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56-577: The channel, which launched on February 25, 2014, was the result of a 25-year deal with Time Warner Cable reached in January 2013, valued at $ 8.35 billion, succeeding Prime Ticket as the regional rights holder for the team. The channel is one of three regional sports networks owned by Charter Communications serving the Los Angeles region. Until April 2020 when AT&T , owner of DirecTV , came to terms with Charter, SportsNet LA reached less than half

112-504: A "turning point” for teams, forcing them to consider whether higher revenues from distributors might sacrifice the next generation of fans. In its first two baseball seasons, Time Warner Cable lost more than $ 100 million a year on SportsNet LA due to the channel's limited distribution. TWC Sports President David B. Rone, who was instrumental in the company's foray into regional sports programming, departed TWC in October 2015. By June 2017,

168-513: A baseball commentator. Games not called by Scully were called by Charley Steiner (play-by-play) and Orel Hershiser (color commentary). Scully retired at the conclusion of the 2016 Los Angeles Dodgers season . The following season, he was succeeded by Joe Davis; he was phased into the role by performing play-by-play for 52 road games during the 2016 season, splitting with Steiner the games not being called by Scully that season. Steiner continues to serve as an alternate play-by-play announcer if Davis

224-509: A competitor chose to do so." AT&T general counsel David McAtee responded to the claims, stating that the company made its decision "independently, legally and only after thorough negotiations with the content owner”, and argued that no other provider carried the channel because they did not want to pass TWC's "inflated prices" for the channel on to consumers. The March 2017 settlement required AT&T to better ensure that its employees maintain confidentiality during contract negotiations. But

280-618: A deal to partner with the Dodgers to form a new regional sports network, which would be majority-owned by the team. On January 28, the Dodgers and Time Warner Cable signed a 25-year broadcast agreement valued at $ 8.35 billion, subject to the approval of Major League Baseball, which would see the establishment of a new channel known as SportsNet LA . The deal ended long-standing broadcast partnerships with Fox Sports West, which had aired Dodgers games on its Prime Ticket channel since 1997 ; and with KCAL-TV , an independent station which had been

336-538: A failed lawsuit by the Ducks seeking to return their games back on Fox Sports West. Four months after it launched the new network had secured deals to reach 1.1 million subscribers, representing less than one-fourth the coverage of its parent network. In 2000, Fox Sports West 2 was rebranded as Fox Sports Net West 2 , as part of a collective brand modification of the FSN networks under the "Fox Sports Net" banner. In 2004, this

392-746: A merger between both companies, The Walt Disney Company announced plans to acquire all 22 regional Fox Sports networks from 21st Century Fox , including Fox Sports West and Prime Ticket. However, on June 27, 2018, the Justice Department ordered their divestment under antitrust grounds, citing Disney's ownership of ESPN . On May 3, 2019, Sinclair Broadcast Group and Entertainment Studios (through their joint venture, Diamond Holdings ) bought Fox Sports Networks from The Walt Disney Company for $ 10.6 billion. The deal closed on August 22, 2019. On November 17, 2020, Sinclair announced an agreement with casino operator Bally's Corporation to serve as

448-611: A need for a new regional sports network. After SportsChannel's closure, Prime Ticket acquired the broadcast rights to the Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Clippers which had previously broadcast on SportsChannel. However, the Los Angeles Dodgers opted to not to make a deal with Prime Ticket, instead staying off cable for the next four seasons. The network would retain the Prime Ticket name until it

504-499: A new naming rights partner for the FSN channels. Sinclair announced the new Bally Sports branding for the channels on January 27, 2021. On March 31, 2021, coinciding with the 2021 Major League Baseball season , the Prime Ticket name was retired again as the channel rebranded to Bally Sports SoCal , resulting in 18 other Regional Sports Networks renamed Bally Sports in their respective regions. On March 14, 2023, Diamond Sports filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy . On August 27, 2024,

