It may be getting late early out there.
Less than two weeks into the 2013 Major League Baseball campaign, Time Warner Cable subscribers in the San Diego area may not see any Padres games on the club's regional sports network this season.
Fox Sports San Diego, the RSN home to the Padres, issued a statement this week indicating that Time Warner Cable subs interested in watching the club’s games should consider other providers. The parties remain at an impasse over the value of the RSN's monthly license fee.
DirecTV, Dish Network, AT&T U-verse and Cox Communications are all carrying FS San Diego on a full-time basis this season. Cox, the former Padres' rights-holder, carried FS San Diego in 2012 and was joined late last season by AT&T U-verse. DirecTV, which aired the Padres contests and game shoulder programming last season, and Dish began full-time distribution of the service on opening day 2013.
“We're disappointed to report that despite our best efforts to reach an agreement with Time Warner Cable, they remain the only distributor in San Diego to not offer Padres games," said FS San Diego in a statement. "As a result, many Padres fans in areas served by Time Warner Cable will need to explore other options to view the games this season."
The nation’s No. 2 cable operator issued its own statement. “Time Warner Cable wants to carry the Padres games. If Fox is willing to provide us the Padres games at terms that make sense for all our customers, including those who are not sports fans, we will carry them. We remain open to discussions.”
