DirecTV's White Said TWC Paid "Above Any Rational" View For Dodgers RSN

DirecTV and Time Warner Cable "are still very far apart on a deal to carry SportsNet LA, the new television home for Dodger baseball," according to Joe Flint of the L.A. TIMES. While the two companies "are still talking, little progress has been made." DirecTV Chair & CEO Mike White said the price TWC paid to distribute the network was not "rational" (L.A. TIMES, 5/7). White said that TWC's 25-year, $8.35B commitment for distribution rights for the net "was 'an unprecedented deal above any rational view of the market' -- especially considering baseball’s six-month season." White: "We’d still like to carry the Dodgers. We’re still having discussions with Time Warner Cable about it." However, DEADLINE.com's David Lieberman noted White "chafes at the price TWC wants, reportedly $4 per month for each subscriber." White: "It's a tax on most customers who wouldn't pay it if they had a choice." White said DirecTV's loss in L.A. over the lack of a deal for the RSN has been "immaterial" (DEADLINE.com, 5/6).