560-527: A new sponsorship agreement with FanDuel Group , under which it intends to rebrand Bally Sports as the FanDuel Sports Network ; on October 18, 2024, Diamond officially announced the rebranding, which will take effect October 21. Under the agreement, FanDuel will have the option to take a minority equity stake of up to 5% once Diamond Sports exits bankruptcy. The branding will be downplayed within programming related to high school sports. In

616-494: A result, Charter added SportsNet LA on June 9, making the network available to nearly 300,000 additional subscribers in the Los Angeles region. In 2014, Time Warner Cable reportedly asked other distributors for an estimated $ 4.90 monthly fee per household, with carriage fees increasing over the length of the contract. In March 2016, TWC attempted to break the stalemate by reducing the fee for the upcoming season by about 30 percent: about $ 3.50 per household, according to an estimate by

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672-531: A separate regional network for the San Diego market, Fox Sports San Diego . Despite that channel's launch, Bally Sports West remains available on cable providers in the San Diego area; however, Bally Sports San Diego carries some programming (including most live sporting events) from Bally Sports SoCal, which essentially makes striking any carriage agreement for that channel unnecessary. Bally Sports West and Bally Sports SoCal maintain widespread cable carriage in

728-468: A seven-year impasse (sufficiently long that some fans on social media believed the announcement was an April Fool's prank), reaching a multi-year deal to carry SportsNet LA on its video platforms, including AT&T TV /AT&T TV Now, DirecTV and U-Verse. The agreement brought the number of households able to view SportsNet LA to about 3 million. According to a Los Angeles Times analysis, DirecTV had been "hemorrhaging customers" and viewed sports as one of

784-621: A small portion of the San Gabriel Valley . Together, these distributors covered only 30% of the market, leaving the remaining 70% without the channel. Coverage rose when Charter Communications added SportsNet LA in June 2015, but remained under 50 percent: about 1.8 million homes. DirecTV, later owned by AT&T, was the largest unsigned distributor. Charter acquired TWC in May 2016. On April 1, 2020, AT&T came to terms with Charter after

840-570: A studio host, with Spectrum News 1 anchor Kelvin Washington and Lakers studio host Allie Clifton filling in on occasions. ESPN ’s Jessica Mendoza and Eric Karros , a colleague of Davis at Fox , joined SportsNet LA in 2022 as alternate color commentators. Dontrelle Willis , another colleague of Davis, Adrián González , and Jose Mota , longtime member of the rival Los Angeles Angels broadcast team, also joined as studio analysts. Willis also fills-in for Hershiser on select road games, and Mota

896-573: Is also part of the Dodgers’ Spanish language broadcast team on radio. David Vassegh will occasionally fill-in for Watson whenever she is on duty for another assignment. From SportsNet LA's inaugural season through 2016, Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully retained his traditional role as solo commentator for Dodgers games in California and Arizona . The 2014 MLB season marked his 65th as

952-548: Is an American television personality and play-by-play commentator who works for ESPN and the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball . Nelson grew up in Southern California and attended Marina High School in Huntington Beach, California . He went on to attend Chapman University , where he majored in broadcast journalism. Nelson was the sports director for Chapman Radio , where he served as

1008-470: Is emblematic of the growing tension between high-fee sports channels and content distributors. The latter have grown concerned over losing subscribers who resent paying for sports channels they don't watch. Early on, DirecTV offered to carry the channel on an "a la carte" basis, rather than part of a package, at whatever monthly fee TWC set. That scheme would have avoided passing the cost to DirecTV's entire base of subscribers, including those not interested in

1064-508: Is the lead field reporter and fills in as studio host for some games. Former baseball players Nomar Garciaparra and Jerry Hairston Jr. are also part of the pre and post-game broadcasts. Garciaparra will occasionally join Davis and Hershiser in the booth, or fill in for Hershiser on some games, with Stephen Nelson or Tim Neverett filling in for Davis whenever he is on assignment for Fox Sports . Former KABC-TV anchor John Hartung serves as

