Charter Communications and AT&T have finally reached an agreement on the latter’s carriage of regional sports network SportsNet LA, breaking an impasse that started in 2014.

Spectrum SportsNet LA is the exclusive RSN home of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The deal, terms of which weren’t described, has already brought SportsNet LA to not only DirecTV, the second most distributed pay TV service in Southern California, but also AT&T’s new IP-based pay TV platform, AT&T TV. Legacy IPTV service U-verse will also get the channel, as will AT&T’s marginalized virtual pay TV service, AT&T TV Now, starting April 8.

SportsNet LA was launched at the beginning of the 2014 Major League Baseball season, the result of a 25-year, $8.35 billion deal carved out by the erstwhile Time Warner Cable and the Dodgers organization. Right off the bat, TWC and DirecTV came to loggerheads over carriage of the new channel. Charter’s subsequent purchase of TWC, and AT&T’s acquisition of DirecTV, didn’t change the dynamic … until now. 

With news circulating among Dodgers fans in the L.A. region, many wondered if it was an April Fool’s gag—timed conspicuously to an MLB season with a start  indefinitely delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

This Charter press release seems to confirm the authenticity of the news, however. 

“This agreement underscores our commitment to provide all Dodgers fans the opportunity to enjoy our award-winning programming and live game coverage,” said Dan Finnerty, senior VP of Spectrum Networks, in the statement. “Working together with AT&T, we were able to reach an agreement to offer the region’s most popular teams to local fans across AT&T’s video platforms.”

Indeed, for the bulk of a seven-year string of consecutive National League West championships, not to mention two World Series *appearances, the Dodgers have remained unaccessible on television to a large portion of the local fanbase. (Astros fans: You know what the asterisk is for.)

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti added: “Our city has the best sports fans in the world, and they want to enjoy all of the excitement and tradition that Dodger games bring to Los Angeles. I’m very pleased that Spectrum Sports and AT&T have reached this agreement, which will bring Dodger games into the homes of AT&T TV, DirecTV, U-verse TV and AT&T TV Now customers when the season begins and give more Angelenos the chance to cheer for our favorite team all the way to the World Series." 

The U.S. Department of Justice is nearing a settlement with AT&T regarding a suit the agency filed last year alleging executives at the telecom giant's DirecTV unit colluded with other operators to block carriage of Charter Communication’s Los Angeles Dodgers regional sports network.

According to the Los Angeles Times, which first reported the settlement talks, the deal would not require DirecTV or its parent AT&T to carry the RSN, dubbed SportsNet LA.

In court papers filed March 8, DOJ attorneys filed a motion in support of DirecTV’s request for a continuance for a hearing to dismiss the case, stating that both sides have “engaged in productive settlement talks.”

“The requested continuance will permit the parties to engage in further settlement discussions in the hope of resolving the dispute,” the motion stated. That hearing is scheduled for March 27.

The Dodgers network was launched in 2014 by Time Warner Cable and faced immediate opposition from distributors who said the channel was too pricey. Time Warner Cable – which was purchased by Charter Communications in May – had reportedly paid the team $7 billion-to $8 billion for the rights to carry games for 25 years and guaranteed the monthly subscriber license fee, even if other distributors refused to carry the channel.

The Dodgers, which own the network that is managed by TWC, reportedly were charging $5 per month per subscriber for the channel, making it one of the priciest RSNs in the country. To date, only Charter is carrying the network.

The Justice Dept. sued DirecTV in November, alleging that the satellite carrier (which was purchased by AT&T in July 2015) had colluded with other distributors to not carry the channel. The suit singled out DirecTV vice president of programming Dan York and then-DirecTV CEO Mike White as sharing sensitive pricing information concerning the network with other distributors and agreeing not to cherry-pick customers from rivals.

