CBS Criticizes TWC's Sports Holdings As Dispute Persists

CBS lobbed a PR hit at Time Warner Cable today and specifically targeted the distributor's sports holdings. In a release titled, “A Case Study On Time Warner Cable & Rights Fees,” CBS pointed to TWC’s recent deals with the Dodgers and Lakers. Among the “facts that many don’t know about [TWC’s] fight for the consumer” were:

• "Half of LA Lakers games used to be on free over-the-air TV before TWC outbid everyone for the rights for $3 billion."
• "TWC then created a Lakers channel charging subscribers $4/month whether they watch the games or not."
• "This works out to $49 per subscriber for 52 exclusive games this year, or nearly $1/game."
• "TWC followed this up by paying nearly $8 billion for rights to the LA Dodgers."
• "Neither the Lakers nor Dodgers TWC channels are available to consumers on an a la carte basis."