Misplaced Pages

#119880

115-725: Chicago Sports Network (CHSN) is an American regional sports network owned by Standard Media , the Wirtz Corporation , owner of the Chicago Blackhawks , and Jerry Reinsdorf , owner of the Chicago Bulls and White Sox franchises. It launched after the teams' contracts with NBC Sports Chicago expired on October 1, 2024. The network is distributed via multiple platforms, including via subchannels of broadcast television stations within its teams' broadcast regions, agreements with pay television providers, and

230-439: A South Central Pennsylvania -based cable television and broadband services provider and unit of the former Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff company, for $ 775 million cash. Comcast previously owned approximately 30% of Susquehanna Communications through its affiliate company, Lenfest . In December 2005, Comcast announced the creation of Comcast Interactive Media , a new division focused on online media. In July 2006, Comcast purchased

345-831: A YouTube competitor. The move was seen by Variety as an attempt to appeal to the cord-cutting market. On April 28, 2016, Comcast officially announced its NBCUniversal division will acquire DreamWorks Animation for $ 3.8 billion. The acquisition completed on August 22, 2016; DreamWorks Animation was integrated into NBCUniversal Film and Entertainment as part of Universal Pictures . Universal took over distribution of DreamWorks Animation films beginning in 2019 with How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World after DreamWorks Animation's deal with 20th Century Fox ended. In September 2016, Comcast confirmed that it would launch an MVNO cellular network with Verizon Wireless . The service, described as being

460-466: A corporate spin-off from its parent, Jerrold Electronics , for U.S. $ 500,000. At the time, American Cable was a small cable operator in Tupelo, Mississippi , with five channels and 12,000 customers. In 1965, American Cable Systems purchased Storecast Corporation of America, a product placement supermarket specialist marketing firm. In 1968, American Cable Systems purchased its first franchise of Muzak ,

575-458: A "Wi-Fi and MVNO-integrated product" was expected to launch in mid-2017. The partnership and the addition of wireless would allow Comcast to offer a quadruple play of services. Including Comcast's Home Security offering, customers now have the option of a Quintuple Play. The service was officially announced on April 6, 2017, as Xfinity Mobile. On November 16, 2017, it was reported that Comcast attempted to purchase 21st Century Fox , following

690-479: A "firm offer". On April 12, the Panel on Takeovers and Mergers ruled that Disney had to acquire all of Sky within 28 days of fully acquiring Fox if the latter's acquisition of Sky was not completed by the time the merger was done, or if Comcast's counter-offer was not accepted. On April 25, 2018, Comcast made its formal counter-bid for Sky plc, offering £12.50 per-share; Sky subsequently withdrew its recommendation of

805-402: A "regional sports network fee" as a separate item on their bills. In response to high and increasing surcharges for RSNs and local broadcast channels, on March 22, 2023, FCC chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced a proposal to require television providers to advertise only "all-in" pricing, including all programming fees. In Canada, Sportsnet operates four regional sports networks, and

920-601: A 30-day grace period to make the payment. During this grace period, Diamond Sports also missed a rights payment to the Arizona Diamondbacks . On March 14, 2023, Diamond Sports filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy . In October 2023, following the loss of airing Phoenix Suns and Arizona Diamondbacks games during the year, Bally Sports Arizona dropped coverage of the Arizona Coyotes during the preseason, which subsequently led to Bally Sports Arizona being

1035-651: A 50/50 partnership that controlled the systems in the Houston , Southwest Texas, San Antonio , and Kansas City markets under the Time Warner Cable brand. After the dissolution, Comcast obtained the Houston system, and Time Warner retained the others. On January 1, 2007, Comcast officially took control of the Houston system but continued to operate under the Time Warner Cable brand until June 19, 2007. Media outlets began reporting on October 1, 2009 that Comcast

1150-508: A US$ 60 billion acquisition offer by Comcast in favor of its deal with Disney, due to anti-competition concerns. NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke stated that purchasing Sky would roughly double its presence in English-speaking markets, and allow for synergies between the respective networks and studios of NBCUniversal and Sky. Fox stated that it "remains committed to its recommended cash offer for Sky", and that Comcast had not yet made

1265-479: A brand of background music played in retail stores. Storecast was a client of Muzak. The company was re-incorporated in Pennsylvania on March 5, 1969, under the new name Comcast Corporation . Comcast's initial public offering occurred on June 29, 1972, with a market capitalization of U.S. $ 3,010,000. In 1977, HBO was first launched on a Comcast system with 20,000 customers in western Pennsylvania with

SECTION 10

#1732773036120

1380-517: A centralized media rights model in the 2023 season ; all match telecasts are now produced in-house and carried internationally on the MLS Season Pass subscription service under a ten-year digital rights agreement with Apple Inc. , and blackouts are not enforced. In March 2023, Bally Sports parent company Diamond Sports Group filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, while Warner Bros. Discovery Sports (WBD) announced its intent to exit

1495-809: A commercial services provider; and Xfinity Mobile, an MVNO of Verizon. Through NBCUniversal , Comcast is also the owner and operator of over-the-air national broadcast network channels such as NBC , Telemundo , TeleXitos , and Cozi TV ; multiple cable-only channels such as MSNBC , CNBC , USA Network , Syfy , Oxygen , Bravo , and E! ; the film studio Universal Pictures ; the VOD streaming service Peacock ; animation studios DreamWorks Animation , Illumination , and Universal Animation Studios ; and Universal Destinations & Experiences . It also has significant holdings in digital distribution, such as thePlatform , which it acquired in 2006; and ad-tech company FreeWheel, which it acquired in 2014. Since October 2018, Comcast

1610-503: A dashboard called SmartZone that allowed users to perform mobile functions online. There was also Cloudmark spam and phishing protection and Trend Micro antivirus . The address book is Comcast Plaxo software. In May 2008, Comcast purchased Plaxo for a reported $ 150 million to $ 170 million. Comcast won the Consumerist Worst Company In America ("Golden Poo") award in 2010. A gold trophy in

