YANKEES & DODGERS ON CABLE: A TALE OF TWO CITIES

Satellite and cable companies that have balked at the price tag Time Warner Cable has put on its SportsNet LA cable channel featuring the Los Angeles Dodgers are likely keeping a close eye on the progress of the Yankees’ YES network in New York. The New York Times reported today (Friday) that ratings for Yankees games are up 38 percent over last year to an average of 341,000 viewers. On the other hand, the number of viewers for New York Mets games has fallen 4 percent to 180,000. Meanwhile, Time Warner Cable’s Melinda Witmer told today’s Los Angeles Times, “DirecTV has advised us that they will not carry the Dodgers this year, and they have walked away from the negotiating table.” To which a DirecTV spokesman replied, “Nothing could be further from the truth.” Time Warner reportedly is seeking $4 per subscriber per month from other satellite and cable companies seeking to offer the games, a figure, it says, that is comparable to what Time Warner Cable pays to carry the Yankees games.