Time Warner Cable, Bright House Reach Carriage Deals For New SEC Network

Time Warner Cable, the country's second biggest cable operator, has agreed to carry SEC Network as of its Aug. 14 launch. Bright House Networks also will carry the channel, bringing its distribution footprint up to 60 million homes. The deals leave DirecTV, Charter and Verizon as the only big SEC-area distributors that have not cut a deal. DirecTV and Charter sources say they expect to carry the channel before its first regular-season SEC football game, Aug. 28. Distributors are paying $1.40 per subscriber per month for the channel within the SEC's 11-state footprint and $0.25 per month outside of it. The channel will be on expanded basic tiers within SEC territory and digital basic outside of it. Just last week, the country's biggest distributor, Comcast, signed a deal to carry the channel, joining a roster that includes AT&T, Cox and Dish Network (John Ourand, Staff Writer). Bright House Corporate Communications Dir Donald Forbes said that carrier subscribers, of which there are about 2.5 million, "won’t have to write a bigger check" for the SEC Net. Forbes: "The SEC Network will be available to all Bright House Networks customers with standard TV packages and above. Basically, if you have a cable box, you’re going to get it" (Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL, 7/25). The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Alex Ben Block noted carriage deals for Bright House, the sixth largest U.S. cable system operator, are "negotiated by Time Warner Cable, so it was not a surprise they are part of the announcement" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 7/24).