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Lakers New Regional TV Network - NOW ON THE AIR

257K views 2K replies 152 participants last post by  TheRatPatrol 
#1 ·
Ok so I'm a life long Laker fan since the late 80's and as most of us know the Lakers signed a new multi Billion dollar deal with Time Warner Cable that will last 20 to possibly 25 years. The new regional network channels will be in HD and 1 in Spanish.

My understanding is that even though it's an exclusive deal with TWC that due to FCC rules they have to offer the new regional network channels to their competitors like Directv.From what I read in press release articles that the new channels will be available to people in LA,OC,Socal,SD, and even Las Vegas.

The network I think will be called Time Warner Cable Sports Net and is suppose to launch on 10/01/12 according to their website.

Links:

http://twcsportsnet.com/
http://www.twcdeportes.com/

Press Release:

http://www.nba.com/lakers/news/120510_twc_release.html

The channel is suppose to also carry programming for the WNBA LA Sparks and MLS LA Galaxy.

My main concern here is do you guys see the possibility of bad contract negotiations between Directv & TWC over how much they should be getting charged to carry this new regional sports channels?
 
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#1,904 ·
inkahauts said:
Sorry, but it looks to me like you are somewhat wrong in terms of how much this is costing directv. The spanish channel is not included in all the same packages as the english channel, which means they likely will not be paying that 4 for all the subs in the market, as that price was for both channels.

Yes it will cost us more, but it will be very interesting to see what happens next. I suspect there are several sports channels that aren't going to be very happy the next time their contracts are up, like speed, etc..

And I wonder what changes may be coming to packages and pricing in feb. Do NOT blame any price increases that are abnormal on just this channel. I am sure Viacom will have more of a hand in that then this channel. Not ot mention all the other things that where reupped this year, like cbs, etc, and possibly discovery and so on...

And I suspect that all the college channels will be a la cart here on out, or in a college sports channel package, or just not be on directv. I think at the moment, that is their hard line in the sand. I suspect big 10 will be very unhappy at the next negotiations.
Not really. Deportes was a throw-in. It is "free". Trust me. You get Deportes if you take TWC, but you can't take TWC without paying about $4.00. It becomes an accounting gimmick. Yes, I get where you are coming from in terms of the subscribers and how they bucket all of this, but at the end of the day TWC is going to get a big chunk of change for a service that delivers not that much.

You're going to see some fractures in not only college but the pro sports world. It won't happen everywhere, but in some markets it will. Chicago, New York, L.A., maybe Dallas or similar type of market.

When the Disney deal comes up for DTV (which I'm hearing is 2014), Longhorn will be crammed down their throat along with a massive increase in rates over what they are charging now. Have to be able to pay the NFL, MLB and the NCAA for all those rights fees deals they recently cut.

Ultimately you'll end up with people on very low base tiers or cutting the cord or people having it all (or most) and paying through the nose. There won't be a middle any longer. The question becomes when does it all collapse on itself? If enough people go to a lower tier without the sports, it will violate the contracts the distributors have with the sports channels on the distribution eyeball guarantees. Or, if customers cut the cord entirely, the leagues \ teams lose out on the money due to lack of subscribers. It makes the next negotiation that much more of a nightmare, encourages piracy, all kinds of other nefarious activities.

Unfortunate, but this is all very predictable. Mike White is dead on right in his remarks, but you can see from the reactions of diehard Lakers fans that they don't care. GIVE GIVE GIVE ME MY STUFF NOW. Understandable, but there are consquences to doing that, which we will see with the further fracturing of the system until it collapses entirely.
 
#1,906 ·
DBSNewbie said:
Watching TWCSN feeds on DirecTV and Time Warner Cable simultaneously side by side. The difference in picture quality is obviously noticeable. The D* picture is much crisper, while the Cable feed is much "softer", not to mention the pixelation that occurs about once a minute or so.

I also did a side by side of TWC Deportes, but since they were showing old wrestling footage in SD, they both looked kind of "soft".