1725-589: A deal to purchase NBC Universal and that a formal announcement could be made sometime the following week. Following a tentative agreement on December 1, the parties announced that Comcast would buy a controlling 51% stake in NBC Universal, including Universal Pictures , for $ 6.5 billion in cash and $ 7.3 billion in programming on December 3. GE would take over the remaining 49% stake in NBC Universal, using $ 5.8 billion to buy out Vivendi's 20% minority stake in NBC Universal. On January 18, 2011,

1840-484: A deal valued at $ 45.2 billion. On February 13, it was reported that Time Warner Cable agreed to the acquisition. This was to add several metropolitan areas to the Comcast portfolio, such as New York City, Los Angeles , Dallas–Fort Worth , Cleveland , Columbus , Cincinnati , Charlotte , San Diego , and San Antonio. Time Warner Cable and Comcast aimed to merge into one company by the end of 2014 and both have praised

1955-660: A decrease of 6.2% compared to the prior year. Annual revenue increased by 4.3% over the same period. Their net debt was $ 91.2 billion, exceeding total shareholders equity of $ 80.9 billion as of December 31, 2022. With $ 18.8 million spent in 2013, Comcast has the seventh largest lobbying budget of any individual company or organization in the United States. Comcast employs multiple former U.S. Congressmen as lobbyists. The National Cable & Telecommunications Association , which has multiple Comcast executives on its board, also represents Comcast and other cable companies as

2070-441: A dedicated channel; in contrast to other sports channels, it was distributed free-to-air as a digital multicast television network , and eventually subsumed its syndication of individual telecasts. In 2017, the channel was relaunched as Stadium as part of a joint venture with Silver Chalice , which expanded its programming and added a focus on distribution via free ad-supported streaming television (FAST). Starting in 2023, amid

2185-528: A direct-to-consumer app. In 2004, Jerry Reinsdorf , Bill Wirtz , and the Tribune Company —the owners of the Bulls and White Sox, Blackhawks, and Cubs respectively—formed a new regional sports network with Comcast known as Comcast SportsNet Chicago (later named NBC Sports Chicago). The network was jointly owned by the four teams, while Comcast held a 30% stake and handle operations. The Cubs departed

2300-505: A five-night free preview getting a 15% sign up rate. In 1986, Comcast bought 26% of Group W Cable , a broadcast company, doubling its number of subscribers to 1 million. Also that year, Comcast made a founding investment of $ 380 million in QVC . In 1988, Comcast was able to buy a 50% share of SCI Holdings in a joint deal with Tele-Communications Inc. Comcast also acquired American Cellular Network Corporation in 1988 for $ 230 million, marking

2415-476: A funding and distribution partner and that Stadium was to serve as the teams' new home. On June 3, 2024, the three teams and Standard Media officially announced Chicago Sports Network, led by former Stadium CEO Jason Coyle. Unlike most regional sports networks , Chicago Sports Network will be available over-the-air and through pay-TV and streaming services. Social media accounts used by NBC Sports Chicago transitioned to being operated by Chicago Sports Network at

SECTION 20

#1732773036120

2530-609: A group that shared programming and national TV rights. During the 1990s, some teams experimented with pay-per-view or premium television broadcasts of games, which were generally unpopular. The Portland Trail Blazers ran BlazerVision, which charged a fee for every game, and which blacked out NBA on TNT coverage of Trail Blazer playoff games for fans within 40 miles (64 km) of Portland. The Chicago Blackhawks broadcast games exclusively on Hawkvision between 1992 and 1995. As sports fans began to prefer watching their favorite teams on television rather than in person, RSNs became

2645-498: A hearing on the deal on April 9, 2014. The House Judiciary Committee planned its own hearing. On March 6, 2014, the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division confirmed it was investigating the deal. In March 2014, the division's chairman, William Baer, recused himself because he was involved in the prior Comcast NBCUniversal acquisition. Several states' attorneys general have announced support for

2760-604: A higher programming tier or a specialized sports tier to receive local and out-of-market regional sports networks. National Football League games (outside of preseason games) are not shown on regional sports networks as its TV deal is centralized and local games are broadcast on TV in a team's local area. In 2023, Major League Soccer also switched to a centralized broadcasting model, with all games carried nationally via streaming. Viewership and advertising revenue on RSNs are highest during live broadcasts of professional and collegiate sporting events. These broadcasts are often

2875-544: A manner similar to Sportsnet. These feeds are primarily used to broadcast regional NHL games, but may also be used to provide alternative and common national programming. While each region has a primary TSN channel, due to overlaps in NHL territories it is possible in some parts of Ontario to access additional regional games from one non-primary channel. Prior to the launch of these channels, regional NHL games whose rights were held by TSN (which, at that point, consisted solely of

2990-530: A network of broadcasters that may consist of either individual over-the-air stations, regional sports networks, or a mixture of both. Jefferson-Pilot Communications and Raycom Sports were well known as syndicators of college sports on broadcast television, having previously held agreements with the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and Southeastern Conference (SEC). By the late-2000's. both packages began to wind down after ESPN acquired

3105-605: A new independent company, which is later known as the Fox Corporation since the 2019 launch. However, on December 11, 2017, Comcast officially dropped the bid, saying that "We never got the level of engagement needed to make a definitive offer." On December 14, Disney officially confirmed its acquisition of 21st Century Fox for $ 52.4 billion in stock, pending review from the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division. On February 5, 2018,

3220-699: A new report by CNBC claims that despite the Disney/Fox deal, Comcast was considering topping Disney's $ 52.4 billion offer once the AT&;T – Time Warner merger goes through, after the Department of Justice Antitrust Division sued to block the merger on November 20, 2017. On February 27, 2018, Comcast offered to purchase 61% stake in Sky plc at a value of £12.50 per-share, approximately £22.1 billion. 21st Century Fox, which owns 39% stake in Sky, had previously declined