1120-530: Is unable to work a game due to a Fox Sports assignment. Alanna Rizzo had been the lead field reporter and alternate studio host since the network's launch. Rizzo left after the 2020 season for personal reasons. For the 2014 season, SportsNet LA began to carry an expanded schedule of dedicated Spanish-language broadcasts of Dodgers games on a special feed of the network. For the 2014 season, 75 games were broadcast in Spanish, and called by Jorge Jarrín (son of

1176-490: The Anaheim Ducks announced partnerships with KCOP-TV , a MyNetworkTV affiliate owned by Fox, and direct-to-consumer streaming service Victory+, ending their tenure with Bally Sports. The deal with KCOP includes 65 Ducks games to televise in the Los Angeles regional market per year marking the return of hockey broadcasts to a Fox station. On October 16, 2024, it was revealed in a court filing that Diamond had reached

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1232-789: The Bally Sports app for those outside of the Los Angeles DMA; Prior to the 2016-17 season, Ducks games were not streamed on the application, as Fox Sports and the National Hockey League did not come to a streaming rights agreement until the summer of 2016. Bally Sports West maintains widespread cable carriage in San Diego County . However, the two major providers in the area, Time Warner Cable and Cox Communications , have refused to carry Prime Ticket since its launch in 1997; both cable providers claim that

1288-716: The Greater Los Angeles area . Bally Sports SoCal is available on cable providers throughout Southern California , the Las Vegas Valley and Hawaii ; it is also available nationwide on satellite via DirecTV . The network holds the regional broadcast rights to the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association and West Coast Conference men's and women's basketball. The network also broadcast

1344-663: The Las Vegas Valley . On May 23, 2017, it was announced that AT&T SportsNet had acquired the RSN rights to the Vegas Golden Knights to televise broadcast games in Southern Nevada on AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain which started in the 2017–2018 NHL Season . Because the Vegas Golden Knights hold territorial rights for all of Southern Nevada, Los Angeles Kings games are blacked out in

1400-646: The Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball until 2014, when broadcasts moved to Spectrum SportsNet LA , and broadcast the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League until 2024, when broadcasts moved to KCOP-TV . The original Prime Ticket (currently Bally Sports West) was launched on October 19, 1985, and became one of the leading regional sports networks in the United States. Rival network SportsChannel Los Angeles ceased operations on December 31, 1992, which would eventually create

1456-594: The documentary series Before the Bigs and In My Own Words , and team-themed Insider shows) and less on supplemental national programming provided by Fox Sports Net. FSN West reverted to the Fox Sports West moniker in 2008. On June 20, 2011, Commissioner of Baseball Bud Selig rejected a proposed contract extension between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Prime Ticket, citing concerns that the deal

1512-638: The 2011–12 season. Nelson hosted the pre- and post-game shows, as well as the intermission reports, in addition to filling in as a play-by-play broadcaster and color commentator. From June 2012 to August 2014, Nelson was a sports reporter and anchor for KEZI-TV in Eugene, Oregon . In August 2014, Nelson joined Bleacher Report as an on-air talent. In March 2018, Nelson left Bleacher Report to join MLB Network and NHL Network . In March 2021, after MLB Network declined to renew Chris Rose ’s contract, Nelson

1568-535: The Dodgers' broadcast team "a defining moment" in his career and personal, as he represents the Asian American Pacific Islander community in sports broadcasting. Upon joining the Dodgers, Nelson was the only Asian American play-by-play broadcaster working for a Major League team. On November 11, 2023, Nelson joined ESPN as a SportsCenter anchor, based in Los Angeles, joining a rotation with Stan Verrett and Linda Cohn . This followed

