A's Negotiating With Comcast To Leave CSN Bay Area For CSN West
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| A's Explore Leaving CSN Bay Area For CSN West |
The A's, "unhappy with being on a [RSN] partially owned" by the MLB Giants, have "begun negotiations with Comcast to move the club's local cable TV rights off CSN Bay Area," according to Ourand & Fisher of SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. Sacramento-based CSN West, which has rights to the NBA Kings, is the "most likely destination" for the A's telecasts. The A's currently are "tied to CSN Bay Area until 2010, but that relationship has been strained since early this year," when the Giants acquired an "estimated 30[%] ownership stake in the RSN in exchange for a 25-year rights deal." Under the negotiations with CSN West, the A's "similarly would gain equity" in the net, which then "could bulk up its programming by gaining additional games from the MLS San Jose Earthquakes, also controlled by [A's] owner Lew Wolff," as well as A's affiliate the Triple-A PCL Sacramento River Cats. Ourand & Fisher note Comcast is "developing an RSN strategy that sees it sharing equity in its RSNs with MLB clubs," and beyond the Giants partnership, the Mets own part of SportsNet N.Y. and the White Sox and Cubs are part-owners of CSN Chicago (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 8/25 issue). A's VP/Broadcasting & Communications Ken Pries Monday confirmed that the team is "considering a move" from CSN Bay Area to CSN West. Pries stressed that "there has been no decision, 'and it's a flip of the coin if it's going to come together'" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 8/26). Pries: "We want to increase the number of games on HD, and we want to increase the number of games (televised overall)." In Oakland, Joe Stiglich notes the A's, in addition to CSN Bay Area, currently "have dozens more games aired" on KICU-Ind., and Pries stressed that the team is "happy with KICU and that a switch to CSN West wouldn't necessarily mean an end to A's games on KICU." Stiglich notes CSN West "would have to be made readily available to the majority of Bay Area viewers before the A's would consider such a deal," as currently it is "available only to digitial cable subscribers on channel 400." Pries said that the A's "would like to be found on the dial near ESPN, in the 30-40 range of channels, similar to CSN Bay Area" (CONTRA COSTA TIMES, 8/27).
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