3335-511: A small number of subscribers in Manhattan in May 1969. By the late 1970s another version of this network would launch and be made available to other cable systems in the metropolitan area and it would finally receive the name Madison Square Garden Television in 1980. Another early network considered by many to be an RSN is Philadelphia 's PRISM which launched in 1976 offering coverage of three of

3450-899: A strategy of launching RSNs, particularly in markets where its stations have state-wide coverage. This strategy began with Arizona's Family Sports , which features Phoenix Suns and Mercury basketball, and auxiliary programming for the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL. It has since established similar networks, such as Peachtree Sports Network (which is carried on the digital channels of multiple Gray stations in Georgia), Matrix Midwest in St. Louis, Missouri (a rebranding of its MyNetworkTV subchannel), Rock Entertainment Sports Network in Ohio (in partnership with Dan Gilbert 's Rock Entertainment, owner of

3565-401: A technician is coming. On 21 May 2024, Comcast announced Xfinity StreamSaver™, a streaming bundle combining Peacock, Netflix, and Apple TV+ for Xfinity Internet and TV customers. This bundle offered a subscription to Netflix Standard with ads, Peacock Premium, and Apple TV+, promised over 30% savings or nearly $ 100 annually. In April 2005, Comcast and Time Warner Cable announced plans to buy

Chicago Sports Network - Misplaced Pages Continue

3680-682: A total of 20 U.S. States. According to watchdog group Documented, in 2020 Comcast contributed $ 200,000 to the Rule of Law Defense Fund, a fund-raising arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association that was shown to have provided funding to the Save America March that devolved into an attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 . Comcast offers low cost internet and cable service to schools, subsidized by general broadband consumers through

3795-480: A very important source of revenue for professional teams and collegiate conferences. By 2011, regional sports networks were integral to the financial health of many U.S. sports ventures. Teams in smaller media markets were often disadvantaged by their reliance on RSNs, whereas teams in larger markets could negotiate more lucrative media rights deals. In the 21st century, the rise of cord-cutting has led to decreasing cable and satellite television subscriber numbers in

3910-926: Is also a shareholder in Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), which owned Leafs Nation Network , a channel devoted entirely to the Toronto Maple Leafs and its farm team, the Toronto Marlies (and is restricted to the Leafs' broadcast territory). MLSE also operates NBA TV Canada , which is distributed nationally but has featured programming focused on the MLSE-owned Toronto Raptors and its NBA G League affiliate Raptors 905 . On August 25, 2014, The Sports Network (TSN), another Canadian sports channel, split its singular national feed into four regional feeds in

4025-507: Is also an attribute upon which Comcast receives strong marks. In 2008, Black Enterprise magazine rated Comcast among the top 15 companies for workforce diversity. Comcast reported a net profit in each year during the period 2006 to 2022. As of 2020, the company was ranked 28th on the Fortune 500 rankings of the largest United States corporations by total revenue. For the fiscal year 2022, Comcast reported earnings of US$ 15.4 billion,

4140-469: Is also not expected to be pursued due to their lack of interest in adding RSNs. On October 10, 2024, it was reported that negotiations were ongoing between CHSN and Comcast , the Chicago area's primary cable TV provider. Both parties were unable to reach an agreement prior to the network's launch due to a dispute over tier placement. CHSN stated that it had reduced its fee to below what NBC Sports Chicago

4255-476: Is also the parent company of Sky Group . Comcast is criticized and put under intense public scrutiny for a variety of reasons. Its customer satisfaction ratings were among the lowest in the cable industry during the years 2008–2010. It has violated net neutrality practices in the past and despite its commitment to a narrow definition of net neutrality, critics advocate a definition that precludes any distinction between Comcast's private network services and

4370-441: Is considered a national channel with multiple feeds for regulatory purposes, in practice its four main channels act as a set of RSNs, albeit with a significant portion of common national programming. Through the separate Sportsnet One licence, Rogers also operates three regional overflow channels—Sportsnet Flames, Sportsnet Oilers, and Sportsnet Canucks—for Calgary Flames , Edmonton Oilers , and Vancouver Canucks games. Rogers

4485-467: Is described as a family business . Brian L. Roberts , its chairman and CEO, is the son of founder Ralph J. Roberts (1920–2015). Roberts owns or controls about 1% of all Comcast shares but all of the Class B supervoting shares, giving him an "undilutable 33% voting power over the company". Legal expert Susan P. Crawford has said this gives him "effective control over [Comcast's] every step". In 2010, he

4600-547: Is majority-owned by the Seattle Mariners . This deadline quietly passed with no changes in operations; it was later reported that WBD had been negotiating an agreement with MLB to ensure that the networks would continue operating as normal through the end of the 2023 regular season . In October 2023, AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh was acquired by the Pittsburgh Penguins (with NESN —a sister via

4715-608: Is mostly owned by the Seattle Mariners – under the AT&;T SportsNet banner on July 14, 2017. In September 2018, AT&TSN was transferred to the WarnerMedia News & Sports division . In February 2020, the New York Post reported that AT&T had abandoned a plan to divest the channels, after only receiving bids in excess of $ 500 million (rather than the $ 1 billion valuation it had expected). In May 2021, it

Chicago Sports Network - Misplaced Pages Continue

4830-461: Is the third-largest pay-TV company, the second-largest cable TV company by subscribers, and the largest home Internet service provider in the United States. In 2023, the company was ranked 51st in the Forbes Global 2000 . Comcast is additionally the nation's third-largest home telephone service provider . It provides services to U.S. residential and commercial customers in 40 states and