1624-451: The Dodgers' over-the-air broadcast television outlet since 2006 . TWC's winning bid exceeded Fox's bid by $ 2 billion and was worth $ 210 million for the inaugural 2014 season or $ 1.5 million a game. That amount exceeded the revenues from Prime Ticket and KCAL-TV by more than four times. The agreement increased the number of games aired: nearly 100 games were carried in 2014 compared with the 49 games aired by Prime Ticket in 2013. Following

1680-754: The Las Vegas Valley on Bally Sports West regardless of the cable or satellite provider, requiring a subscription to the NHL Center Ice out-of-market sports package to view those telecasts. All other sports programming, with the exception of Kings hockey games carried on Bally Sports West, is available in Southern Nevada. In 2013, after the Dodgers ended with Fox, The Dodgers would leave Prime Ticket and start their own network with Time Warner Cable, SportsNet LA . Stephen Nelson (sportscaster) Stephen Nelson (born March 8, 1989)

1736-482: The Los Angeles market, in the case of scheduling conflicts, FanDuel Sports Network SoCal will move a scheduled telecast of a Clippers or Ducks (prior to 2024-25 season) game to KCOP-TV (Channel 13), the local MyNetworkTV owned-and-operated station and former sister station to the two networks. Select Ducks games were also shown on Bally Sports West prior to the 2024–25 NHL season . Those KCOP Clippers and Ducks (prior to 2024-25 season) telecasts may also be streamed via

Spectrum SportsNet LA - Misplaced Pages Continue

1792-473: The Southern California market. Disputes in negotiations included the cost of the channel and the requirement that SportsNet LA be carried with other mainstream premium channels rather than in a separate sports tier or on an "a la carte" basis. In late 2012, Fox Sports ' exclusive period for negotiating a new broadcast deal with the Dodgers ended. Reports published at that time indicated that

1848-460: The SportsNet LA viewership for Dodger games had dropped 49% from 2013, shifting from 154,000 households to 79,000. Television viewership for the Dodgers' regional rivals, the Los Angeles Angels , initially soared to 107,000 households per game in 2014. But that number dropped over the 2015 and 2016 seasons, averaging just 47,000 households in the first few months of the 2017 season, even though

1904-413: The analyst firm SNL Kagan. A follow-up offer extended the period to six years, with fees comparable to DirecTV's own Seattle-based regional sports channel, Root Sports Northwest , estimated at $ 3.84 per household. Both pre-season offers were rejected before opening day. In September 2016, after acquiring TWC, Charter indicated it would price the 2017 season above $ 4.50. “[The previous] deal is no longer on

1960-455: The approval of the Dodgers' television deal, the team announced on January 16, 2014, that SportsNet LA would launch on February 25, the eve of spring training , and that all of the Dodgers' spring training games would be televised by the new channel. At least 75 games broadcast by the channel in the 2014 season were simulcast in Spanish ; the channel plans to televise all its games in Spanish in

2016-456: The channel's 2014 inaugural season, Los Angeles Times business reporter Joe Flint called the standoff a potentially "definitive moment for the world of sports programming, as the industry realizes that exorbitantly priced television deals can backfire." Four years later, Kagen sports analyst Adam Gajo said that the carriage dispute challenged the assumption that subscribers would absorb almost any cost to see their teams play. He called SportsNet LA

2072-467: The channel. TWC responded by noting that bundled regional sports channels have been an industry standard, one that DirecTV itself adheres to in other markets. Another factor, one specific to Los Angeles, was the large number of regional sports channels in the area, which has resulted in higher subscriber costs than in other metropolitan regions. Those channels include Spectrum SportsNet (formerly Time Warner Cable SportsNet), whose ratings dropped along with

2128-440: The few remaining reasons for customers to pay at least $ 100 a month for a conventional pay-TV subscription. "Without sports, millions of additional consumers probably would cut the pay-TV cord". For Charter, the deal helped stem annual losses of about $ 150 million on the SportsNet LA contract. The channel remains in an impasse with other Southern California providers, including DISH and Cox Communications . The carriage dispute