Glad D* finally got this channel. Now I can cancel TWC (Cable), which I had for about a month and a half now. Good thing TWC did not have any commitments and allowed me to go month to month.
As someone who had TWC forever up until a few months ago.........i totally agree with you. DIRECTV rocks!!
 
#1,908 ·
Sea bass said:
Trust me, they were. I had LA locals when I moved back in 2001, ch 5 & ch 9 worked along with 2, 4, 7, 11.
Moved back where? And sd? The sd feeds aren't on conus transponders these days. Maybe just when they first launched locals in LA if they did that before they had their first spotbeam sat up, which I think is what happened. That's not something I will bother research, to long ago to care.

I was only referring to hd.

I know for a fact that the hd feeds of KTLA and KCAL (KCOP as well for that matter) where never launched or have been on a conus beam. They where launched on a spotbeam... 2, 4, 7, and 11 are a whole other story though... Shoot, we had three feeds in HD of those guys for a while... 2 conus and one spot.

See these threads...

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?p=1482375#post1482375

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?p=1435359#post1435359
 
#1,909 ·
ChicagoBlue said:
Not really. Deportes was a throw-in. It is "free". Trust me. You get Deportes if you take TWC, but you can't take TWC without paying about $4.00. It becomes an accounting gimmick. Yes, I get where you are coming from in terms of the subscribers and how they bucket all of this, but at the end of the day TWC is going to get a big chunk of change for a service that delivers not that much.

You're going to see some fractures in not only college but the pro sports world. It won't happen everywhere, but in some markets it will. Chicago, New York, L.A., maybe Dallas or similar type of market.

When the Disney deal comes up for DTV (which I'm hearing is 2014), Longhorn will be crammed down their throat along with a massive increase in rates over what they are charging now. Have to be able to pay the NFL, MLB and the NCAA for all those rights fees deals they recently cut.

Ultimately you'll end up with people on very low base tiers or cutting the cord or people having it all (or most) and paying through the nose. There won't be a middle any longer. The question becomes when does it all collapse on itself? If enough people go to a lower tier without the sports, it will violate the contracts the distributors have with the sports channels on the distribution eyeball guarantees. Or, if customers cut the cord entirely, the leagues \ teams lose out on the money due to lack of subscribers. It makes the next negotiation that much more of a nightmare, encourages piracy, all kinds of other nefarious activities.

Unfortunate, but this is all very predictable. Mike White is dead on right in his remarks, but you can see from the reactions of diehard Lakers fans that they don't care. GIVE GIVE GIVE ME MY STUFF NOW. Understandable, but there are consquences to doing that, which we will see with the further fracturing of the system until it collapses entirely.
While I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't cut the price in half, I seriously doubt that there isn't a specific differentiation monetarily for the Spanish channel and English channels. I also seriously doubt Directv would have ever agreed to pay the same amount for all subs in the full LA market and the entire nation for those who subscribe to the sports pack.

And yeah, Disney is going to be a big fight, maybe... You never know... I don't think longhorn will see the light of day as a regularly priced rsn on directv though. Will be interesting to see...
 
#1,910 ·
ChicagoBlue said:
Unfortunate, but this is all very predictable. Mike White is dead on right in his remarks, but you can see from the reactions of diehard Lakers fans that they don't care. GIVE GIVE GIVE ME MY STUFF NOW. Understandable, but there are consquences to doing that, which we will see with the further fracturing of the system until it collapses entirely.
Mike White's biggest problem is that he is doing the exact same thing on the Directv owned subsidiaries Root Sports. He's not backing off the high fees, he's not suggesting his channels go to a sports tier or an ala carte model, etc. He's not adding his competitors in these markets even though they charge less and have at least equal content (i.e. we still do not get CSN Northwest, but we get Root NW).

Mike White simply favors the status quo. He wants the old traditional sports channels to continue on and new suitors to not be allowed on his system. It is true the new upstarts are pushing costs up. But if he wants to push back - and yes it needs to happen because its not sustainable - then it starts with him, plain and simple. He really cannot be expected to be taken seriously when he isn't leading with his own channels.
 
