Dodger fans turned to Prime Ticket to watch the game on Monday, only to find that the game was being broadcast on KCAL. For many it was no big deal, for others it meant the game was blacked out due to the ongoing dispute between Time Warner Cable and KCAL's parent-network CBS.
Approximately 26 percent of Los Angeles TV subscribers get their service from Time Warner, so you can imagine the frustration and backlash that comes along with one out of four LA-Based Dodger fans missing the game.
The entire series with Colorado is scheduled to be broadcast on KCAL, but luckily the two TV giants came to terms midway through the game. Around the fifth inning Time Warner subscribers were slowly reporting that they could see the game on the previously blacked-out KCAL.
While most Dodger games are carried by Fox Sports Prime Ticket, nine games in September will be on KCAL. Fans would have missed crucial match-ups down the home stretch as the Dodgers try to clinch a top playoff spot and earn home-field advantage for the post-season.
For fans it may have felt like a month-long nightmare, but the negotiations did not exactly hinge on the Dodger blackouts. The Fall TV season is right around the corner and CBS is home to some of the best-rated shows. Possibly even more crucial is that the channel usually carries two football games every Sunday along with The NFL Today, a pre-game show featuring popular personalities such as Bill Cowher and Dan Marino.
So you could say that Dodger fans got bailed out of this situation because of football, but do not tell the baseball fans that. The last thing they want to hear is how football is a more popular sport than baseball, our National Pastime!
