DirecTV (Nasdaq: DTV) has said no to YES Network, throwing the transmission carriage ball back into the hands of the regional broadcaster.
The satellite provider and regional sports network are at a negotiations impasse that would black out the start of the New York Yankees baseball season. While that may be good news for legions of Yankees haters and no news for non-sports fans, it's big news for those who idolize the Bronx Bombers. Oh, and as almost an aside, the YES contract also includes the New Jersey Nets--though far fewer people care.
According to DirecTV, YES is demanding "significantly higher" fees to carry the programming than what it charges Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA), Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) and Cablevision Systems (NYSE: CVC)--although it seems likely they'll get their time at the plate as well. "We are simply asking for the same rate that YES charges the other three dominant TV providers in the market," DirecTV said.
Almost boilerplate for these ongoing disputes, YES said the company's negotiating "in good faith" even as it ran banner ads advising viewers it might go dark on the satellite service.
For more:
- the Wall Street Journal has this story
- the Times Union has this story
Related articles:
FCC considers 30-day notice for potential retrans blackouts
DirecTV reassures Golf Channel viewers, for now