Menu
Media

FCC Lifts Requirement For Cable Companies To Sell RSNs To Competing TV Providers

Sports fans “face the growing threat of being cut off from watching their favorite teams on television” after federal regulators “relaxed rules for the sharing of programming between rival pay-TV providers,” according to Amy Schatz of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Cable companies that own RSNs had until now been “required to sell the channels to competitors like satellite broadcasters on reasonable terms.” That rule expired Friday and the FCC "unanimously agreed not to renew it.” Instead, competitors will have to “file individual complaints if they feel a cable operator is unfairly denying access to a channel.” The FCC said that cable providers “now own or co-own 57 regional sports networks, up from 18 in 2007.” Companies “calling for an extension of the rule” included satellite broadcasters DirecTV and Dish Network, as well as smaller cable operators and phone companies AT&T and Verizon, which “both offer pay-TV service.” Google "joined them, arguing that large cable companies have an incentive to block access to regional sports channels to stifle competition.” Comcast, Time Warner Cable and other large cable operators “argued the rules had become obsolete because the pay-TV market is now more competitive.” The FCC said that it would “tackle any complaints within six months and put the burden of proof in disputes over channel access on cable operators” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 10/6).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2012/10/08/Media/FCC-Cable.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2012/10/08/Media/FCC-Cable.aspx

CLOSE