The relationship between Time Warner Cable Inc (NYSE:TWC) and the Los Angeles Dodgers has gone to shambles just as the baseball season takes off and the cable company is urging Dodgers’ fans to switch their cable providers if they wish to keep watching their team in the new season.
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Time Warner claims that it offers 150 regular season Dodgers games through its channel, SportsNet LA but it is a very pricey affair. The company claims that it has offered discounted prices this year in an attempt to attract Cox Communications and DIRECTV (NASDAQ:DTV) but none of them are showing interest. Since these plans failed to take off, the firm is now trying to attract Dodgers fans who do not receive SportsNet LA to subscribe to its service.
Time Warner’s spokesman Andrew Fegyveresi released a statement on Thursday saying the other cable providers have turned down its offers. He revealed that the company has presented both short-term and long-term deals at prices that have been discounted by as much as 30%. He also revealed that the firm has also called for arbitration and set the same prices as those charged for the sports networks in the regional areas and offered to meet in convenient places, but this also did not work.
Despite the company’s call for Dodgers fans to switch to its network, the LA market is underserved. Only 2 million households currently have access to Dodgers games through SportsNet LA. Roughly 70% of the fans in LA did not have access to the channel during the previous season of the National League West Champions. 2016 also happens to be an important year for Dodgers fans because famed broadcaster Vin Scully will host his 68th and last season of commentary this year.
The other companies have not made any statements about their decisions to turn down Time Warner’s offer. This year is, therefore, building up to what seems to be the making of another underserved season for Dodgers fans.