Time Warner Cable SportsNet LA

Spectrum SportsNet LA and Spectrum Deportes LA (otherwise known as simply SportsNet LA and Deportes LA and originally known as Time Warner Cable SportsNet LA) is an American regional sports network jointly owned by the Los Angeles Dodgers Major League Baseball team and Charter Communications through its acquisition of Time Warner Cable in May 2016. The channel's programming is devoted completely to the Dodgers, and includes coverage of all Dodgers games not being exclusively televised by MLB's national television partners, along with news, interview, and documentary programming focusing on the team.

The channel, which launched on February 25, 2014, was the result of a 25-year deal with Time Warner Cable reached in January 2013, valued at $8.35 billion, succeeding Fox Sports West (now Bally Sports West) as the regional rights holder for the team. The channel is one of three regional sports networks owned by Charter Communications serving the Los Angeles region.

Until April 2020 when AT&T, owner of DirecTV, came to terms with Charter, SportsNet LA reached less than half the Southern California market. Disputes in negotiations included the cost of the channel and the requirement that SportsNet LA be carried with other mainstream premium channels rather than in a separate sports tier or on an "a la carte" basis.

History

In late 2012, Fox Sports' exclusive period for negotiating a new broadcast deal with the Dodgers ended. Reports published at that time indicated that the team was negotiating with other potential broadcasters, such as the recently established Time Warner Cable SportsNet, and contemplating forming an in-house network with Dick Clark Productions, a television production company recently purchased by the Dodgers' new parent company, Guggenheim Partners.

On January 22, 2013, the '' Los Angeles Times'' reported that Time Warner Cable had signed a deal to partner with the Dodgers to form a new regional sports network, which would be majority-owned by the team.

On January 28, the Dodgers and Time Warner Cable signed a 25-year broadcast agreement valued at $8.35 billion, subject to the approval of Major League Baseball, which would see the establishment of a new channel known as SportsNet LA. The deal ended long-standing broadcast partnerships with Fox Sports West, which had aired Dodgers games on its ''Prime Ticket'' channel since 1997; and with KCAL-TV, an independent station which had been the Dodgers' over-the-air broadcast television outlet since 2006. TWC's winning bid exceeded Fox's bid by $2 billion and was worth $210 million for the inaugural 2014 season or $1.5 million a game. That amount exceeded the revenues from ''Prime Ticket'' and KCAL-TV by more than four times. The agreement increased the number of games aired: nearly 100 games were carried in 2014 compared with the 49 games aired by ''Prime Ticket'' in 2013.

Following the approval of the Dodgers' television deal, the team announced on January 16, 2014, that SportsNet LA would launch on February 25, the eve of spring training, and that all of the Dodgers' spring training games would be televised by the new channel. At least 75 games broadcast by the channel in the 2014 season were simulcast in Spanish; the channel plans to televise all its games in Spanish in the future. While the channel is not directly branded with the Dodgers' name, its logo incorporates the team's interlocking "LA" insignia; team co-owner Todd Boehly stated that the decision was "something ime Warner Cablethought was really valuable to their brand. We have the flexibility to sit down and evolve the name over time."

Programming

Team president Stan Kasten described Sportsnet LA as a "Dodger-only channel with Dodger-only content 24/7", featuring live game coverage and original series focusing on aspects of the team. The initial program lineup included:

*''Access SportsNet: Dodgers'' — the channel's flagship news and information program, airing nightly and as a pre- and post-game show.
*''Leadoff LA'' — analysis of the team by Sportsnet LA personalities and experts, batting practice coverage, and viewer interaction through social media.
*''Dodgers Clubhouse'' — airs weekly during the season with in-depth features on the team and its players, and interviews with the team's manager.
*''Backstage: Dodgers'' — airs weekly during the season, featuring a behind-the-scenes perspective on the Dodgers' games, players, and staff.
*''Talkin' Blue'' — panel discussions featuring Dodgers' players and staff.
* ''Connected With...'' — profiles and interviews of Dodgers players and staff, and documentaries.
*''Timeless Dodgers'' — classic Dodgers games.
*''Larry King at Bat'' — an interview program hosted by long-time television personality and avid Dodgers fan Larry King
*''Dodgers Squeeze Play'' — condensed one-hour encores of Dodgers games.

As part of cutbacks across TWC's Los Angeles regional sports networks due to low viewership, ''Larry King at Bat'' and ''Dodgers Clubhouse'' were cancelled in September 2015. The following February, the channel announced it would reduce the number of spring training games it broadcasts to 16, down from 31 in 2015 and 22 in its debut year.

Talent

Current

* Joe Davis (lead play-by-play)
* Orel Hershiser (lead color commentary and alternate studio commentary)
* Nomar Garciaparra (alternate color commentary and studio commentary)
*Tim Neverett (fill-in play-by-play and alternate studio host)
* Daron Sutton (fill-in play-by-play)
*Kirsten Watson