Charter Communications officially said it has named former Madison Square Garden executive Michael Bair as executive vice president of Spectrum Networks, overseeing the enlarged companies local news and sports networks. Separately, Charter named Clifford Harris as senior vice president of law – programming, product and regulatory. Both executives will be based at Charter’s Stamford, Conn., headquarters and will report to newly named senior EVP David Ellen.

Multichannel News first reported in May that Bair was on board at Charter and was being tapped for the EVP role. According to Charter, Bair will oversee all aspects of its local news and sports networks, including its regional sports networks in Los Angeles. Harris will oversee all legal support for the programming and product groups as well as for all regulatory compliance and policy matters at Charter.

“We are thrilled that Mike and Cliff will be joining our leadership team at Charter” Ellen said in a statement. “Their proven leadership and valuable industry experience will be critical as we work to align Charter as one company, on a path to continued growth and success.”

Bair joins Charter from Bleachers Corp., a start-up streaming media company, where he served as CEO. Prior to Bleachers, Bair served as president of Madison Square Garden’s Media Group, where he led MSG Networks, Fuse Music TV, MSG Interactive, MSG Radio and all sponsorship and ad sales for the parent company. Before MSG Media, Bair served as president of product management and marketing for Cablevision's cable division, where he was responsible for product strategy, programming, marketing, and advertising, as well as brand management, for the company's video, voice and internet services. Bair also held executive positions at Rainbow Media, HBO, Showtime Networks and Ogilvy and Mather Advertising.

Harris is another former Cablevision executive, tallying 11 years at the former cable operator – it was purchased by Altice USA in June. At Cablevision he served as Senior Vice President, Associate General Counsel – Cable. In this role Harris oversaw all legal matters relating to programming, product, sales and marketing. Throughout his tenure with Cablevision, Harris advised the Company on copyright issues, privacy and data security, trademark, terms of service matters, and retransmission consent. He also managed cable and marketing-related litigation, including copyright and anti-trust cases. Prior to joining Cablevision, Harris served as general counsel to the financial start-up WOTN, LLC, providing guidance on all aspects of business strategy and planning, including corporate structure and raising capital. Before WOTN, Harris served as an associate at both Arnold & Porter and Sullivan & Cromwell.

RELATED:Opening Day in Doubt in N.Y., L.A. [subscription required]

As dark clouds surrounded the New York area Monday, postponing the New York Yankees Opening Day game with the Houston Astros until Tuesday (April 5), hopes were even dimmer that the extra day could help unlock the impasse in negotiations between Comcast and the regional sports network that carries the games – the Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network.

Cold, rainy weather  threatened the New York area on Monday, forcing Yankee Stadium to roll out the tarp and hope for better conditions Tuesday. On the YES Network website, the regional sports network said the game would be rescheduled  to April 5 at 1:05 p.m., and would be broadcast on the channel, “except in areas serviced by Comcast.”

Representatives from both Comcast and YES Network said there are no current carriage talks between the two. Comcast has about 900,000 subscribers in parts of New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

Tuesday’s contest is expected to be a rematch of the 2015 American League Wild Card game, pitting Yankees fire-balling right-hander Masahiro Tanaka against Astros 2015 Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel.  The Astros won the AL Wild Card last year, only to be defeated in the Divisional matchup by eventual World Series winner the Kansas City Royals.

YES and Comcast have been embroiled in a carriage dispute since November. The YES/Comcast imbroglio is mirrored on the West Coast as operators other than Time Warner Cable, Charter Communications and Bright House Networks (all expected to merge shortly) have passed at carrying the regional sports channel – SportsNetLA – that airs the Los Angeles Dodgers. In both disputes, the high price of the networks is considered the main sticking point in negotiations.    

Time Warner Cable has had a second olive branch slapped out of its hand in its ongoing efforts to get pay TV operators in the California market to carry regional sports network SportsNet LA, meaning baseball fans will likely miss opening day for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday. 

