Los Angeles Lakers fans who subscribe to DirecTV will finally be able to watch their team again.
DirecTV, has struck a deal to carry Time Warner SportsNet, which now almost exclusively airs the Lakers games, along with Time Warner's Spanish-language Deportes.
The agreement ends a carriage dispute that left DirecTV viewers in Southern California out in the cold as the NBA season began last month. DirecTV, along with other carriers, had protested the price of the recently formed regional-sports networks, which would have cost an additional $3.95 per subscriber. Other carriers, such as Dish and Cox Communications, eventually reached agreements with Time Warner Cable, with DirecTV holding out the longest.
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Under the agreement, DirecTV subscribers in Southern California will also have access to games from the LA Galaxy and Los Angeles Sparks.
"DirecTV is pleased that Los Angeles Lakers, LA Galaxy and Los Angeles Sparks games and programming will now be seen by so many people whose loyalty remains the life's blood to each team," DirecTV chief content officer Dan York said. "We appreciate our customers’ patience and are happy to have arrived at an outcome that benefits everyone involved. We know that our customers will enjoy the great programming of these three franchises for many years to come.”
“Our partners at DirecTV value Southern California sports as much as we do and we’re thrilled to work with them to bring Lakers, Galaxy and Sparks games and programming to our viewers,” Time Warner Cable Sports' senior vice president Dan Finnerty added. “Time Warner Cable SportsNet and Time Warner Cable Deportes will help bring DirecTV customers closer to these teams than they have ever been before.”
SportsNet will air on channel 691, while Deportes will run on channel 458.