SportsNet LA
| SportsNet LA | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Launched | February 25, 2014 |
| Owned by |
Guggenheim Baseball Management Time Warner Cable |
| Picture format |
480i (SDTV) TBD (HDTV) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Broadcast area |
Greater Los Angeles area San Diego metropolitan area Coachella Valley Las Vegas Valley Hawaii |
| Headquarters | El Segundo, California |
| Sister channel(s) | Time Warner Cable SportsNet and Time Warner Cable Deportes |
| Website | http://sportsnetla.com/ |
SportsNet LA (branded as Time Warner Cable SportsNet LA) is a regional sports network set to launch at the start of the 2014 Major League Baseball spring training season. The network will serve the Los Angeles and San Diego metropolitan areas (though in San Diego County, due to the Padres' exclusive territorial rights, Dodgers games will be blacked out), the Coachella and Las Vegas valleys, and Hawaii, and will serve as the broadcast home of the Los Angeles Dodgers. It is jointly owned by the Dodgers and the Southern California division of Time Warner Cable.
Background
In late-2012, Fox Sports' exclusive period for negotiating a new broadcast deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, ended. Reports indicated that the team was negotiating with other potential broadcasters, such as the recently-established Time Warner Cable SportsNet, or establishing an in-house network with Dick Clark Productions, a television production company founded by the late Dick Clark that was recently bought by the Dodgers' new parent company, Guggenheim Partners.[1]
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.[2] On January 28, the Dodgers and Time Warner Cable officially signed a 25-year broadcast agreement valued at over $7 billion, subject to the approval of Major League Baseball, which would see the establishment of a new channel known as SportsNet LA.[3] The deal ends a long-standing broadcast partnership with Fox Sports West, which has aired Dodgers games on its Prime Ticket channel since the 1997 MLB season.
Following the approval of the Dodgers television deal, the team officially announced on January 16, 2014 that SportsNet LA would launch on February 25, the eve of spring training; all of the Dodgers' spring training games will be televised by the new network. At least 75 games broadcast by the network in the 2014 season will be simulcast in Spanish; the network does plan to eventually televise all its games in Spanish in the future. While the network is not directly branded with the Dodgers' name, its logo incorporates a depiction of the Dodgers' interlocking "LA" insignia; team co-owner Todd Boehly stated that the decision was "something [Time Warner Cable] thought was really valuable to their brand. We have the flexibility to sit down and evolve the name over time."[4]
Talent
In August 2013, the Dodgers confirmed that long-time, Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully would retain his traditional role as commentator for Dodgers games in California and Arizona on SportsNet LA. The 2014 MLB season will mark his 65th as a baseball commentator.[5]
On January 22, 2014, further information about SportsNet LA's talent was announced; games not called by Scully will be handled by Charlie Steiner (play-by-play) and Orel Hershiser (color commentary) with Alanna Rizzo as a field reporter. Rizzo, formerly of MLB Network, will also host the pre- and post-game show from Dodger Stadium. Former baseball players Nomar Garciaparra and Jerry Hairston, Jr. (as well as Hershiser on days he isn't announcing) will be part of the pre- and post-game broadcasts. Former KABC-TV anchor John Hartung will serve as a studio host.[6]
Original Programming
SportsNet LA, unlike its predecessors, Time Warner Cable SportsNet and Time Warner Cable Deportes, will not feature any content other than team oriented programming. SportsNet LA will be an exclusive 24-hour Dodger Network. [7]
In addition to live coverage of Dodger games, such original programming on SportsNet LA includes:
- Access SportsNet: Dodgers will serve as the Dodgers flagship pre- and post-game show, and also air as a standalone nightly program on off days and during spring training. The show will debut on February 25, 2014. [8]
- Backstage: Dodgers, a weekly half-hour series chronicling the Dodgers' games, players and executives from a behind-the-scenes perspective for the entire Dodger season. The show is set to premiere on February 25, 2014. [9]
References
- ↑ Ozanian, Mark. "Dodgers Exploring TV Deal With Dick Clark Productions". Forbes. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
- ↑ Shaikin, Bill (2013-01-22). "Dodgers, Time Warner Cable have a deal". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved 2013-01-29.
- ↑ Axisa, Mike (2013-01-28). "Dodgers announce deal with Time Warner, launch of SportsNet LA". CBSSports.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2013-01-29.
- ↑ Shaikin, Bill (January 16, 2014). "All Dodgers, all the time? MLB approves new TV deal". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
- ↑ "It's official: Vin Scully will return in 2014". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
- ↑ Weisman, Jon (January 22, 2014). "SportsNet LA officially set for February 25 launch".
- ↑ http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20140122&content_id=66961168&vkey=pr_la&c_id=la
- ↑ http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20140204&content_id=67445968&vkey=pr_la&c_id=la
- ↑ http://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgersnow/la-sp-dn-dodgers-all-access-tv-show-20140131,0,6131579.story#axzz2rxGPlkrZ