#1,911 ·
ChicagoBlue said:
Not really. Deportes was a throw-in. It is "free". Trust me. You get Deportes if you take TWC, but you can't take TWC without paying about $4.00. It becomes an accounting gimmick. Yes, I get where you are coming from in terms of the subscribers and how they bucket all of this, but at the end of the day TWC is going to get a big chunk of change for a service that delivers not that much.

You're going to see some fractures in not only college but the pro sports world. It won't happen everywhere, but in some markets it will. Chicago, New York, L.A., maybe Dallas or similar type of market.

When the Disney deal comes up for DTV (which I'm hearing is 2014), Longhorn will be crammed down their throat along with a massive increase in rates over what they are charging now. Have to be able to pay the NFL, MLB and the NCAA for all those rights fees deals they recently cut.

Ultimately you'll end up with people on very low base tiers or cutting the cord or people having it all (or most) and paying through the nose. There won't be a middle any longer. The question becomes when does it all collapse on itself? If enough people go to a lower tier without the sports, it will violate the contracts the distributors have with the sports channels on the distribution eyeball guarantees. Or, if customers cut the cord entirely, the leagues \ teams lose out on the money due to lack of subscribers. It makes the next negotiation that much more of a nightmare, encourages piracy, all kinds of other nefarious activities.

Unfortunate, but this is all very predictable. Mike White is dead on right in his remarks, but you can see from the reactions of diehard Lakers fans that they don't care. GIVE GIVE GIVE ME MY STUFF NOW. Understandable, but there are consquences to doing that, which we will see with the further fracturing of the system until it collapses entirely.
Longhorn was not forced on to comcast even on fios is was basic in TX and sports pack out side of it.

The Chicago teams all own CSN and they split there games over CSN and WGN / WCIU.
 
#1,912 ·
"tulanejosh" said:
I'm actually pretty impressed by the production quality of the channel. Feels a lot more polished than anything that Fox Sports is doing (which very often feels hokey and rushed).
When they are doing the same thing over and over again, that is not hard.

I know the channel primarily exists for the Lakers but where is the coverage of anything not Lakers or Galaxy? Every other rsn covers local sports beyond what they carry.
 
#1,913 ·
inkahauts said:
Moved back where? And sd? The sd feeds aren't on conus transponders these days. Maybe just when they first launched locals in LA if they did that before they had their first spotbeam sat up, which I think is what happened. That's not something I will bother research, to long ago to care.

I was only referring to hd.

I know for a fact that the hd feeds of KTLA and KCAL (KCOP as well for that matter) where never launched or have been on a conus beam. They where launched on a spotbeam... 2, 4, 7, and 11 are a whole other story though... Shoot, we had three feeds in HD of those guys for a while... 2 conus and one spot.

See these threads...

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?p=1482375#post1482375

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?p=1435359#post1435359
Oh well, sorry to waste your precious time...yes it was the sd days. They were conus then. LP existed then. KCAL was available, why was it not used was my point. Yeesh...
 
#1,914 ·
tulanejosh said:
I'm actually pretty impressed by the production quality of the channel. Feels a lot more polished than anything that Fox Sports is doing (which very often feels hokey and rushed).
The production quality and graphics, especially, are a bit more sophisticated than what FOX Sports had done over the years.

However, the one thing I missed about what FOX had that TWCSN doesn't is the on-site broadcasts they do right there on Star Plaza and/or the balcony of the Lexus/San Manuel Club at Staples Center.

Having the broadcast crew at the game really pumped up the crowd, which carried over to the fans in the arena. So far, the atmosphere at the games has been sub-par compared to the championship years. (But then again, that could have been a result of Mike Brown and his "boring" offense :)) I wasn't at the San Antonio game on Tuesday, so I can't comment on that, but all other games I had gone to this season (season ticket holder) had been pretty "quiet" for the most part, with the occasional bursts of energy for great plays or the "We Want Phil" chants.

