CSN Philly formally requested by Dish Network and DirecTV

From Multichallel News:

DirecTV Formally Asks For Access To Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia
DBS Provider Would Not Say Whether It Will File Complaint With FCC

John Eggerton -- Multichannel News, 6/25/2010 11:29:14 AM

DirecTV has requested access to Comcast's terrestrially delivered regional sports network in Philadelphia.

"We have formally requested the programming," said DirecTV spokesman Robert Mercer.

He had no comment on whether DirecTV would file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission if the cable company did not make Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia available.
"[We] received their request and will review in due course and respond accordingly," said Comcast spokesman Tim Fitzpatrick. He would not elaborate.

The request follows the FCC's notice that the complaint-process portion of its January decision to close the so-called terrestrial exemption had been approved and that that process was open for business.

The FCC in January changed its rules to say that distributors who did not make their co-owned terrestrially delivered nets available to competitors on reasonable terms and conditions would be presumptively in violation of its program access rules. Before that the FCC had exempted terrestrial nets, in most cases it was regional sports nets (RSNs) at issue, because of language in the statute that specified the access rules applied to satellite-delivered networks.

In advance of the OMB sign-off announcement, Cox agreed to start negotiating with AT&T and others in San Diego and AT&T made its own formal request for MSG Networks HD programming in Connecticut. But AT&T was not reluctant to add a sting to the tail. It gave Cablevision and MSG 10 days to begin negotiating before it would ask the FCC to make them. Cablevision issued no comment in response to the AT&T letter.

Also part of the FCC's decision was that operators could not satisfy the access requirement by making standard-definition feeds available, but not HD feeds, as is the case with MSG in Connecticut.

Cablevision has challenged the FCC's program access rules in court, Comcast has not and told legislators at a Hill hearing on the Comcast/NBCU deal that it has no plans to do so.

In written answers to Sen. Al Franken on the issue of access to affiliated nets, Comcast chairman Brian Roberts said that it was ready to make Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia available to DirecTV as soon as the satellite operator made its exclusive Sunday Ticket package avaiable to Comcast and others.

Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia is already available to competing cable operators. RCN has carried the net since its launch in 1997 and Verizon's FiOS since that service launched in Philadelphia, according to Fitzpatrick.

Is the so-called "terrestrial exception" really a discretionary exception given out by the FCC, or is it just an acknowledgement that mandating the availability of terrestrially transmitted, proprietary programming exceeds the authority that the FCC has over satellite transmitted programming?
 
As I remember, DirecTV requested CSN the day they went on the air. CSN said okay if you will drop your NFL Sunday Ticket monopoly, and we've been at a stand still ever since.
 
As much as I'd like to see the Philly subs get thier teams available on D*, You had to know that Comcast was not going to be reasonable.

The channel Comcast is offering is just that 1 channel and they want D* to hand over thier entire package on ST ....

Ya right.

I don't see anything getting done here till the higher ups force them to negotiate and you can be sure that once they start the negotiations will be sky high for D*, hopefully those that can do something about it will look to see what kind of money they are getting from others and make C offer something similar.
 
Thanks, AntAltMike.

The request is through the FCC's process for requesting programming that has not been available. If Comcast does not comply, the next step is to the FCC, and it appears the FCC will have a bit more to say this go around.
 
Thanks, AntAltMike.

The request is through the FCC's process for requesting programming that has not been available. If Comcast does not comply, the next step is to the FCC, and it appears the FCC will have a bit more to say this go around.

Is the FCC the one that says they do or don't have to open negotiations ?
 
First, of course, NFLST is not a "channel" as defined by the FCC, and not a part of the discussion. Comcast, of course, knows that.

Why would DirecTV not have DEMANDED access to this six seconds after the FCC ruled on Comcast's behavior?
 
What does this mean? It came from the article.

Also part of the FCC's decision was that operators could not satisfy the access requirement by making standard-definition feeds available, but not HD feeds

If SD and HD does not satisfy the acess requirment. What does
 
What does this mean? It came from the article.

Also part of the FCC's decision was that operators could not satisfy the access requirement by making standard-definition feeds available, but not HD feeds

If SD and HD does not satisfy the acess requirment. What does


It means any of the parties(Comcast,Cablevison and the likes) can not satisfy the requirement of access by making the SD feed the sole feed available.