4945-772: The 2014–15 season , RDS could air Canadiens games on a national basis, as it was also the national French-language rightsholder of the National Hockey League in Canada. With Rogers' acquisition of the exclusive national media rights to the NHL, and its decision to sub-license French rights to Quebecor Media 's TVA Sports , RDS and RDS2's coverage of the Canadiens and Senators are now restricted to parts of Eastern Ontario , Quebec and Atlantic Canada. Some telecasts (especially in U.S. college sports) are broadcast by ad-hoc syndicated packages, which can be picked up on

5060-753: The Chicago market through a two-channel lease for the main channel and an overflow channel (both in 1080i high definition ) through WJYS (channel 62), a station licensed to Hammond, Indiana , with full-market coverage from the Willis Tower . The subchannels for CHSN via WJYS require an ATSC tuner that supports MPEG-4 video codec . Coverage on Gray Television stations in Rockford and South Bend were announced on October 1. Coverage on Family Broadcasting Corporation station WHMB in Indianapolis

5175-621: The Cleveland Cavaliers ), and Gulf Coast Sports & Entertainment Network (which will carry New Orleans Pelicans basketball beginning in the 2024–25 season, with WVUE-DT as flagship). Sportsnet (formerly known as CTV Sportsnet and Rogers Sportsnet) is owned by the Rogers Media division of Toronto -based Rogers Communications . Sportsnet carries all of the Toronto Blue Jays baseball games. Although it

5290-563: The Dallas Stars took its media rights to an in-house streaming platform. Comcast Comcast Corporation , formerly known as Comcast Holdings , is an American multinational telecommunications and media conglomerate incorporated and headquartered in Philadelphia . It is the fourth-largest broadcasting and cable television company worldwide by revenue (behind China Mobile , Verizon , and AT&T ). It

5405-515: The District of Columbia . As the owner of NBCUniversal since 2011, Comcast is also a high-volume producer of films for theatrical exhibition and television programming, and a theme parks operator. It is the fourth-largest telecommunications company by worldwide revenue. Comcast owns and operates the Xfinity residential cable communications business segment and division; Comcast Business,

5520-538: The Flyers and 76ers . Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, the first CSN channel, launched on October 1, 1997. CSN purchased a small number of RSNs previously owned by Fox Sports Networks, and acquired the local rights to professional teams that FSN regional networks carried. In two markets, the latter situation resulted in Fox Sports shutting down their networks. Comcast's 2011 acquisition of NBC Universal allowed

5635-723: The $ 9.42 rate ESPN charges. RSNs justify these high prices by citing demand for the local sports teams they carry, particularly those in Major League Baseball , the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League , as well as college teams that have large and loyal fanbases. Carriage disputes between distributors and RSNs are often controversial and protracted. Since 2013, television providers such as Charter Spectrum and Verizon FiOS have charged customers

5750-712: The 20% which requires official registration . Comcast's PAC , the Comcast Corporation and NBCUniversal Political Action Committee, is among the largest PACs in the U.S., raising about $ 3.7 million from 2011 to 2012 for the campaigns of various candidates for office in the United States Federal Government . Comcast is also a major backer of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association Political Action Committee, which raised $ 2.6 million from 2011 to 2012. Comcast spent

5865-686: The AT&T SportsNet closure by abandoning the RSN model entirely, in favour of a mixture of regional syndication via free-to-air television, and paid streaming services. After having opted out of its contract with the Arizona Coyotes (who signed with the E. W. Scripps Company 's newly-formed Scripps Sports division and would themselves leave Arizona the next year ), and losing the Phoenix Suns to Gray Television , Bally Sports Arizona shut down entirely in October 2023. For more than 20 years,

SECTION 50

#1732773036120

5980-551: The Colorado Rockies foregoing a new television deal and moving under MLB Local Media. Spectrum Sports is the collective name for a group of regional sports networks that are primarily owned and operated by Charter Communications through its acquisition of Time Warner Cable in May 2016. In 2018, Sinclair relaunched its Reno MyNetworkTV station KAME-TV as Nevada Sports Net, with a focus on Nevada Wolf Pack college sports and Reno Aces baseball. It later acquired

6095-549: The FCC approved the deal by a vote of 4 to 1. The transaction was completed on January 28, 2011. In December 2012, Comcast adopted a new corporate logo, which incorporates NBC's peacock logo to signify its ownership of the broadcaster. On February 12, 2013, Comcast announced that it would acquire the remaining 49% of General Electric's interest in NBCUniversal, in a deal valued at approximately $ 16.7 billion. The acquisition

6210-453: The Jets and Canadiens) were broadcast on special part-time channels exclusive to the team's television region. Bell Media also owns Réseau des sports (RDS) and RDS2 , French-language sports networks that are licensed to serve all of Canada, but in practice focus on the predominantly French-speaking province of Quebec (as there are relatively few francophones outside that province). Prior to

6325-847: The National Digital Television Center in Centennial, Colorado as a wholly owned subsidiary, now known as the Comcast Media Center . In 2003, Comcast became one of the original investors in The Golf Channel . After Excite@Home went bankrupt in October 2001, Comcast took over providing internet directly to consumers in January 2002. On February 11, 2004, Comcast announced a $ 54 billion bid for Disney, including taking on $ 12 billion of Disney's debt. The deal would have made Comcast

6440-871: The Philadelphia, Detroit, Baltimore , Orange County, California , Sarasota and Union, New Jersey areas. Comcast's cable acquisitions in 1997 were Jones Intercable, Inc. with 1 million customers, and a stake in Prime Communications with 430,000 subscribers. In February 1998, Comcast sold its U.K. division to NTL for US$ 600 million, along with the division's $ 397 million in debt. In 1999, Comcast sold Comcast Cellular to SBC Communications for $ 400 million, releasing them from $ 1.27 billion in debt. Also in 1999, Comcast acquired Greater Philadelphia Cablevision, and launched Comcast University as well as Comcast Interactive Capital Group. In November 1999, Comcast purchased Lenfest Communications, who were

