Chris Blount
04-26-04, 06:54 AM
The baseball season is entering its fourth full week, but in Minnesota a lot of Twins fans are without TV coverage of their home team.
Satellite TV providers DirecTV and EchoStar's DISH Network and cable operators in the state - including Charter, Comcast and Time Warner Cable - have so far refused to carry the Twins new regional sports network - Victory Sports. Some cite the hefty rates for the channel - which some pegged at between $2.20 and $2.30 a subscriber - while others said the rate cannot be justified since the new network doesn't carry as much content as the previous TV home of Twins baseball, Fox Sports North.
An EchoStar spokesperson said the company is interested in continuing discussions with Victory. DirecTV wouldn't comment on carriage of the channel.
Time Warner Cable said those backing Victory want two things for their new sports net: "To be carried on a channel within our expanded basic cable package and to charge each of our subscribers $2.30 a month for access to their programming," said Mike Munley, president of the Minnesota division for Time Warner Cable.
"We have said in response that we don't think that it's fair to charge every one of our subscribers an access fee for programming that they may not want," Munley said. "Instead, we have offered to carry the sports channel on one of our digital channels - where each subscriber could choose for him or herself to subscribe."
Munley said in a letter to Time Warner subscribers the company would continue efforts to reach an agreement with Victory.
Victory President Kevin Cattoor said discussions continue with pay-TV providers concerning carriage. He said statements about high rates for his channel are inaccurate, adding, "We have operators that have taken our channel for less than $2. That demonstrates that we are flexible on our rates."
Victory Sports has reached long-term agreements with about 300 small operators in 200 communities serving about 100,000 viewers. They include small Minnesota/Midwest cable operators such as Sherburne Cable, Runestone Telephone Association, Hometown Solutions, Federated Telephone and KMTelecom.
As for claims about Victory's lack of content, Cattoor pointed out the network has rights to key college and amateur sporting events, including University of Minnesota basketball and college hockey - big in Minnesota - from St. Cloud and Minnesota State University Mankato.
Last week, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty called on Victory Sports and cable and satellite TV providers to sit down with a state mediator to get Twins baseball back on TV. Under the governor's proposal, Victory Sports would agree to immediately put Twins' games on for any cable provider that agrees to take part in mediation.
Victory accepted mediation, but so far pay-TV companies serving the state have rejected that mediation offer.
http://www.skyreport.com (Used with permission)
Satellite TV providers DirecTV and EchoStar's DISH Network and cable operators in the state - including Charter, Comcast and Time Warner Cable - have so far refused to carry the Twins new regional sports network - Victory Sports. Some cite the hefty rates for the channel - which some pegged at between $2.20 and $2.30 a subscriber - while others said the rate cannot be justified since the new network doesn't carry as much content as the previous TV home of Twins baseball, Fox Sports North.
An EchoStar spokesperson said the company is interested in continuing discussions with Victory. DirecTV wouldn't comment on carriage of the channel.
Time Warner Cable said those backing Victory want two things for their new sports net: "To be carried on a channel within our expanded basic cable package and to charge each of our subscribers $2.30 a month for access to their programming," said Mike Munley, president of the Minnesota division for Time Warner Cable.
"We have said in response that we don't think that it's fair to charge every one of our subscribers an access fee for programming that they may not want," Munley said. "Instead, we have offered to carry the sports channel on one of our digital channels - where each subscriber could choose for him or herself to subscribe."
Munley said in a letter to Time Warner subscribers the company would continue efforts to reach an agreement with Victory.
Victory President Kevin Cattoor said discussions continue with pay-TV providers concerning carriage. He said statements about high rates for his channel are inaccurate, adding, "We have operators that have taken our channel for less than $2. That demonstrates that we are flexible on our rates."
Victory Sports has reached long-term agreements with about 300 small operators in 200 communities serving about 100,000 viewers. They include small Minnesota/Midwest cable operators such as Sherburne Cable, Runestone Telephone Association, Hometown Solutions, Federated Telephone and KMTelecom.
As for claims about Victory's lack of content, Cattoor pointed out the network has rights to key college and amateur sporting events, including University of Minnesota basketball and college hockey - big in Minnesota - from St. Cloud and Minnesota State University Mankato.
Last week, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty called on Victory Sports and cable and satellite TV providers to sit down with a state mediator to get Twins baseball back on TV. Under the governor's proposal, Victory Sports would agree to immediately put Twins' games on for any cable provider that agrees to take part in mediation.
Victory accepted mediation, but so far pay-TV companies serving the state have rejected that mediation offer.
http://www.skyreport.com (Used with permission)