Cablevision Subs On Outside Looking In At Tennis Channel's U.S. Open Coverage
Network, Operator Remain Stuck In Net Over Carrriage
Mike Reynolds -- Multichannel News, 8/17/2009 12:01:00 AM
The U.S. Open tennis championships begin on Aug. 31 and Tennis Channel will provide some 240 hours of coverage from the sport's final major.
But unless a pact can be signed over the next two weeks, the network and Cablevision, the New York area's predominant distributor, won't be playing doubles during the upcoming tournament.
Tennis, which is sublicensing rights to the major tournament
through a deal with ESPN, has been unable to net an agreement with Cablevision,
despite "hundreds of hours of time spent" in discussions over the years.
Tennis chairman and CEO Ken Solomon said the network remains hopeful that an accord can be reached before the Open, but noted that "we have not made significant progress with Cablevision" in the four years he has headed the network.
Cablevision issued this volley in return: "We've made offer after offer to the Tennis Channel and they've turned a deaf ear."
The United States Tennis Association, the rights-holder and host of the Open, has also been unable to convince Cablevision about the value of Tennis Channel and the Grand Slam event.
"The USTA has been involved in a number of meetings and phone calls with Cablevision and clearly wants to see Tennis Channel have as a great distribution as possible," said a spokesman "We don't see Tennis Chanel being relegated to a digital sports tier." The USTA holds an equity position in the network.
Solomon said that with year-round coverage of the sport, including all four majors, Tennis, which also airs original series and specials, presents between 2500 and 3000 hours annually in HD.
"There is no other network with that kind of quality being offered that limited distribution," he said. "Tennis is the best value-equation on TV."
While Cablevision is not the only major distributor that doesn't carry Tennis -- AT&T U-verse and Cable One also remain outside the distribution court looking in -- they don't serve the metro New York area, which embraces the Open in late August and early September.
During the Open, Tennis is scheduled to present 72 hours of live match play, including exclusive primetime windows on Labor Day weekend. Through live and encore editions of its US Open Tonight wrap-up show and a five-hour morning programming setting the stage for the day's play, Tennis is expected to tally some 240 hours during the fortnight.
That expansive coverage will be made available to some 55 million homes as Tennis, whose current subscriber base is in the 25 million range, has secured free previews, like it has for other majors, in select markets with a number of cable providers. Among those on board: Armstrong, Bright House, Comcast, Cox, Insight, Knology, RCN and Time Warner Cable.
Tennis' coverage will also be available nationwide to Dish, DirecTV and Verizon FiOS during the Open.
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another reason to go with verizon fios since they have tennis channel in hd
fred c - 8/17/2009 6:51:26 PM EDT -
How's about Brighthouse cans the 40,000 hours of coverage of tennis, and instead focuses more on keeping the channels we got, or staying away from, say, taking PBS stations at random?
Winnie - 8/17/2009 1:59:46 AM EDT
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