6555-685: The Seattle-based software company thePlatform. This represented an entry into a new line of business—selling software to allow companies to manage their Internet (and IP-based) media publishing efforts. On April 3, 2007, Comcast announced it would acquire the cable systems owned and operated by Patriot Media, a privately held company owned by cable veteran Steven J. Simmons, Spectrum Equity Investors and Spire Capital, that served approximately 81,000 video subscribers for $ 483 million. Comcast announced in May 2007 and launched in September 2008

6670-539: The U.S. government's E-Rate program. Critics have noted that many of the strongest supporters of Comcast's business deals have received substantial funding from the Comcast Foundation. However, it is important to note that for years, Comcast has been relying on subsidiaries to finance philanthropic pursuits. In 1963, Ralph J. Roberts in conjunction with his two business partners, Daniel Aaron and Julian A. Brodsky , purchased American Cable Systems as

6785-547: The U.S., which in turn has reduced the revenue that RSNs receive from television provider subscriber fees and advertising. These have resulted in an increasing erosion to the RSN market, and attempts to launch over-the-top (OTT) services at RSNs. These services require broadcasters to obtain in-market streaming rights to teams, and have a high cost due to RSNs usually being subsidized by subscribers that are not interested in sports. Major League Soccer , which previously broadcast most of its matches regionally on RSNs, switched to

6900-466: The United States, DirecTV offers all regional sports networks to all subscribers across the country, but live games and other selected programs are blacked out outside their home markets. Regional sports networks are generally among the most expensive channels carried by cable television providers. A typical RSN, as of 2024 , carries a monthly retransmission fee of $ 3.50 to $ 8 per subscriber, double to triple what they charged in 2012 and second only to

7015-582: The assets of bankrupted Adelphia Cable . The two companies paid a total of $ 17.6 billion in the deal that was finalized in the second quarter of 2006—after the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) completed a seven-month investigation without raising an objection. Time Warner Cable became the second-largest cable provider in the U.S., ranking behind Comcast. As part of the deal, Time Warner Cable and Comcast traded existing subscribers in order to consolidate them into larger geographic clusters. In August 2006, Comcast and Time Warner Cable dissolved

SECTION 60

#1732773036120

7130-414: The city's major sports teams and movies. In 1976, Cablevision launched a new service providing coverage of Long Island sports (originally called Cablevision Sports 3). This channel would be renamed SportsChannel New York in 1979 and became the first channel to resemble a modern regional sports network. Other SportsChannels were launched in different cities and in 1988, they were formally organized into

7245-563: The companies ultimately decided to keep only the Comcast name, with the company and new assets reincorporated in Pennsylvania on December 7, 2001. On November 18, 2002, Comcast officially acquired all assets of AT&T Broadband, thus making Comcast the largest cable television company in the United States with over 22 million subscribers. This spurred the start of Comcast Advertising Sales (using AT&T's groundwork) which would later be renamed Comcast Spotlight and now effectv, A Comcast Company. As part of this acquisition, Comcast also acquired

7360-480: The company upon the completion of the merger, but his successor Chris Licht would only oversee CNN. The merger was completed the following day. On February 24, 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that it would leave the RSN business, and informed that the networks' respective teams had until March 31 to reach an agreement to take their rights back or acquire the networks. Those teams with deals with Root Sports Northwest are not affected because that channel already

7475-493: The company was prompted to lay off a number of their employees; revenue for their theme park locations fell 81 percent to $ 311 million from $ 1.63 billion in 2019. In 2024, Comcast signed a deal with Starlink to provide satellite-based connectivity to business customers in regions with limited network access. On February 12, 2014, the Los Angeles Times reported that Comcast sought to acquire Time Warner Cable in

7590-608: The company was so widely criticized by its customers, the media, and its own workers. It concluded that Comcast's staff endured unreasonable corporate policies: "Customer service has been replaced by an obsession with sales; technicians are understaffed … tech support is poorly trained, and the company is hobbled by internal fragmentation." A widely read article by an anonymous Comcast call center employee appeared in November 2014 on Cracked . Titled "Five Nightmares You Live While Working For America's Worst Company", it claimed that Comcast

7705-566: The conclusion of their contract with NBC Sports Chicago. Stadium is owned by the White Sox's investment arm Silver Chalice and had previously been a joint venture with Sinclair until they sold their stake in 2023. In May 2024, The Athletic subsequently reported an agreement with Standard Media that would involve a newly launched multi-platform regional sports network; the Sun-Times later reported that Standard Media would primarily serve as

7820-409: The deal, emphasizing the increased capabilities of a combined telecommunications network, and to "create operating efficiencies and economies of scale". In 2014, critics expressed concern that the deal would give Comcast greater negotiating power in a number of areas, including rebroadcast fees with television channels, and peering agreements with ISPs. Critics noted in 2013 that Tom Wheeler ,

7935-561: The dismantling of AT&T SportsNet and the Diamond Sports bankruptcy, multiple NBA and NHL teams have pivoted away from the pay television RSN model and returned to primarily carrying their games on free-to-air television via regional syndication, with supplemental distribution via paid OTT services. The NBA's Phoenix Suns signed a deal with Gray Television , and Utah Jazz signed with Sinclair Broadcast Group -owned station KJZZ-TV (which had formerly aired Jazz games while under

8050-679: The end of September 2024. Chicago Sports Network holds the regional television rights to the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball, the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks, and the NBA's Chicago Bulls. The network produces its pre-game and post-game shows in studios in the United Center and Guaranteed Rate Field . Chicago Sports Network's flagship program is The Chicago Lead , a daily sports program covering all Chicago sports teams including local college and high school sports. In addition,

8165-525: The federal investigation. On April 24, 2015, Jonathan Sallet, general counsel of the F.C.C., explained that he was going to recommend a hearing before an administrative law judge, equivalent to a collapse of the deal. In August 2015, Comcast announced that it would increase Internet speeds for low-income customers from 5 Mbit/s to 10 Mbit/s, provide free wireless routers, and pilot an initiative to increase Internet access for low-income senior citizens. In September of that year Comcast also launched Watchable,

