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Thursday, February 20, 2014

A Comcast-TWC Merger will Matter to Sport Fans


Comcast and Time Warner cable are both major players in the sports television market. Comcast is the parent of NBC and its holdings include NBCSN (The NBC Sports Network) the Golf Channel and numerous regional sports networks (RSN) across the country. TWC is also becoming a  player in the RSN market, importantly in Los Angeles. For my take on this merger see Temple U economist: Why the Comcast-TWC merger is bad for the public in the Philadelphia Business Journal. Or, check out my radio interview on the same subject on WPHT 1210, CBS Philadelphia's Chris Stigall Show.

The sports angle in indirect, but sports programming  is very important to the cable TV industry and viewers choices are sure to be affected one way or another. The price to watch and access to sports on TV are not all that matters. Franchise values and player salaries are also impacted by what happens.