Dodgers games to be blacked out again by Time Warner Cable

By Brandon C. Williams | Mar 4, 2015

October 4, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Zack Greinke (21) is congratulated after scoring a run in the third inning against the St. Louis Cardinals in game two of the 2014 NLDS playoff baseball game at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

Oh, no….not again! Yes, Los Angeles Dodgers fans: the 2015 season could mark another campaign where Dodgers games will be blacked out due to Time Warner Cable’s need for higher rate prices.

Shut your eyes, Dodgers fans. Tell me what you see?

If you correctly answer “nothing,” that’s exactly what you’ll be seeing again this season, as Time Warner Cable’s need/lust for higher rate prices will lead to another campaign of not watching Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw, All-Star Yasiel Puig and the rest of the gang that resides at Chavez Ravine on the boob tube.

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Time Warner happens to run the Dodgers’ SportsNet LA channel and wants a raise of per subscriber fees of more than $4 per month. As of now, Charter Communications, which is the top cable provider in the greater Los Angeles area, has flipped the bird to Time Warner, a sentiment shared by satellite television provides DirecTV and Dish Network.

The united front from Charter, DirecTV and Dish has hammered the viewing pleasure of Dodgers fans, of whom 60 percent stand to be subject to blackout for a second straight season.

Don’t expect much to change in the near future, as Time Warner has an iron grip on the cable viewing scene in the City of Angels. Not only are they the number one cable provider in LA, they also are in the midst of a 25-year agreement with Guggenheim Partners, who own the Dodgers, to be the distributor of the Dodgers’ SportsNet LA channel.

Plain and simple, greed is running this pissing match, and the fans are the ones looking as if they were on the receiving end of a Kershaw curveball. Time Warner is holding the cards, so no matter what Charter, DirecTV and Dish does, TWC is not going to budge.

With that kind of stubborn nature, three-fifths of Los Angeles will either have to settle on watching the Dodgers on national TV or listen to Charlie Steiner handle play-by-play on the radio. While Steiner is a great option, Dodgers fans should have a choice on how to follow their team instead of being held hostage to the whims of greedy corporations looking to take the extra base at their expense.

As of now, Dodgers fans can only hope that some sort of resolution can be reached at some point this season. Their team is the favorite to win the National League West, a ride they’d like to enjoy.

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