NBC Sports Regional Networks are scoring significant gains during their first season of NBA live in-market streaming.

Six of the branded Comcast SportsNet services have seen their collective total of live-streamed  minutes leap 122% since tipping their authenticated, TV Everywhere services with the start of the 2014-15 NBA season.

According to Adobe Analytics, the six RSNs – CSN Bay Area (Golden State Warriors), CSN Mid-Atlantic (Washington Wizards), CSN Philadelphia (Sixers), CSN California (Sacramento Kings), CSN Chicago (Bulls) and CSN New England (Boston Celtics) – collectively streamed 3.1 million cumulative minutes watched in their attendant local markets in November. That total grew to 4.6 million in December and 6.9 million in January.

NBC Sports Regional Networks have TVE deals with 11 distributors, including parent Comcast, DirecTV, Dish, Time Warner Cable, Verizon and AT&T U-verse. The NBA telecasts are available at no extra cost to authenticated video customer who can stream their teams both inside and outside the home on smart phones, computers and tablets. Monetizing the TVE platform, the company is dynamically inserting a different set of ads into the stream, rather than those appearing on the linear telecasts.

The RSNs also have experienced growth trends with other key streaming metrics since the beginning of the campaign.. The number of live starts in November, when the application was initially introduced, totaled 133,000, before increasing 32% to 175,000 in December and another 42% rise to 247,000 last month.

Relative to total visits, the rookie streaming service has seen its monthly total nearly double since launch -- 81,000 in November to more than 158,000 in January.     

No doubt reflective in part to the clubs’ performance on the court,, Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, Comcast SportsNet Chicago and Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic  have seen their total visits, minutes watched and live start figures more than double in January from those netted in November, according to NBC Sports officials.

“We are pleased with these early adoption figures and encouraged by the positive trends surrounding this significant value add for our viewers and distribution partners,” said Jon Litner, group president of NBC Sports Group. “Live sports is among the most compelling content available, and our implementation of TV Everywhere provides subscribers with our award winning coverage—live and in HD—no matter where they are and on whichever device they choose.  We’d like to commend the NBA for working with us to bring this product to basketball fans and advancing this important movement.”

All told, the six Comcast RSNs will make more than 440 NBA games available for in-market streaming throughout the 2014-15 season. 

Although Time Warner Cable SportsNet has been live-streaming Los Angeles Lakers telecssts since it lauched with the start of the 2012-13 NBA campaign, this season marks the first major push for RSN TVE action. All 17 of the Fox Sports Net regional holding NBA rights are now live-streaming the contests in market, while MSG Networks has always debuted a product to simulcast New York Knicks telecasts..

CBS said it is continuing to negotiate with Dish as it tries to reach a renewal accord for 14 of its owned-and-operated stations, plus premium programmer Showtime Networks Inc. and national cable channel CBS Sports Network.

CBS on Dec. 2 publicly set the disconnect deadline for 7 p.m. tonight. The discussions follow a pair of extensions that CBS had granted to the nation’s No. 2 DBS provider to keep the properties available to its subscriber base while negotiations continued.

Shortly after 7 p.m., the programmer issued the following statement: "CBS remains on the air with Dish while negotiations progress into the evening." Dish later confirmed that discussions were ongoing.

If a deal can't be reached, Dish subscribers could lose access to CBS-owned stations in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Baltimore, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Miami, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Sacramento. Seven CW stations could also go dark, as well as three independents in LA, New York, and Dallas, plus MyNetworkTV affiliates in Miami and Boston.

The talks, which undoubtedly also center on digitial rights, continue as Dish has -- at least for the interim -- also sidestepped disconnects with Turner Broadcasting System and Comcast SportsNet regionals.

Turner and Dish agreed to a short-term extension last month that restored CNN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, truTV, TCM, HLN, CNN en Espanol and Boomerang to the DBS provider's 14 million subscribers across the nation.

That agreement also averted what could have been a drop of Turner’s top two channels, TNT and TBS, whose contracts were expected to expire on Dec. 5.

Sources said the interim pact spans into March, which would keep Turner’s coverage of “March Madness” in play to Dish subscribers.

Dish earlier this week also agreed to a short-term extension with NBC Sports Group for a quartet of CSN regionals. The contracts for CSN Chicago, Mid-Atlantic, California and Bay Area were set to expire on Dec. 2 , but the parties continue to talk. 

CSN New England has been dark to Dish subscribers since Aug. 1 in a separate license fee dispute.

Dish has never carried CSN Philadelphia or CSN Northwest and punted on SNY, operated by NBC Sports, which also has an equity position in the New York Mets' channel. It’s unclear if those RSNs and CSN New England are part of the negotiations.

The carriage contracts between Dish and four Comcast SportsNet regionals expire at midnight as the threat of darkness continues to loom for the DBS provider’s subscribers.