According to reports, Time Warner Cable offered AT&T (and its DirecTV satellite unit) a six-year deal to carry the RSN, the first year at a 30% discount and the next five at a rate equal to what TWC pays for AT&T’s Root Sports Northwest RSN (which carries Seattle Mariners baseball games). According to SNL Kagan, Root Sports Northwest charges $3.84 per subscriber monthly.

It was the second olive branch the cable operator offered to distributors in the market. Earlier in the month, TWC said it would reduce the price of the channel by 30% for one year, to allow Dodgers fans in the market to catch the final season of legendary broadcaster Vin Scully, who plans to retire after the 2016 season. Distributors rejected the offer wholeheartedly and criticized the company for using Scully, who has been the TV voice of the Dodgers for decades, as a bargaining chip in negotiations. 

The new rate would have reduced the cost of SportsNet LA, one of the priciest RSNs according to SNL Kagan at $4.90 per subscriber per month, to about $3.50 in the first year of the deal and $3.84 in the second year and beyond. 

Time Warner Cable spokesperson Maureen Huff confirmed in an e-mail message that a new offer is on the table, but was not optimistic that a deal will be reached in time for the first pitch of the 2016 season, slated for April 4.

“So far, AT&T/DIRECTV has rejected every compromise we've offered them and we’ve seen nothing to indicate that they’re truly interested in negotiating a deal,” Huff said in an e-mail message. Huff wouldn’t give details on the latest offer but confirmed that the latest offer was for a longer-term than the one-year proposal.

Time Warner Cable has struggled to find distributors willing to carry the RSN, which it launched in 2014 after agreeing to pay $8.5 billion for rights to Dodgers games. So far, only Time Warner Cable, Charter Communications (which is in the prices of buying TWC), Bright House Networks (in the process of being bought by Charter) have agreed to pay the estimated $4.90 per subscriber per month for the channel.  

Cox Communications, which has subscribers in San Diego, wouldn’t comment on specific offers but spokesman Todd Smith said in an e-mail that the company continues "to seek a flexible, long term carriage agreement that doesn't unnecessarily burden our entire customer base. We must consider the needs of baseball fans and non-sports enthusiasts alike.” 

TBS’ coverage of last night’s New York Mets-Los Angeles Dodgers decisive Game 5 National League Division Series games drew 7.4 million viewers, the network’s second most viewed NLDS game.

The game, in which the Mets defeated the Dodgers to advance to the next round against the Chicago Cubs, was up 21% over the comparable NLDS Game 5 telecast in 2013, said network officials.

Overall the 2015 NLDS of TBS – which also featured the Chicago Cubs-St. Louis Cardinals series – averaged 5.4 million viewers, a TBS record for a NLDS series. The network’s coverage was up 52% in total viewers over last year’s ALDS coverage and 50% over the network’s 2013 NLDS coverage.

TBS is also averaging 5.7 million viewers through 10 telecasts, up 47% over last year and tied with 2007 as the network’s most-viewed post season coverage to date, according to network officials.

TBS wil begin its exclusive coverage of the Cubs-Mets National League Championship Series this weekend with Games 1 and 2 from New York airing on Saturday and Sunday night respectively.

The series will shift to Chicago for Game 3 (Oct. 20),Game 4 (Oct. 21) and, if necessary, Game 5 (Oct. 22.)

Charter Communications, which has deals in place to buy Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks, plans to add TWC's SportsNet LA, the network that carries Los Angeles Dodgers games but has not been seen on major pay-TV distributors in Southern California other than TWC and Bright House, the Los Angeles Timesreported.

The newspaper said Charter CEO Tom Rutledge said in an interview Tuesday "we are going to get the Dodgers on" and "we want the Dodgers on every outlet and we are committed to making that happen."

Time Warner Cable confirmed Charter's intent, saying in a statement that "Charter is committed to carrying SportsNet LA as soon as possible. We're excited for Charter customers to enjoy the network's games and in-depth programming.” 

