Time Warner Cable "has yet to start negotiations for the Dodgers network, named SportsNet LA, and already several pay-TV providers are balking at the expected asking price," according to sources cited by Kosman & Atkinson of the N.Y. POST. A source said, "They know several distributors will say no because of the costs." Another source said that TWC for the Dodgers channel is "expected to ask for $5 a month per subscriber, a fee that would escalate to $8 over five years." The company's asking price would "be a record for a regional sports network." MSG, which carries the Knicks and Rangers, "charges roughly $5 for its two channels," YES, home to the Yankees and Nets, "charges around $3 a subscriber, while Mets channel SNY charges a bit less." The source added that TWC "wants to offer the Dodgers channel on expanded basic cable and not a separate sports tier." TWC, along with Dodgers Owner Guggenheim Partners "may have to reconsider their game plan" if the pitch falls short. A source said that "one possible option is rolling the Dodgers rights into Time Warner Cable’s existing SportsNet channel, rather than attempting to launch another stand-alone channel." TWC "will have to start negotiations soon" with at least five L.A. pay-TV providers "if it is to launch the Dodgers network early next year" (N.Y. POST, 11/29).