8280-429: The fifth largest lobbying organization in the United States, spending $ 19.8 million in 2013. Comcast was among the top backers of Barack Obama 's presidential runs, with Comcast vice president David Cohen raising over $ 2.2 million from 2007 to 2012. Cohen has been described by many sources as influential in the U.S. government, though he is no longer a registered lobbyist, as the time he spends lobbying falls short of

8395-399: The first Bally Sports-related regional sports network to shut down. In October 2024, the networks were renamed again to FanDuel Sports Network, as part of an agreement with online gambling company FanDuel . Cable conglomerate Comcast began creating Comcast SportsNet (CSN) after their March 1996 purchase of a 66% stake in Philadelphia -based event organizer Spectacor , which owned

8510-582: The first time it became a mobile phone operator . In February 1990, Ralph Roberts' son, Brian L. Roberts, succeeded his father as president of Comcast. Two years later, the company's mobile division, Comcast Cellular, purchased a controlling interest in Metromedia 's Philadelphia-area cellular telephone interests, Metrophone. By 1994, Comcast owned 50% stock in the cable communications company Garden State Cable , who by that year were serving approximately 195,000 subscribers. That same year, Comcast became

8625-741: The group's assets subsequently being spun off as a separate company under the DirecTV banner; the Fox Sports Networks outlets that became part of the Liberty Sports unit (which was renamed DirecTV Sports Networks on November 19, 2009) were rebranded under the new name "Root Sports" on April 1, 2011. DirecTV Sports Networks would be acquired by AT&T Inc. in 2015, as a byproduct of its acquisition of DirecTV. The renamed RSN unit, AT&T Sports Networks , rebranded its regional sports networks – excluding Root Sports Northwest, which

8740-401: The head of the FCC, which has to approve the deal, is the former head of both the largest cable lobbying organization, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, and as largest wireless lobby, CTIA – The Wireless Association . According to Politico , Comcast "donated to almost every member of Congress who has a hand in regulating it". The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee held

8855-571: The joint venture company operated by News Corporation and Liberty Media, purchased a 40% interest in the Cablevision -owned SportsChannel group. As part of a rebranding effort, the collective branding of the networks – which eventually became "FSN (Region/City)" in 2004 – was extended to Fox Sports (Region/City) (also used from 1996 to 2000) with the start of the 2008 college football season. The FSN networks were acquired by Diamond Sports Group from The Walt Disney Company in 2019, as Disney

8970-643: The largest media conglomerate in the world. However, after rejection by Disney and uncertain response from investors, the bid was abandoned in April. In 2004, Comcast sold its QVC shares to Liberty Media for $ 7.9 billion. On April 8, 2005, a partnership led by Comcast and Sony Pictures Entertainment finalized a deal to acquire MGM and its affiliate studio, United Artists , and created an additional outlet to carry MGM/UA's material for cable and Internet distribution. On October 31, 2005, Comcast officially announced that it had acquired Susquehanna Communications ,

9085-475: The launch of the @Home Network . Also in 1996, Comcast formed Comcast Spectacor , which became owner of the Philadelphia Flyers. In 1997, Microsoft invested $ 1 billion in Comcast, and the company launched its digital TV service. That same year, in partnership with The Walt Disney Company , Comcast got a 50.1% controlling interest in E! Entertainment. By December 31, 1997, it was available in

9200-504: The media rights to both conferences; ESPN initially maintained a syndicated package known as " SEC Network ", while Raycom was given a sub-license to continue its syndication package (subsequently renamed " ACC Network "). Both packages ended when ESPN launched dedicated cable channels for both conferences. ESPN was originally intended to focus on sports in Connecticut , but chose to broadcast nationally when it debuted in 1979 when it

9315-868: The most money of any organization in support of the Stop Online Piracy and PROTECT IP bills, spending roughly $ 5 million to lobby for their passage. Comcast also backs lobbying and PACs on a regional level, backing organizations such as the Tennessee Cable Telecommunications Association and the Broadband Communications Association of Washington PAC. Comcast and other cable companies have lobbied state governments to pass legislation restricting or banning individual cities from offering public broadband service. Municipal broadband restrictions of varying scope have been passed in

9430-597: The network after 2019, forming Marquee with Sinclair Broadcast Group as the exclusive broadcaster of all regional Cubs games; that same year, NBC Sports Chicago signed a five-year extension with the Blackhawks, Bulls, and White Sox, making it the exclusive home of all three teams through the end of the 2023–24 season. In April 2024, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that the three teams were in negotiations with Stadium to assume their regional rights after

9545-491: The network also airs The Big College Football Show and The Big Pro Football Show , focusing on college football and the National Football League , respectively. On September 12, 2024, it was reported that the network was nearing its first carriage agreement with DirecTV that would have it taking over the channel positions formerly occupied by NBC Sports Chicago. On September 18, the agreement with DirecTV

9660-401: The network, including non-team programming. The app also allows eligible pay-TV subscribers to use their pay-TV credentials. Regional sports network Some RSNs originated as premium channels. Since the 1990s, they have commonly been distributed through the expanded basic tiers of cable television and IPTV services. Direct broadcast satellite providers may require subscribers to purchase

9775-467: The networks to be merged into its NBC Sports division. In April 2017, Comcast SportsNet's California and Bay Area networks were rebranded under the NBC Sports brand; NBC Sports Regional Networks adopted the "NBC Sports" moniker on its other regional channels on October 2, 2017. In May 2009, DirecTV Group Inc. announced that it would become a part of Liberty Media's entertainment unit, with some of

9890-455: The new company, while Comcast owned 51%. Vivendi , which owns 20%, would have to sell its stake to GE. It was reported that under the current deal with GE that it would happen in November or December. It was also reported that Time Warner would be interested in placing a bid, until CEO Jeffrey L. Bewkes directly denied interest, leaving Comcast the sole bidder. On November 1, 2009, The New York Times reported Comcast had moved closer to

