ESPN.com - NBA - NBA TV lands deal with three cable providers

["Josh Ozersky" <jozersky1@xxxxxxxxxx>]

here you go, greggy -- the whole text and nothing but.
josh
Deal more than doubles network's reach

Associated Press
NEW YORK -- 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.

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