Tennis Channel and Comcast Disagreement to go to Mediation

Written by: Staff on 22nd October 2010

Tennis Channel and Comcast Disagreement to go to Mediation

Tennis Channel commentators, Bill Macatee,Jimmy Connors, Tennis Channel Chairman & CEO, Ken Solomon, and Tennis Channel staff wait to ring the opening bell at the NASDAQ |

A mediator will decide the long-running dispute between the Tennis Channel and Comcast Corp.

The Tennis Channel maintains that it was put at a competitive disadvantage by its inclusion in a more costly package of sports channels that has fewer subscribers. At the same time, Comcast makes the sports channels it owns available to all its cable subscribers.

Comcast said the Tennis Channel agreed to be placed in the more exclusive package when Comcast struck a deal several years ago to carry the service. The Federal Communications Commission has said it would review allegations Comcast was discriminating against the independently owned Tennis Channel.

This all comes at a time when Comcast has asked the FCC to approve its proposed merger with NBC Universal. Critics of the merger contend that a Comcast-controlled NBC would give too much power to the Philadelphia-based cable company which it could then use to favor its own networks at the expense of competitors.

The two companies said it would complete mediation by November 24.

Topics: Allegations, Cable Company, Cable Subscribers, Comcast, Comcast Corp, Comcast Sports, Competitive Disadvantage, Costly Package, Disagreement, Fcc, Federal Communications Commission, Inclusion, Mediation, Mediator, Merger, Nbc, Philadelphia, Sports Channels, Tennis Channel