SportsNet LA is in the second season of showing Dodgers' games under a 25-year rights deal with the team's owners, Guggenheim Partners. Distributors such as DirecTV, Dish Network, AT&T U-verse, Cox Communications and Charter have balked at paying more than $4 per customer to offer the channel to their subscribers, frustrating fans in the region. Charter has about 300,000 subscribers in Southern California, the Times said.

To paraphrase Yogi Berra, it seems to be getting late early out there for Los Angeles Dodgers fans who are not subscribers to Time Warner Cable.

With 12 days to go before the club’s 2015 opener against the San Diego Padres, the MSO, which is handling the distribution for and operating SportsNet LA, the regional sports network home to the Dodgers, said negotiations have stalled.

“We want all Dodger fans to have access to SportsNet LA. Despite our repeated attempts, other providers are unwilling to engage in any discussions,” said the MSO. “If Dodger fans want to enjoy SportsNet LA this season, we encourage them to switch to a provider that carries the network.”

In addition to Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, which benefits from the nation’s No. 2 MSO’s programming leverage and negotiations, and Champion Broadband are the only other distributors in SportNet LA’s TV territory to ink affiliate pacts.

Last season, DirecTV, Dish Network, Charter Communications, AT&T U-Verse and Cox Communications all balked at a monthly license fee that exceeded $4 per subscriber.  The same shuttout scenario evidently could unfold, particularly with the price to play this season increasing to a reported $4.90 per subscriber.

Time Warner Cable, meanwhile, is left footing a very expensive bill. The MSO is now in the second of a 25-year deal under which it is paying Guggenheim Partners, the Dodgers owners, some $8.35 billion over its term. Aiming for a long-term cost-certainty hedge against the rising cost of sports rights, Time Warner Cable assumed the full risk, assuming it would offset those outlays by collecting the license fees from other distribution players in the Dodgers TV territory.

The absence of contractual movement prompted the New York Post to pen a story on March 23, indicating that Time Warner Cable was preparing to take a $1 billion writedown on the value of the impaired asset.

The MSO yesterday afternoon brush-backed the story thusly:  “In response to a March 23rd New York Post article about SportsNet LA, Time Warner Cable has no plans to take a write down in connection with its Dodgers contract. In fact, TWC does not carry an asset on its balance sheet related to the Dodgers and, therefore, there is no asset for it to write down now or in the future. We continue to believe in the long term value of the network and remain eager to make it available to all Dodgers’ fans."

Price considerations aside, some market watchers believe the pending approvals or disapprovals of the proposed Comcast-Time Warner Cable and DirecTV-AT&T mergers are also serving to hold up negotiations for the Dodgers RSN.

With conversations currently struck out, it appears that 70% of television households in the L.A. region won’t be able to watch SportsNet LA’s coverage of opening day and again face the prospect of another entire season without the Dodgers -- one of the favorites to reach the World Series -- on local television.

Matt Kemp's eighth-inning homer (pictured) allowed the Los Angeles Dodgers to even their National League Division Series with the St. Louis Cardinals at a game apiece and helped push MLB Network to record Nielsen marks on Saturday night. 

MLBN's exclusive telecast of the tight contest on Oct. 4 generated a 1.7 coverage rating and 1.8 million viewers, according to Nielsen data. Those deliveries topped the network's previous highs for Game 2 of the 2012 American League Division Series between the Detroit Tigers and the Oakland A's by 31% and 38%, respectively.

Saturday night's telecast peasked  with 2.2 million in the 12:45 a.m. (Oct. 5) quarter hour.

Baseball's in-house service will televise Game 3 of the other NLDS battle between the Washington Nationals and San Francisco Giants from AT&T Park at 3 p.m. (ET) on Monday, Oct. 6. Matt Vasgersian, John Smoltz and Sam Ryan will be on  the call.