The deals for four Comcast SportsNet services – Bay Area, California, Mid-Atlantic and Chicago – conclude at the end of Dec. 1, with the RSNs potentially going black shortly thereafter.

NBC Sports Group, which operates the RSNs, on Nov. 20 launched multimedia campaigns – on the networks’ websites, plus on-air crawls and reads – warning Dish subscribers about possible drops and urged them to call  1-888-I-Want-CSN or Visit I Want CSN.com.

On Nov. 25, the programmer established dedicated microsites, where Dish subscribers can voice their support for the RSNs. Combined with the toll-free calls, the number of visits to the sites and tweets on the topic, NBCU said there has been plenty of support among the RSNs’ subscribers who want to continue to watch the networks and the attendant clubs and programming.  

"As the deadline with Dish approaches, we continue to negotiate as the tracked volume of calls, emails, tweets, website visits and petitions filed in support of CSN programming climbs into the hundreds of thousands,” said NBCUniversal. “Until an agreement is reached, we expect Dish customers who are growing tired of showdowns and blackouts to continue to voice their displeasure and consider other providers."  

Dish, which has been out of contract with CSN New England since Aug. 1 and is also engaged down-to-the-wire contract talks with CBS for its owned-and-operated stations and cable services, including premium programmer Showtime and CBS Sports Network, declined on Thursday afternoon.

Dish previously stated the Comcast RSNs were seeking a 20% increase in monthly license fees for 90% of its customers in the attendant markets, despite that only a “small fraction” of the sub bases watched the channels. The DBS company called this “heavy-handed tactic troubling” in light of Comcast's proposed merger with Time Warner Cable that would give it more power to leverage content in “anticompetitive ways.”

As mentioned, CSN New England, the home of the NBA Boston Celtics, has been off of Dish's air since for four months in a carriage dispute. Charlie Ergen's company has never carried CSN Philadelphia and CSN Northwest, or the recently shuttered CSN Houston.  It previously distributed New York Mets-centric SNY, which NBC Sports Group operates and holds a stake in.

The battle of words and messaging have escalated in the Comcast SportsNet and Dish carriage contretemps.

Comcast SportsNet last night initiated a multimedia campaign warning that four more of its regional sports networks – Bay Area, California, Mid-Atlantic and Chicago -- may become unavailable to the No. 2 DBS provider’s subscribers early next month.  The contracts are slated to expire at the end of Dec. 1, with the RSNs potentially going dark at 12:01 a.m. the next day.

CSN New England, home of the NBA Boston Celtics, has been off of Dish's air since Aug. 1 in a carriage dispute. Charlie Ergen's company has never carried CSN Philadelphia and CSN Northwest, or the recently shuttered CSN Houston.  It previously distributed New York Mets-centric SNY, which NBC Sports Group operates and holds a stake in.

On Nov. 20, NBC Sports Group publicly expressed concern that with the expiration of the four RSNs' contracts drawing nigh, Dish has been unwilling to “work toward mutually acceptable terms” for a renewal. In turn, Dish said the RSNs were seeking a 20% increase in monthly license fee for 90% of its customers in the attendant markets, even though the RSNs are only watched by a “small fraction” of the sub bases. The DBS company called this “heavy-handed tactic troubling” in light of Comcast's proposed merger with Time Warner Cable that would give it more power to leverage content in “anticompetitive ways.”

NBCUniversal returned fire saying its asking price is in line with contracted market rates for its RSNs: “We are seeking to license our regional sports networks to Dish on the same terms that other distributors have accepted for this programming. Our rates are reflective of the very high value of this programming, a value that is recognized by consumers through the increased ratings for these RSNs. Collectively, these RSNs present 2,200 live sporting events annually, and live sports account for the vast majority of the highest rated programming in the country. Comcast has nothing to do with this dispute, which is 100 percent created by Dish's unwillingness to negotiate for comparable terms of carriage set by the market. As with Dish's current disputes with Turner and CBS, and its well-established history of unreasonable negotiating tactics that unfairly target consumers, this dispute is not at all impacted by Comcast's pending merger with Time Warner Cable."

NBC Sports Group also pointed out that 96% of its RSNs’ games were watched live, and that CSN Bay Area, home to the World Series champion San Francisco Giants and the NBA Golden State Warrior telecasts, was the highest-rated cable network in San Francisco DMA through the first nine months of 2014 among viewers and adults 18 to 49.

Additionally, it reported significant ratings bumps during the first month of the NBA season versus 2013: 78% for CSN Chicago with Bulls telecasts; 50% for CSN California for Sacramento Kings games; 44% for CSN New England with the Celtics; and 50% and 30% for Mid-Atlantic with Wizards’ action in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., respectively.