10005-571: The news 10 days earlier that Disney negotiated with Fox to acquire the same assets. Like Disney, the deal included the 20th Century Fox film and television studios, cable entertainment and broadcast satellite networks including FX Networks , National Geographic Partners , Fox Sports Networks , and international channels such as Star India . It would not include the Fox Broadcasting Company , Fox Television Stations , Fox Sports , and Fox News units, all which will be spun-off into

10120-493: The ninth largest cable television operator at the time and were the largest operator in the Philadelphia area. This consolidated Comcast's control over all of the Philadelphia region, and earned them approximately 1.3 million additional cable subscribers. The purchase of Lenfest also bought Comcast the remaining 50% stock of the cable operator Garden State Communications — a company whom Comcast had already owned half of in partnership with Lenfest for years. Comcast quickly replaced

10235-469: The otherwise nationally distributed TSN also maintains some regional operations. This differs from the operational structure of RSNs in the United States, which are independently operated from national sports networks. Some sports teams own some or all of their respective RSNs. For example, the New York Rangers and New York Knicks have long co-owned their RSN, MSG ; they also have purchased

10350-733: The ownership of then-owner Larry H. Miller ). Both the NHL's Arizona Coyotes and Vegas Golden Knights signed with the E. W. Scripps Company 's newly-formed Scripps Sports division for the 2023–24 season. For the subsequent 2024–25 season, Scripps also signed with the Florida Panthers , and retained its association with the Utah Hockey Club (which acquired the Coyotes' hockey operations and relocated them to Salt Lake City ). The Seattle Kraken similarly made an agreement with Tegna Inc. and Amazon Prime Video , and

10465-559: The primary RSN in many markets was owned by Fox Sports . Fox Sports Networks, which launched on November 1, 1996, as Fox Sports Net, was created through former parent News Corporation 's October 1995 purchase of a 50% equity stake in Liberty Media -owned Prime Sports Networks , co-founded in 1988 by Bill Daniels and Liberty's then-sister company Tele-Communications Inc. The group expanded further in June 1997, Fox/Liberty Networks,

10580-422: The production of Padres regional games, distributing them via an in-market add-on to MLB.tv, and making agreements to carry the games on local access channels, such as Cox Cable 's YurView California . The broadcasts maintain team-contracted staff, such as commentators. In July 2023, MLB Local Media took over the rights to the Arizona Diamondbacks , after Diamond was granted a motion to decline its contract with

10695-497: The regional sports market by divesting its AT&T SportsNet channels. Major League Baseball established a local media department prior to the 2023 season, using resources from MLB Network , to produce telecasts for teams whose RSNs would become unable to broadcast their teams' games. In May 2023, when the rights to the San Diego Padres reverted to the team after Diamond missed a payment, MLB Local Media took over

10810-766: The rest of the Internet. Critics also point out a lack of competition in the vast majority of Comcast's service areas; in particular, the limited competition among cable providers. Given its negotiating power as a large ISP, some suspect that it could leverage paid peering agreements to unfairly influence end-user connection speeds. Its ownership of both content production (in NBCUniversal) and distribution (as an ISP) has raised antitrust concerns. These issues and others led to Comcast being dubbed "The Worst Company in America" by The Consumerist in 2010 and 2014. Comcast

10925-471: The rights to the Golden Knights' syndication package with Scripps Sports. Some regional sports networks have been formed as digital multicast television networks . BEK Communications Cooperative operates BEK Sports, an RSN focusing on North Dakota high school sports, across several stations in the state. In 2023, Gray Television (the current owner of sports syndicator Raycom Sports ) began

11040-807: The rights to the Rangers' local rivals, the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils . MSG also owns the rights to the Buffalo Sabres , but the Sabres produce their own games for MSG Western New York , a separate channel managed by MSG and Pegula Sports and Entertainment , owners of the Sabres. The first regional sports network is considered to be the Madison Square Garden Network . An early unnamed version of that network started broadcasting Knicks and Rangers to

11155-523: The second-tallest skyscraper in Pennsylvania. In the fall of 2018, it finished construction of the 1,121 ft (342 m) Comcast Technology Center , Pennsylvania's tallest skyscraper, adjacent to its original headquarters. As of 2019, the company had 184,000 employees. Comcast is often criticized by the media and its own staff for its less-than-upstanding policies of employee relations. A 2014 investigative series published by The Verge involved interviews with 150 Comcast employees, and examined why

11270-413: The shape of a pile of human feces was delivered to Comcast Corporate Headquarters to commemorate the unmatched level of enmity flowing from their customer base to their business. Comcast responded immediately by publicly acknowledging the dubious award and citing ongoing efforts to improve its customer service. One effort to change this is a new app called Tech ETA that allows customers to see exactly when

11385-419: The source content for out-of-market sports packages . During the rest of the day, these channels show news programs covering local and national sports, magazine and discussion programs relating to a team or collegiate conference, fishing and hunting programs, and in-studio video simulcasts of sports radio programs. RSNs also rerun sports events from the recent and distant past. Some RSNs air infomercials . In

11500-494: The team's parent Fenway Sports Group —assuming day-to-day operations) and renamed to SportsNet Pittsburgh. The Pirates later bought a stake in the network as well. The Houston Astros and Rockets acquired WBD's shares in AT&T SportsNet Southwest and rebranded it as Space City Home Network . AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain closed in October 2023, with the Utah Jazz moving to Sinclair Broadcast Group 's KJZZ-TV , and

11615-670: The team. The Colorado Rockies also joined MLB Local Media for the 2024 season amid the closure of AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain . In October 2024, MLB Local Media announced that it would begin producing and distributing broadcasts for the Cleveland Guardians , Milwaukee Brewers , and Minnesota Twins beginning in the 2025 season; it also announced that the Texas Rangers would end their relationship with Bally Sports Southwest and explore local television options for 2025 and beyond. Some NHL and NBA teams handled