The excitement on the field at Chavez Ravine translated into record marks on TV and TVE screens for Fox Sports 1.

In its first day of MLB postseason action, FS1's exclusive presentation of Game 1 of the National League Division Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers on Oct. 3 averaged  3.59 million viewers, according to Nielsen fast national data.

The game -- a 10-9 nailbiter in which the Cardinals knocked Cy Young front-runner Clayton Kershaw from the box (pictured) during an eight-run,seventh inning, and then had to hold off the Dodgers which had the tying run on third with two outs in the bottom of the night -- eclisped FSI's previous Nielsen mark of 5.23 million watchers for NASCAR Sprint Unlimited event on Feb. 15.

The 14-month-old service also connected on its highest-rated and most-watched weekday daytime and non-primetime program, drawing 2.04 million viewers for its coverage of the opener of the other NLDS -- a 3-2 triumph by the San Francisco Giants over the Washington Nationals.

The home markets for yesterday’s NLDS games set individual market ratings for a televised event on FS1.  St. Louis (17.4) and Los Angeles (7.1) each set their mark for the Cardinals-Dodgers contest, while Washington DC (6.9) and San Francisco (6.6) set theirs for the Giants-Nationals tilt. The Los Angeles DMA also set a new household reach mark for a single market watching an FS1 event with 392,000.

Digitally, Fox officials said that Friday marked the best day ever for authenticated viewership for on the Fox Sports GO, as both NLDS matchups attracted more than twice the streams on the platform's previous high-water mark for a baseball event, surpassing the 2014 MLB All-Star Game.

The broiling carriage dispute between Time Warner Cable’s SportsNet LA and DirecTV took a nasty turn last week, but the straw that could break the proverbial camel’s back involves one single customer who won’t get to enjoy watching Los Angeles Dodgers baseball games in the comfort of his own home – Vin Scully.

That’s right. The golden-voiced Dodger’s announcer is a DirecTV subscriber and according to reports won’t get to watch the games he isn’t covering. DirecTV isn’t the only distributor not carrying the network – Cox, Dish Network, AT&T U-Verse, and Charter also have declined to carry the channel so far. To date, only subscribers of Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks (in Bakersfield, Calif.) and Champion Broadband (in Monrovia and Arcadia, Calif.) have access to the network.

In characteristic classy fashion, Scully declined to get involved in the bloody scrum that has become commonplace in sports carriage disputes, telling the Los Angeles Daily News “The less I say about it, it’s probably the better.”

That is advice that both Time Warner Cable and DirecTV should take to heart. In the past few days, according to reports, both sides kicked up the acrimony a notch, with TWC EVP and chief video and content officer Melinda Witmer telling theLos Angeles Timesthat DirecTV walked away from the negotiating table and has no intention of carrying the RSN this year. DirecTV said “that nothing could be further from the truth,” followed by the usual claims of deception and manipulation by Time Warner Cable.

Look, these disputes are always about money – Time Warner Cable is reportedly demanding upwards of $4 per subscriber per month for SportsNet LA, on top of the $3 or so it gets for the Lakers channel, Time Warner Cable SportsNet. And both sides are equally guilty of escalating levels of name-calling during these disputes – followed by their heartfelt thanks that consumers have been spared the horror of missing their favorite show or team for a week or a month or so after these deals are reached.

But in dragging Vin Scully, THE Vin Scully into this mess, I’m hoping that maybe just maybe it could drum up enough public outrage to settle this matter. (I’m a Yankee fan, but I find it hard to believe if Michael Kay lost access to the YES Network, anyone would notice.) Or a least it could give both sides some words to consider living by.

Scully has a lot of those words, as a quick look at the Baseball Almanac proves.  After all, this is the guy who said of former Montreal Expo and Chicago Cub Andre Dawson’s bruised knee – it’s “listed as day to day, but aren’t we all?” Who said “Good is not good when better is expected." Whose most famous home run call was simply “Forget it.”