Time Warner Cable said it's offering "must-have" regional
sports content on its Metro Sports network in the Kansas City area to Google at
fair and reasonable prices -- but the MSO indicated it won't provide other
local programming such as high school sports for the Internet giant's
fiber-based IPTV service.
In a Sept. 21 filing
with the Federal Communications Commission, Google said it was having
difficulty obtaining "must-have" live regional sports content.
The TWC-owned Metro Sports channel broadcasts college
basketball and high school games in the Kansas City, Mo., and Kansas City,
Kan., markets. Google is planning to connect homes in 180 neighborhoods in the
area to offer 1 Gbps Internet speeds and a next-generation TV service. Metro Sports
is available on TWC, Comcast and Knology of Kansas (formerly Sunflower
Broadband).
Asked to respond, Time Warner Cable said in a statement:
"TWC has absolutely offered, and continues to offer, what the FCC describes as
Metro Sports' ‘must-have' live regional sports programming -- men's and women's
Division I basketball -- at fair and reasonable prices. As for the remaining
programming on Metro Sports, we have long invested in local programming, and
[Google is] welcome to do the same."