2184-502: The first MLB team to offer a Korean-language broadcast for all of its games. Until April 2020 when AT&T agreed to carry the network, SportsNet LA had never been available to the majority of households in its service area. Carriage was most limited in the channel's inaugural 2014 season, when it was carried by Time Warner Cable systems in Los Angeles, Bright House Networks ' system in Bakersfield , and Champion Broadband serving

2240-537: The flagging performance of its most visible team, the Los Angeles Lakers . In addition, some industry observers believed that Comcast , which was trying to acquire Time Warner Cable, would write off losses on the Dodgers' contract and offer distributors a better deal. That speculation lowered the signing incentive in 2014. Comcast withdrew the acquisition proposal on April 24, 2015. In turn, Charter Communications acquired Time Warner Cable on May 26, 2015. As

2296-518: The future. While the channel is not directly branded with the Dodgers' name, its logo incorporates the team's interlocking "LA" insignia; team co-owner Todd Boehly stated that the decision was "something [Time Warner Cable] thought was really valuable to their brand. We have the flexibility to sit down and evolve the name over time." Team president Stan Kasten described Sportsnet LA as a "Dodger-only channel with Dodger-only content 24/7", featuring live game coverage and original series focusing on aspects of

Spectrum SportsNet LA - Misplaced Pages Continue

2352-483: The games are broadcast on all major carriers. In a bid to increase viewership, SportsNet LA began to syndicate selected Dodgers games to broadcast television stations. In 2014 and 2016, the Dodgers' final six regular season games were shown on KDOC-TV and KTLA . The latter season included Vin Scully's final games before his retirement. In 2017, 10 early-season games aired on KTLA, which, together with SportsNet LA, drew an average 378,000 viewers per game, about five times

2408-554: The lead play-by-play broadcaster for school sports games. During his time at Chapman, Nelson interned for KTLA-TV and Fox Sports West . He also worked as a camera operator and in-game production assistant for the Anaheim Angels and Anaheim Ducks . In 2011, Nelson graduated magna cum laude from Chapman. After graduating from Chapman, Nelson worked as a multimedia broadcaster for the Rockford IceHogs during

2464-412: The negotiating stalemate. The DOJ alleged that DirecTV had "unlawfully exchanged competitively-sensitive information" with AT&T (prior to its acquisition of DirecTV), Charter, and Cox Communications surrounding their negotiations and plans to carry SportsNet LA, in order to "obtain bargaining leverage and to reduce the risk that they would lose subscribers if they decided not to carry the channel but

2520-514: The network has asked for carriage fees they deemed to be too expensive for carriage on their expanded basic tiers. However, Prime Ticket was carried on some former systems that Time Warner Cable acquired in 2006 from Adelphia Communications . Adelphia had added the channel to their lineup in 2001. On March 17, 2012, as part of a contract signed with FSN to acquire the local cable rights to the San Diego Padres , Fox Sports Networks created

2576-527: The size of the usual audience. The station broadcast five early-season games in 2018 and ten in 2019. On November 2, 2016, the United States Department of Justice sued DirecTV and its corporate successor, AT&T Inc. , alleging the company colluded with its competitors to prevent SportsNet LA from being carried more widely. The parties settled the following March, resulting in stricter operating guidelines for AT&T, but no break in

2632-645: The state of those negotiations remained unchanged as AT&T was not required to make any bargaining concessions. Bally Sports SoCal FanDuel Sports Network SoCal is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group , a joint venture between Sinclair Broadcast Group and Entertainment Studios , and operated as part of FanDuel Sports Network , along with its sister network FanDuel Sports Network West . The channel broadcasts regional coverage of professional and collegiate sports events in California , focusing primarily on teams based in

2688-527: The table—it didn't work,” said Charter Chief Executive Thomas Rutledge to the Los Angeles Times . “We would love to sell the channel to others, but no one has bought it—and we are not giving it away. So if consumers want the Dodger channel, they'll need to subscribe to us to get it.” Some industry observers saw TWC's inability to resell the channel as having industry-wide consequences. Midway through

