The four types of fan reactions to Time Warner Cable’s ongoing Dodgers channel plight
Justin Turner, center, celebrates his home run with Adrian Gonzalez during the first inning of the Dodgers’ exhibition game against the Seattle Mariners on Monday.
It was the news that had hard-core Dodgers fans personifying the spectrum of face emojis on their smartphones.
Time Warner Cable said Tuesday that it had cut by 30% the price of the sports channel owned by the Dodgers with the hope of ending the standoff over distribution of the channel with DirecTV and other pay-TV providers before the new season begins April 4.
The move marks the first time that Time Warner Cable has slashed the price of the channel to try to entice other pay-TV providers to come back to the bargaining table. Last season came and went without a deal — or even substantial progress in negotiations between the various companies.
And no one has been tracking progress on the stalemate more closely than Dodgers fans.
The following are four types of fan reaction to Tuesday's news:
- The person who can't tell whether the price drop is a good deal
- According to SNL Kagan, SportsNet LA had been offered for about $4.90 per month per subscriber home. As part of the new proposal, Time Warner Cable has offered the channel to other providers at a cost of about $3.50 per month per subscriber home. But fans who aren't students of the nitty-gritty of carriage fee disputes, aren't sure whether the price drop is reasonable.
- The person who thinks the price drop is a good deal
- There are those who appreciate how their pay-TV providers have shielded them from rising costs by holding out on SportsNet LA but think the new price should be entertained.
- The person who is just holding out hope that he/she can hear Vin Scully's final season
- The move by Time Warner Cable, should pay TV providers agree to the new price, would allow scores of Southern California baseball fans to enjoy Hall of Fame announcer Vin Scully's final season at the microphone.
- The person who will keep holding his/her breath
- There is a segment of Dodgers fans who are far too skeptical the way the situation has been handled in the past to believe anything will change.
I tweet about TV (and other things) here: @villarrealy
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