One other thing about TWCSN (Access SportsNet: Lakers & Lakeshow)... Is it me, or is Coach Dave Miller the most "homer" analyst we have ever had? He kind of reminds me of one of our local reporters, Vick the Brick Jacobs, in which he pretty much has nothing bad to say about our team and always seems to praise everyone and everything about our organiztion.
 
#1,915 ·
DBSNewbie said:
The production quality and graphics, especially, are a bit more sophisticated than what FOX Sports had done over the years.

However, the one thing I missed about what FOX had that TWCSN doesn't is the on-site broadcasts they do right there on Star Plaza and/or the balcony of the Lexus/San Manuel Club at Staples Center.

Having the broadcast crew at the game really pumped up the crowd, which carried over to the fans in the arena. So far, the atmosphere at the games has been sub-par compared to the championship years. (But then again, that could have been a result of Mike Brown and his "boring" offense :)) I wasn't at the San Antonio game on Tuesday, so I can't comment on that, but all other games I had gone to this season (season ticket holder) had been pretty "quiet" for the most part, with the occasional bursts of energy for great plays or the "We Want Phil" chants.

One other thing about TWCSN (Access SportsNet: Lakers & Lakeshow)... Is it me, or is Coach Dave Miller the most "homer" analyst we have ever had? He kind of reminds me of one of our local reporters, Vick the Brick Jacobs, in which he pretty much has nothing bad to say about our team and always seems to praise everyone and everything about our organiztion.
personally, i think lou holtz is the most home analyst.
 
#1,917 ·
Hey, sorry I'm late to the celebration; :hurah:

Had to tend to personal matters that took me away from any access to computers over the last couple of days.

Very happy to see an agreement was finnaly struck and TWC SN's addition.

Getting both TWC SN and Deportes here with Premiere.

Interesting;

Based on the initial testing I thought Deportes was going to be on 119w and part of the Mas packages.
 
#1,919 ·
iceturkee said:
personally, i think lou holtz is the most home analyst.
Yes. In general Holtz is pretty homer. Along with Heinson (spelling?) with the Celtics. However, as far as the Lakers go, Miller seems a little too homerish for my taste. (He's worse than Mychal Thompson IMO)
 
#1,922 ·
tonyd79 said:
When they are doing the same thing over and over again, that is not hard.

I know the channel primarily exists for the Lakers but where is the coverage of anything not Lakers or Galaxy? Every other rsn covers local sports beyond what they carry.
EH, I will give them a year. They likely want to start slower, and wait till they have a more rounded out schedule before they go adding in full sports news segments.

Also, don't forget, I think FOX is really heading towards their own national fox sports channel, so they have been working towards nightly sports news shows for ages. I don't think that concept has even crossed TWC mind.
 
#1,923 ·
inkahauts said:
Also, don't forget, I think FOX is really heading towards their own national fox sports channel, so they have been working towards nightly sports news shows for ages. I don't think that concept has even crossed TWC mind.
Agreed. With CBS , and NBC and the major sports leagues having their own national sports networks I would not be too surprised soon if Fox Sports gets their own national sports network for their sports talk shows and maybe games as well.
 
#1,924 ·
kenkraly2004 said:
Agreed. With CBS , and NBC and the major sports leagues having their own national sports networks I would not be too surprised soon if Fox Sports gets their own national sports network for their sports talk shows and maybe games as well.
Consensus seems to be that Speed will be flipped to Fox Sports 1 in 2013. Fuel and FSC may become Fox Sports 2 and 3.
 
#1,926 ·
"inkahauts" said:
EH, I will give them a year. They likely want to start slower, and wait till they have a more rounded out schedule before they go adding in full sports news segments.

Also, don't forget, I think FOX is really heading towards their own national fox sports channel, so they have been working towards nightly sports news shows for ages. I don't think that concept has even crossed TWC mind.
Sorry. Not even a show with scores and highlights? This is a myopic launch. Not a word that wasn't Galaxy or lakers so far. That's very poor
 
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