NBA enters distribution deal with three cable systems

[wisconsin00]

NEW YORK (AP) _ The NBA has entered into multiyear distribution deals with three cable providers that will more than double the domestic availability of NBA TV, the league's 24-hour television network.

The agreements with Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications and Cablevision were announced Monday and, beginning in October, will make NBA TV available to the approximately 22 million combined customers of the three cable providers.

The network broadcast 50 games last season, the first in which it televised games, and plans to broadcast 96 this season.

NBA TV will now be available to more than 40 million customers in the United States, and is in a total of 5 million homes in 30 other countries. The network, which launched in 1999 and began broadcasting games in January, had been available to approximately 20 million U.S. subscribers through satellite systems DirecTV and the Dish Network.

However, many customers of the three cable providers would have to upgrade their cable systems or pay for premium digital services in order to receive the network.

``Time Warner Cable, Cox and Cablevision are among the most powerful players in the cable industry and NBA TV's added cable distribution marks a significant milestone in the development of the network,'' NBA commissioner David Stern said in a statement.

Time Warner Cable, an AOL Time Warner company, owns and manages cable systems serving nearly 11 million subscribers in 27 states.

Cox Communications is the country's fourth largest cable provider. It has about 6.5 million customers in 20 states. Cablevision has subscribers in about 3 million households in the New York metropolitan area.

In addition to NBA games, NBA TV televises WNBA and National Basketball Development League games. Beginning this year the network will also several series of original programming, including ``Real Training Camp,'' which will follow the Denver Nuggets and rookie Carmelo Anthony as they prepare for the season.


Note: The following stories are the most recent wire transmissions from SportsTicker and other ESPN.com sources. Versions of some of these stories appear elsewhere on the service

[John L]

I must add that FSN-Milwaukee will be putting on a larger number of Milwaukee Bucks Basketball games this year. Thus you will be seeing a lot less Bucks games on WCGV-TV, ch. 24.  This was an agreement that was decided on over the past summer. So those who don't have cable and are Bucks fans will be missing out on a great majority of televised games.

-John L.