11730-423: The ten-year general manager at Garden State with their own executive, and eventually Garden State ceased operating under its own name and was fully merged to become a part of the Comcast Corporation. In 2001, Comcast announced it would acquire the assets of the largest cable television operator at the time, AT&T Broadband , for $ 44.5 billion. The proposed name for the merged company was "AT&T Comcast", but

11845-414: The third-largest cable operator in the United States, with around 3.5 million subscribers following its purchase of Maclean-Hunter 's American division for $ 1.27 billion. Comcast grew to 4.3 million subscribers the following year with the purchase of the cable operation of E. W. Scripps Company for $ 1.575 billion in stock. Comcast offered internet connection for the first time in 1996, with its part in

11960-700: Was a successor to the previous Raycom Sports-produced SEC package. In 2014, television station owner Sinclair Broadcast Group established its own sports syndicator known as the American Sports Network (ASN), primarily syndicating broadcasts of college football and basketball from mid-major conferences (some of which were previously associated with ESPN Plus) to stations that it owns and operates. In 2015, Sinclair also acquired regional rights to Major League Soccer 's Real Salt Lake , with ASN handling production and distribution of team telecasts within its designated market. ASN later began to operate

12075-573: Was announced on October 17. Because the network's coverage area over-the-air outside Illinois will conflict with the rights to other teams, it is likely that alternate blackout programming will be transmitted to those stations (for instance, White Sox baseball would not be seen on CHSN's Milwaukee partner due to conflicts with the Milwaukee Brewers ). On November 14, 2024, CHSN unveiled its DTC streaming app with pricing set at $ 19.99 per month for one team or $ 29.99 per month for full access to

12190-409: Was announced that AT&T would instead divest the entirety of WarnerMedia, and contribute it into a joint venture with Discovery Inc. , forming a new company later announced as Warner Bros. Discovery . Discovery announced on April 7, 2022, that Patrick Crumb, president of AT&T Sports Networks, would report to the yet-to-be-named Chairperson for Warner Bros. Discovery Sports; Jeff Zucker departed

12305-626: Was completed on March 19, 2013. Comcast reported that third-quarter net profits in 2020 fell 37 percent to $ 2.02 billion from $ 3.22 billion the previous year, in part due to the limited capacity measures for the COVID-19 pandemic at theme parks like Universal Studios and movie theaters, with revenues falling 4.8 percent. With their theme park in California being closed since March 2020 and limited capacity at locations in Florida and Japan ,

12420-471: Was confirmed. On September 30, the network reached an agreement with Astound RCN, and streaming service Fubo was added on October 25. The network was also added to MTCO, a small regional internet and streaming-TV provider in Central Illinois. Carriage on Dish Network , which has shifted to refusing RSN carriage due to high distribution fees, is not expected to be pursued. Carriage on YouTube TV

12535-538: Was discovered by the network's founders that it would be less expensive to broadcast nationwide on satellite as opposed to regionally through microwave transmission. ESPN formerly served as a college sports syndicator via ESPN Regional Television —formerly branded on-air as ESPN Plus, but later using conference-oriented brands such as SEC Network (not to be confused with the SEC Network cable channel which succeeded it), and Big East Network. The SEC Network package

12650-496: Was in talks to buy NBC Universal . Comcast denied the rumors at first, while NBC would not comment on them. However, CNBC itself reported on October 1 that General Electric was considering spinning NBC Universal off into a separate company that would merge the NBC television network and its cable properties such as USA Network, Syfy and MSNBC, as well as Universal Pictures , with Comcast's content assets. GE would maintain 49% control of

12765-548: Was included on CableFAX magazine's "Top 10 Places to Work in Cable", which cited its "scale, savvy and vision". Similarly, the Philadelphia Business Journal awarded Comcast the silver medal among extra-large companies in Philadelphia, with the gold medal going to partner organization, Comcast-Spectacor. The Boston Globe found Comcast to be that city's top place to work in 2009. Employee diversity

12880-810: Was obsessed with sales, did not train its employees properly, and concluded that "the system makes good customer service impossible." Comcast has also earned a reputation as anti-union. A company training manual says, "Comcast does not feel union representation is in the best interest of its employees, customers, or shareholders". A dispute in 2004 with CWA , a labor union representing many employees at Comcast's Beaverton, Oregon offices, led to allegations of management intimidating workers, requiring them to attend anti-union meetings and unwarranted disciplinary action for union members. In 2011, Comcast received criticism from Writers Guild of America for its policies regarding unions. Despite these criticisms, Comcast has appeared on multiple "top places to work" lists. In 2009, it

12995-507: Was one of the highest paid executives in the United States, with total compensation of about $ 31 million. As of February 18, 2024: Comcast is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and has offices in Atlanta , Detroit , Denver , Manchester, New Hampshire and New York City . On January 3, 2005, it announced it would become the anchor tenant in the new Comcast Center in downtown Philadelphia—at 975 ft (297 m),

13110-519: Was receiving from Comcast but still had yet to receive an offer. As a result of the ongoing negotiations, CHSN had withheld its standalone streaming app, as CHSN believed its release would further hinder a deal with Comcast. By the end of October, CHSN had sent three offers to Comcast but received no offer in return, with its third offer including a move to Comcast's Ultimate tier and a much lower fee than NBC Sports Chicago's. On September 15, 2024, Chicago Sports Network announced its over-the-air coverage in

13225-411: Was required to divest them by U.S. Department of Justice as a condition of their own acquisition of 21st Century Fox . The channel group was renamed Bally Sports on March 31, 2021, as part of a naming rights agreement with casino operator Bally's Corporation . On February 15, 2023, Diamond Sports Group , the parent company of Bally Sports, failed to make a $ 140M interest payment, instead opting for

#119880