Comcast Discussing Philly RSN Carriage With Dish, DirecTV: Sources
John Eggerton -- Multichannel News, 7/28/2010 5:34:00 PM
Comcast is in talks with DirecTV and Dish Network about carriage of its regional sports net in Philly, according to sources
familiar with those talks.
The negotiations do not come as a big surprise. Both satellite carriers formally asked the Federal Communications Commission for access to Comcast Philadelphia, which televises Philadelphia Phillies MLB games, Philadelphia 76ers NBA contests and Philadelphia Flyers NHL match-ups. in the wake of the Federal Communications Commission's decision earlier this year that terrestrially delivered networks were not de facto excluded from complaints about access to distributor-owned programming (the so-called terrestrial exemption).Comcast holds a majority stake in Comcast-Spectacor, which owns the 76ers and Flyers.
Comcast has long argued that it would make the RSN available to DBS providers, as it already does to
cable and telco competitors -- FiOS and RCN -- when they make exclusive programming, like DirecTV-s Sunday Ticket package of out-of-market NFL games, available to Comcast. The FCC's rule change prompted the carriage talks.
A source said talks are ongoing, but that Comcast is still not inclined to make the programming available. Moreover, even if it does, not without conditions of carriage that would make it more palatable to the company.
A Comcast spokesperson declined comment.
A DirecTV spokesman confirmed that the company had made a formal request for access, but said the company was "waiting to hear back." Asked if that meant the company was not in discussions, he declined comment.
Officials at Dish were not available at press time.
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Can someone translate this so Comcast understands? NFL Sunday ticket is not owned by Directv. It is owned by the NFL, who put it up for bid as an exclusive, and Directv won the bid. Comcast could have had it several years ago by bidding higher. What is so hard to understand? If Comcast has a problem with the exclusivity of the Sunday Ticket, lobby to have Congress take away the NFL's anti-trust exemption, and sue them.
This really angers me...when I think of how my tax money helped build their stadiums, yet they won't let me watch the games because it would be too expensive to run a cable down my road, this baseless argument about the Sunday ticket makes me want to personally testify against their buyout of NBC just out of spite.
I trust used car salesman more than Comcast executives...
Paul Wenger - 7/29/2010 2:50:41 PM EDT -
I really hope this happens. I am a longtime Directv customer.
Jonathan Fink - 7/29/2010 10:07:08 AM EDT
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