2744-470: The team was negotiating with other potential broadcasters, such as the recently established Time Warner Cable SportsNet , and contemplating forming an in-house network with Dick Clark Productions , a television production company recently purchased by the Dodgers' new parent company, Guggenheim Partners . On January 22, 2013, the Los Angeles Times reported that Time Warner Cable had signed

2800-555: The team's long-time Spanish radio voice Jaime Jarrin ) and Manny Mota . As of the 2015 season, all Dodgers games broadcast by SportsNet LA are available in Spanish; at this time, Jorge moved to the Spanish-language radio broadcasts with his father, while Pepe Yniguez and Fernando Valenzuela moved from radio to television alongside Mota. Also in 2014, SportsNet LA launched Korean-language broadcasts carried on SAP , called by Richard Choi and Chong Ho Yim. The Dodgers were

2856-446: The team. Fox's exclusive negotiating period with the Dodgers expired on November 30, 2012 – leaving the team open to competing offers. In January 2013, Time Warner Cable signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, establishing a new team-specific channel known as SportsNet LA . In 2014, Prime Ticket began broadcasting Arizona Diamondbacks games via Fox Sports Arizona for viewers in the Las Vegas Valley. On December 14, 2017, as part of

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2912-638: The team. The initial program lineup included: As part of cutbacks across TWC's Los Angeles regional sports networks due to low viewership, Larry King at Bat and Dodgers Clubhouse were cancelled in September 2015. The following February, the channel announced it would reduce the number of spring training games it broadcasts to 16, down from 31 in 2015 and 22 in its debut year. As of the 2023 season, Dodgers games on SportsNet LA are called by Joe Davis on play-by-play, and Orel Hershiser on color. Kirsten Watson , formerly of sister station Spectrum SportsNet ,

2968-701: Was named the new co-host of Intentional Talk alongside Kevin Millar . In November 2021, Nelson served as the fill-in play-by-play commentator for three Chicago Blackhawks games on NBC Sports Chicago . In 2022, Nelson became the primary play-by-play announcer for the MLB Network-produced Friday Night Baseball on Apple TV+ . On January 20, 2023, the Los Angeles Dodgers named Nelson to their broadcast team for games on SportsNet LA that are not broadcast by lead play-by-play announcer Joe Davis . Nelson called joining

3024-825: Was rebranded in 1994 as Prime Sports West and later then Fox Sports West in 1996 when it joined Fox Sports Net . On January 27, 1997, Fox Sports Net launched an additional channel, Fox Sports West 2 , to provide the broadcast of 40 Los Angeles Dodgers games. The Dodgers had not had any local cable broadcasts of their games since the 1992 season. Additionally, Los Angeles Clippers and Anaheim Ducks games were moved from Fox Sports West, as well as UCLA and USC basketball games that were not part of Fox's existing Pac-10 package. Other new programming included coverage of other college sports at UCLA and USC, high school basketball and football, and horse racing from Santa Anita and Hollywood Park Initially Fox Sports West 2 did not have widespread cable coverage, leading to many complaints and

3080-511: Was shortened to FSN West 2 . On April 3, 2006, FSN West 2 rebranded as FSN Prime Ticket (later shortened to simply Prime Ticket ), beginning with the Dodgers season opener against the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium . The change was primarily made as a response to perception of viewers that Fox Sports West 2 was an inferior network. The network adopted a new philosophy to concentrate more on local originally-produced content (such as

3136-399: Was structured in a way that most of the proceeds would end up being assigned to beleaguered Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and not the team's operations. Both Fox Sports West and the Dodgers were involved in separate lawsuits over the team's broadcast rights as well as the sale of the club. On January 10, 2012, Fox and the Dodgers reached a settlement in court, clearing the way for the sale of

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