers in Southern California.

The lack of distribution is a big deal because SportsNet has rights to the hometown favorite Los Angeles Lakers, airing 53 of 82 games this season, part of a 20-year, $3 billion deal that transferred rights from the former carrier, Fox Sports West.

With the premium programming, and the high price tag to go with it, TWC is asking cable providers to pay $3.95 per month per subscriber, according to The Los Angeles Times, a very high price.

TWC also has yet to reach a deal with Dish Network or DirecTV to distribute the channel. The NBA season tips off next week.
 

Tags: cable, cable providers, carriage disputes, cox, Cox Cable, cox time warner cable dispute, dish network, Fox Sports West, lakers, los angeles lakers, Owner Time Warner Cable, sports, sports network, sportsnet, time warner cable, time warner cable cox dispute, twc