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indiantelevision.com Team
MUMBAI: Time Warner Cable SportsNet has pipped Fox Sports to land an exclusive television deal with Los Angeles Dodgers to launch a new regional sports network.
The network which will be known as SportsNet LA will be controlled by American Media Productions (AMI), a subsidiary of LA Dodgers. AMI was launched in December last year to launch a new Los Angeles Dodgers regional sports network.
SportsNet LA will be the home for the Los Angeles Dodgers beginning with the 2014 Major League Baseball season. In addition to being the exclusive local home for all of the Dodger games, SportsNet LA will provide comprehensive behind-the-scenes Dodger programming, featuring more insights, analysis and commentary about the team than ever available before.
Time Warner Cable (TWC) has agreed to be SportsNet LA?s charter distributor, and will carry the new network for its customers throughout Southern California and Hawaii under a long-term affiliation deal.
The deal is estimated to be worth between $7 billion to $8 billion over 20 to 25 years and does not include a Spanish-language channel. The team?s current rights deal with Fox pays about $40 million annually while the new deal is worth $280 million annually.
Fox had given an exclusive 45-day window to Dodgers at the end of the 2012 season to negotiate an extension. However, the exclusive window expired.
In addition, in return for agreeing to make payments over the life of the deal, TWC will be the exclusive advertising and affiliate sales agent for the new network and will have certain branding and programing rights with respect to the network. TWC will also provide certain non-game production and technical services to AMP.
Los Angeles Dodgers chairman Mark Walter said, "We concluded last year that the best way to give our fans what they want - more content and more Dodger baseball - was to launch our own network. The creation of AMP will provide substantial financial resources over the coming years for the Dodgers to build on their storied legacy and bring a World Championship home to Los Angeles. Just as we are actively transforming the team and the stadium, we want the Dodgers to be exhibited on the very best sports network in the country - one that will provide an unrivaled fan experience."
AMP principal owner Todd Boehly said, "We are greatly pleased that Time Warner Cable, the largest distributor in the market place, has come aboard to support the Dodgers and SportsNet LA as our charter distributor. Their presence in Los Angeles will be invaluable in helping us serve Dodger fans and our community with excellence."
"We are delighted to support the Dodgers and their ownership group in their launch of SportsNet LA. The Dodgers have one of the most passionate and loyal audiences in sports, and we look forward to helping deliver this new network to their fans," said Time Warner Cable Sports President David Rone. "This deal, like our Lakers? deal, furthers our efforts to attain greater certainty and control over local and regional sports programming costs."
