Charter Communications to carry Dodgers games in L.A.
Charter Communications will carry SportsNet LA, allowing hundreds of thousands of Southern California viewers to watch Dodgers games starting Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles Times.
"The Dodgers are an iconic franchise and part of the fabric of the community," Tom Rutledge, chief executive of Charter Communications, said in a statement Thursday, according to the Times. "We are very excited to be bringing the Dodgers back to Charter customers in the L.A. area."
The communications company had previously resisted carrying the sports channel—one of the most expensive regional sports networks in the country, according to the Times—preventing its customers from watching the Dodgers.
Two weeks ago, Charter purchased Time Warner Cable, one of the only local cable outlets to carry SportsNet LA.
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In January 2013, Time Warner and the Dodgers agreed to a television deal worth $8.35 billion over 25 years. Since then, Time Warner has had trouble convincing other cable carriers to broadcast SportsNet LA at the price they have asked for, leaving around 70% of the Los Angeles area unable to watch the Dodgers.
In March, the New York Postreported that Time Warner would likely lose $1 billion in the deal.
- Alex Putterman
