Decision on Sportsnet Philadelphia Due this Week

[SunMo]

i dont agree with either loophole but i can see the argument that it would really hurt comcast in the philly area...but why not require them to put their station on satelite outside the philly area...in fact i would think comcast would want their station available in more areas as they could charge higher advertising rates

that's why i think Wing is wrong.  the only reason that Comcast delievered Philly Sportsnet terresterially is because the deliver it the other way would force them to offer it to everyone.  well, the government closed that loophole.  they said that it must be offered up, no matter of delivery process, with exception to the philly region.

this is perfect for comcast, no?  they can offer it via satellite, charge higher advertising rates, while having their philly market protected.

[Wingspan]

are you sure?  i read it the other way, that they to offer it everywhere, except to satellite companies in the philly region.

positive.

there will be no changes to csn philly.

if you can't get it now...you wont get it because of this.

basically the loophole was closed for every other market, except philadelphia. because philly is just so farging awesome.

tax free skyscrapers for everyone!

[SunMo]

but follow my logic...Comcast would love to sell CSN philly to other markets, right?

but they couldn't before, because if they did, they'd have to send it via satellite and thus open it up to the satellite companies.

but the FCC is saying that doesn't matter, you have to make it availabe to everybody, no matter how you deliver it, with exception to the philly area, that is exclusively yours.

so now, comcast could sell CSN philly to other markets with no worries about having philly subscribers drop their service and get satellite.

[Wingspan]

i follow your logic...

however, the words "carve-out" = "except for"

as in nothing changes with philadelphia's csn.

nothing.

[SunMo]

i follow your logic...

however, the words "carve-out" = "except for"

ok, i see what you're saying.

why would Comcast want that though?

[ice grillin you]

i read it the same way sun...welcome to the idiot club

[SunMo]

i see where Wing is coming from though...

he see's "carve out" as the area where the availability rule is not changed


i see "carve out" as the area where the new rule is not applied

[ice grillin you]

i read it once and wont read it again...i dont even remember reading carved out...all i know is it sounded to me as everyone will now get it but philly satelite customers

oh well

[Wingspan]

i follow your logic...

however, the words "carve-out" = "except for"

ok, i see what you're saying.

why would Comcast want that though?

maybe they do.

but Dish Network and Directv do not regionalize when it comes to their consumer base and their infrastruction to my knowlegde. Anyone in the country that calls up and ask, "Hi Directv, i want your basic service"...everyone gets the same things.

then they package the local channels if you want them.

dish network and directv will not pay for philly csn if they can't sell it in philly. the miniscule number of people who would ask for CSN Philly compared to local sports fans is probably not worth cost to carry it if they can't sell it to the local market. 

[ice grillin you]

all they would have to do is add it to their sports package of regional channels and not offer it to the philly area....just as they currently offer the local philly network stations (3,6,10) to just philly...it would just be the reverse

[Seabiscuit36]

Came across this on AVS forum

Doing alittle digging, it appears that Comcast threatened to back out of the deal had they been forced to give CSN-Philadelphia to DBS and FiOS and the FCC blinked and gave in presumably for the good of the Adelphia subscribers. Nothing like alittle backbone on the part of the FCC commissioners. Had they stood their ground, the deal would have gone through. Comcast is to pick up 1.8 million subscribers as part of the deal. They would not lose that many in Philadelphia to DBS were CSN-Philadelphia to be made available to DBS or FiOS. So much for competition and some control over rates in the Philadelphia area. It may not be a bad idea for Philadelphia cable subscribers to be reminded of this fact when they pay thier ever increasing cable bill before voting for their congressional representatives in November.

CSN Philly is the exception to the rule guys.  Basically comcast once again strongarmed who was against them to get their way.  IF your outside philly no CSN Philly, if you in the Philly viewing area but use dish/fios/dtv your still not getting CSN Philly w/o comcast cable

[Seabiscuit36]

Cable Deal Requires RSN Conditions
While the FCC approved the transfer of licenses from Adelphia to Comcast and Time Warner Cable, the agency also imposed conditions on the deal it said aim to address issues tied to competitor access to regional sports networks affiliated with the cable giants.
The commission said the conditions mirrored those imposed on News Corp. when it took a controlling stake in DirecTV in 2004.

Specifically, the FCC adopted a condition allowing unaffiliated RSNs unable to reach a carriage agreement with Time Warner or Comcast to seek arbitration. This would force Comcast into arbitration with Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, which carries Washington Nationals games. Both sides have been unable to reach a carriage deal.

Also, the cable giants are prohibited from engaging in tactics that would make affiliated regional sports programming unavailable to rivals, such as satellite TV. Also, any regional sports network affiliated with Comcast or Time Warner Cable must go to arbitration if there's a dispute.

Left out of the regulatory mix is Comcast SportsNet in Philadelphia. The FCC ruled that Comcast may retain exclusivity with its hometown RSN.

[SunMo]

It's unbelievable that this is allowed to continue.  This is practically a monopoly.  If Comcast was forced to give up exclusivity to CSN, it would at the very least make them be competitive with the rates of the satellite companies so they can retain their customers.

[ice grillin you]

i still dont fully understand why its allowed to happen only in philly...but not in chicago....ny....baltimore or dc

[Seabiscuit36]

If they gave it up, then they would have competitors offering better packages at lower prices, thus making comcast lower their prices, lowering stock prices and hurting the conglomerate of comcast.  Who cares about the consumer!