Due to dispute amongst cable providers, Lakers games are only available to those with Time Warner Cable. Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Lakers
Contract disputes between cable providers have taken the team off-air, leaving fans frustrated
by Darian Nourian
The Los Angeles Lakers are about to embark on yet another NBA calendar year, kicking off their season October 30 against the Dallas Mavericks. With the new additions of superstars Steve Nash and Dwight Howard, Laker fans all throughout southern Orange County are buzzing over the thought of yet another NBA championship, which would be the franchise’s 17th.
Unfortunately for those fans, at least for now, Lakers games will not be seen by the majority of households in southern Orange County. The reason being that Time Warner Cable, the team’s new $3-billion television partner, has not been able to convince other cable providers to carry their two new networks, Sportsnet and Deportes.
Cox Communications, DirecTV and Dish Network are all major television providers in the area that have continued to hold out on Time Warner’s new networks due to the asking price, which is reported to be $3.95 per subscriber per month, according to a Los Angeles Times report. If a deal is reached between Time Warner and other cable providers, the Lakers will be back on air.
“We are still in negotiations, but we are trying to get the new networks before the Lakers’ first official regular season game,” A public relations representative for Cox Communications said.
A deal between providers is something that all local Lakers fans are hoping for so that they are able to watch the team come October 30.
“I am a huge Lakers fan and it is really tough already not being able to watch their games,” San Clemente resident Oscar Montecinos said. “I just think that it’s getting out of control with all these big TV contracts. It should be about the fans, not the money.”
Some Lakers fans have already gone to extraordinary lengths just to watch their team play.
Steve Behmerwohld, a San Juan Capistrano resident and avid Lakers fan of 30-plus years, switched his television provider from Dish Network to DirecTV before the start of last year’s NBA season. He did so because at the time, it was rumored that Dish Network would no longer carry Lakers games. Dish Network agreed to a deal to air the games one day before the start of the 2011 regular season—after Behmerwohld had already switched providers.
“I understand that when you pay players so much money, somebody has to pay for it, so a television deal of such magnitude (20 years, $3 billion) is justified in an owner’s sense,” Behmerwohld said. “But it is really just a helpless feeling, since we can’t really control what our television providers do. I’m sure that the parties involved will come to a deal, it is just a matter of when and how much.”
When 30 San Clemente residents were asked in an informal survey whether they were willing to pay $3.95 more per month for their television service to be able to watch Lakers games, all 30 responded that they would.
“It is in the best interest of both parties to get this deal done before the start of the regular season and that is what we are hoping for,” a public relations representative from Dish Network said.
This holdout could affect local bars and restaurants, which rely on being able to show these games for business.
Michael Merrigan is the owner of OC Tavern Grill & Sports Bar in San Clemente and his restaurant carries DirecTV.
“The people want to be able to come in and watch the Lakers, especially now more than ever with their exciting new acquisitions in Nash and Howard,” Merrigan said. “We haven’t been affected by the holdout so far, since it’s only the preseason…but as November inches closer, I do worry a little.”
It seems as if professional sports have been attracted to holdouts lately. The NBA and the NFL players and owners’ contract negotiations drew mass media attention at the beginning of their respective seasons. The NHL players association is currently in a dispute with the league and in lock out mode.
Now local television providers are in a dispute with Time Warner Cable. It is just another instance of business affecting the world of sports and many southern Orange County Lakers fans are suffering as a result.
For now fans will just have to remain patient, having already missed the team’s first four preseason games.
“When 30 San Clemente residents were asked in an informal survey whether they were willing to pay $3.95 more per month for their television service to be able to watch Lakers games, all 30 responded that they would.”
sure they would, but that’s not the cost for each subsciber who would choose to pay for it separatly. it’s that low becuase if all directv or cox subscribers in the area got the channel, twc would get $3.95 for each one, meaning that those who don’t watch the channel subsidize those who do.
i have no idea what the numbers are, but lets say that directv has 500k subscribers in the area and about half, or 250k, have a package that would get sportsnet. that means directv would pay $987k per month. so the $987k becomes the amount of revenue sportsnet is trying to get from directv.
now let’s say that only 100k directv subscribers really want to watch all the games and would actually pay extra for the channel (an a la carte arrangement). for sportsnet to get the revenue they need/want, each of the 100k subscribers would need to pay $9.87. i’m not saying that no one would want to pay an extra $9.87 each month to watch every game, but not everyone would.
again, my estimates of subscribers could be completely wrong, but the relationships are correct. i would suspect that each person who wants to pay for it separately would pay at least 2x more.
“When 30 San Clemente residents were asked in an informal survey whether they were willing to pay $3.95 more per month for their television service to be able to watch Lakers games, all 30 responded that they would.”
That’s not the right question to ask. The $3.95 goes 100% to TWC as the carriage fee. The TV provider would need to pay more to cover their cost to deliver the channel plus a profit margin. The customer may need to pay twice that amount.
I don’t think every subscriber should pay TWC for these channels. I’m a long time Laker fan since the West / Baylor days but this is just a money grab. Charge me A La Carte the fee once a month and I will pay it, but Clipper fans, and fans of other teams should not have to subsidize TWC; one of the worst TV providers ever! If you want to watch the Lakers online for free until this is settled contact me on Facebook.
But I do hope my provider doe something before the season starts.
Honestly, I just want to see my Lakers play. This is a great article as it finally publicizes this issue to our local TV providers. Thank you to the Times for running this article, it’s well-written and appeals to all of us Lakers fans
Great Article, I just want to be able to watch Lakers games, and I liked the survey asked as I ask my friends the same question every day as they say the same thing. I agree with the writer of this article in that this is just another example of the ugly business within sports.
That $3.95 doesn’t account for Dish’s administrative and processing fees. Expect to pay at least $7 too see Koba shoot 30% from the field.
I pay to what Kobe, even in a few “rare” games he does shoot a low FG%. Since what you are talking about doesn’t happen very often I won’t have to worry about that.
b.t.w. He’s had way more games of over 50% shooting than the crap you just quoted, hater.
Go Lakers!
Now come on Dish Network get with the program!
No one has brought this up on any tweets or anything that I have seen posted. I am a huge Laker fan, have been for 30 years. Sometimes their winning and losing directly affects my day. As it is I can’t watch pre-season games because I live in Irvine and have Cox Communications.
My thought is where would they be without their fans. The team struck the deal to save money however we shouldn’t have to pay extra to watch them period.
I think the fans should boycott the games until they become free to watch. After all, there would be no Lakers without their local fans. If you’re going to charge someone, add extra charges to people outside Southern California to make up the difference.
If every station wanted $4 a month for their channel, I’d be paying $800 a month for TV, before premium movie channels. I get over 200 channels with DirecTV, and I’m not paying $4 a month to watch ANY of them. I don’t elect to do so with the Lakers.
When TWC and The Lakers come back with a reasonable fee to watch, then I’ll consider it. Until then, I won’t give in to highway robbery.
Whomever blinks first will secure my business.
Direct or Dish? The rest of their respective line-ups are secondary.
Which ever provider mans-up will dictate my next phone call for an installation appointment