NBC Sports Group also took to the offensive on the RSNs' websites on Nov. 20, asking subscribers to call Dish. A right-column position on CSNMidatlantic.com reads: "I want my Wizards and Capitals and Dish may drop Comcast SportsNet. Take Action. Call Dish Now. 1-888-I-Want-CSN or Visit I Want CSN.com"

Linearly, Dish subscribers began hearing on-air reads and seeing on-air crawls and promos during last night’s schedule. For instance, CSN Chicago is running ads saying: "Attention Dish customers. What if you could no longer watch all your local Bulls, Blackhawks, Sox and Cub games. If Dish drops Comcast SportsNet, that's what's going to happen."

Dish, which in 2010-11 was without CSN California for 10 weeks in a contract dispute, today reached a short-term extension with Turner Broadcasting System to return eight of its networks to the DBS provider’s air and keep TNT and TBS from going dark.

Yesterday, it also reached a contract extension with CBS, whereby the parties are continuing to negotiate toward a renewal for the broadcaster’s owned-and-operated stations and cable properties, including premium service Showtime.

Expanding NBC Sports’ drive into the TV Everywhere arena, the programmer’s regional sports networks are live-streaming NBA games in-market.

Six of the Comcast SportsNet regionals that have rights to NBA teams have been quietly streaming simulcasts of the clubs’ games, as well as pre- and post-game programming, to authenticated viewers across computers, desktops, tablets and cellphones since the start of the 2014-15 NBA season. The live-streams include their own sets of ads as NBC Sports is monetizing the new platform.

The regionals – CSN New England, CSN Philadelphia, CSN Mid-Atlantic, CSN Chicago, CSN Bay Area and CSN California – join the SportsNet LA, home of the Los Angeles Lakers, as well as almost all of the 17 Fox Sports-owned regionals in streaming NBA contests to verified viewers within their respective TV markets.

“We have successfully launched TV Everywhere in many of our markets, initially featuring live NBA game coverage of the Celtics, 76ers, Wizards, Bulls, Warriors and Kings,” said Jon Litner, group president of the NBC Sports Group.  “Through a growing list of participating providers, Comcast SportsNet subscribers are gaining access to our award-winning coverage no matter where they are, and on whichever device they choose.”  

CSN Northwest is not engaging in the practice, as Portland Trail Blazers games are streamed on a pay-per-view basis where the RSN doesn't have carriage. CSN Houston, which has been the home of the Houston Rockets, will become Root Sports Southwest.

Currently, the Comcast RSNs have distribution deals for NBA in-market live streaming with their parent company, which is the top provider in the attendant markets, Time Warner Cable, and AT&T U-verse.

The programmer, which is making the streams available to all distributors at no extra charge, said it is working toward inking TVE carriage contracts for NBA local streaming with other providers.

While the streamed contests are value-added at no extra cost for authenticated subscribers, NBC Sports is looking to monetize this nascent platform, building a separate schedule of ads within the simulcasts.  Calling it “a brand new sales initiative,” an NBC Sports spokesman said the company is dedicating personnel to selling the spots and dynamically inserting them within the streams.

At launch this season, the Fox regionals simulcasting NBA games in-market included “slates,” rather than commercials within the streams.

The CSN streaming effort soft-launched in late October with the start of the NBA campaign to make sure the technology was functioning properly. A spokesman for NBC Sports said it is “very pleased with the rollout,” noting there have very few glitches.

The service is now being supported by on-air reads, messaging on the RSNs' websites, and promos during shoulder and news programming, raising awareness and usage.

Users can access the NBA streaming content via NBC Sports or the RSNs' websites, or by downloading the NBC Sports Live Extra app for use on smartphones and tablets. The platform’s geolocator points the user to the appropriate RSN and log-in process.

NBC Sports Live Extra enables authenticated and multiplatform viewing for most of the programmer’s national portfolio, including the Olympics, National Hockey League, Barclays Premier League, Sunday Night Football, Notre Dame football and Triple Crown thoroughbred racing. Golf Channel – and its coverage of the PGA Tour and other circuits – has been live-streamed via Golf Live Extra since April 2013.

The company recently launched its first ad campaign touting the NBC Sports Live Extra service.

The wide-scale rollout of NBA in-market streaming  -- NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a recent interview said that it’s important that the league fans can view the RSN games on multiple devices -- by the Comcast and Fox-owned regionals, as well as TWC’s Lakers networks, and MSG, which is putting the New York Knicks in streaming play come December, may put pressure on Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League to open up in-market TVE for the RSNs that televise their teams' contests.

While New York Yankees games via YES Network, and San Diego Padres action had been made available in the fashion in the past, fans of the Toronto Blue Jays and subscribers to Rogers SportNet were the only ones to have access to in-market live streaming of MLB contests during the 2014 campaign.

The NHL has yet to skate with the practice.