SD & HD both have to made available for a negotiated price.
 
It means any of the parties(Comcast,Cablevison and the likes) can not satisfy the requirement of access by making the SD feed the sole feed available.

SD & HD both have to made available for a negotiated price.

Ok :P
makes perfect since now when reading the article.
 
What does this mean? It came from the article.

Also part of the FCC's decision was that operators could not satisfy the access requirement by making standard-definition feeds available, but not HD feeds

If SD and HD does not satisfy the acess requirment. What does

It means any of the parties(Comcast,Cablevison and the likes) can not satisfy the requirement of access by making the SD feed the sole feed available.

SD & HD both have to made available for a negotiated price.

Yes, it would be something that they would obviously TRY to do if they were told that they HAD to comply, this way, it's NOT an issue, they willbe available in HD if it get that far.
 
A brief history lesson. Comcast bought both Prism, which was terrestrially distributed and SportsChannel Philadelphia, which was distributed via satellite. They shut down both channels and chose to distribute CSN Philadelphia using Prism's terrestrial infrastructure so that they wouldn't have to offer it to Dish and DirecTV.

It sounds like they can no longer use that loophole. However, they still have to come to an agreement on price, and after being without Versus for all of last football season, I am not holding my breath waiting for the channel.
 
It is the folks in and around Philly that are the only real sufferers in this. I am a huge Philly fan living in Ohio but with the NFL ST, MLB EI, and NBA League Pass I get to see all the games just not the regular channel. I would love to have the daily Phillies, Eagles, Sixers etc...news and shows, but now the EI shows the games on Sportsnet Philly I am not nearly as nervous about it. I think it will happen soon though with that whole NBC thing looming.
 
Update: Comcast Discussing Philly RSN Carriage With Dish, DirecTV: Sources - 2010-07-28 21:34:00 | Multichannel News

Comcast is in talks with DirecTV and Dish Network about carriage of its regional sports net in Philly, according to sources
familiar with those talks.

The negotiations do not come as a big surprise. Both satellite carriers formally asked the Federal Communications Commission for access to Comcast Philadelphia, which televises Philadelphia Phillies MLB games, Philadelphia 76ers NBA contests and Philadelphia Flyers NHL match-ups. in the wake of the Federal Communications Commission's decision earlier this year that terrestrially delivered networks were not de facto excluded from complaints about access to distributor-owned programming (the so-called terrestrial exemption).Comcast holds a majority stake in Comcast-Spectacor, which owns the 76ers and Flyers.

Comcast has long argued that it would make the RSN available to DBS providers, as it already does to cable and telco competitors -- FiOS and RCN -- when they make exclusive programming, like DirecTV-s Sunday Ticket package of out-of-market NFL games, available to Comcast. The FCC's rule change prompted the carriage talks.

A source said talks are ongoing, but that Comcast is still not inclined to make the programming available. Moreover, even if it does, not without conditions of carriage that would make it more palatable to the company.

A Comcast spokesperson declined comment.

A DirecTV spokesman confirmed that the company had made a formal request for access, but said the company was "waiting to hear back." Asked if that meant the company was not in discussions, he declined comment.
Officials at Dish were not available at press time.
 
I am confused. I watch Phils games all of the time on the CSN Phil feed on DirecTV. That means Direct already carries this channel
 
I am confused. I watch Phils games all of the time on the CSN Phil feed on DirecTV. That means Direct already carries this channel

They are talking about locally, if you live in Philly they do not have the channel available to them.
That would be like you NOT getting your Dodger games on whatever RSN they are on.
 
D* is NOT giving them ST access, but curiously the article mentioned the Sat companies ..... Dish has NOTHING to give Comcast as far as a ST type item, why are they fighting DISH getting it ?

DISH doesn't do the MLB package anyways, so they would not gain anything anyways and football is out for them as well.

This is just BS negotiating by Comcast. DirecTV does not control Sunday Ticket, the NFL does. The NFL accepted DirecTV's bid. It's like Versus being mad at ESPN because they have Monday Night Football. Versus had their chance to bid on it and the NFL accepted ESPN's bid.


Sandra
 

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