Dodgers' Kasten Supports Call For Arbitrator To End Cable Blackout
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten supported the call Tuesday night for an arbitrator to help resolve the ongoing broadcast dispute between Time Warner Cable and other carriers, which has prohibited 70 percent of residents from watching games on TV in 2014.
"This, if it were agreed upon, would end this blackout right away, today, and we would be on the air literally tomorrow night in the entire area," Kasten said. "I want to thank Congressman Sherman and his colleagues for their diligent work and their concern for Dodger fans everywhere. I think it's a very useful and productive step that he made."
On Monday night, Time Warner Cable reportedly agreed to an arbitrator's involvement in the dispute, after six members of the U.S. House of Representatives, all based in California, wrote a letter to the FCC, claiming that consumers were the ones being held hostage by the ongoing dispute with the cable giant.
"We are willing to enter into binding arbitration with DirecTV, and we appreciate the Congressman's concern for Dodger fans. We prefer to reach agreements through private business negotiations, but given the current circumstance, we are willing to agree to binding arbitration and to allow DirecTV customers to watch the Dodgers games while the arbitration is concluded," Time Warner Cable (TWC) spokesman Andrew Fegyveresi said in a statement Tuesday.
While Time Warner bought the rights to the Dodgers for more than $8 billion, other carriers disagree over how much TWC wants for them to be able to broadcast games on SportsNet LA.
Networks without broadcasting rights include DirecTV, Cox Communications, Dish Network and Verizon Fios.
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