NESN Plans Shift to Basic

New England Sports Network, one of the few remaining premium regional sports
networks, is negotiating a shift to Boston-area expanded-basic packages, which
could prompt rate increases for those packages.

NESN is currently negotiating with AT&T Broadband to launch the service
on basic, representatives from both companies said. The MSO, which has 2 million
basic customers in the Boston DMA, currently offers NESN as a monthly $9.95 pay
service.

NESN is already on expanded-basic cable packages outside of the Boston DMA,
including on AT&T Broadband systems.

It's unclear how much NESN wants to be paid as a basic service. On average,
regional sports networks cost around $1 per subscriber, but the tab can rise as
high as $2.

NESN -- which is owned by the Boston Red Sox Major League Baseball team and
the Boston Bruins National Hockey League team -- competes in the Boston DMA with
Fox Sports Net New England.

NESN has negotiated a basic carriage agreement with Charter Communications
Inc.'s Worcester, Mass., system, which is within the Boston DMA. In that system,
the addition of NESN contributed to a $4.95-per-month rate increase for expanded
basic, according to a report in the Boston Globe.

Charter, meanwhile, continues to negotiate with FSN Midwest in an effort to
reach a carriage deal for its St. Louis-area systems.

Charter has refused to pay what sources called a doubling of the network's
undisclosed rate card. FSN could pull the regional network's signal as early as
Friday if a deal is not reached, sources said.

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.