SportsNet LA, the exclusive television home to all things Dodgers, launches Tuesday night with never-before-seen programming. "Access SportsNet: Dodgers" kicks things off followed by "Backstage: Dodgers" and "Connected With…" an interview show featuring Clayton Kershaw and Don Mattingly.
The only way to watch SportsNet LA is with a cable provider that carries the channel, and at this point the options are slim. The owner of the channel, Time Warner Cable certainly has it, at least in the Los Angeles area.
Fans with other television services like: Verizon Fios, AT&T UVerse, DirecTv, Cox, and anything else will be missing out on these launch-night programs. Bakersfield Dodger fans are in luck though, as Time Warner has reached a deal with Bright House, a small provider in that locale, for retransmission.
But do not fret, once your TV provider has access to SportsNet LA you will be able to watch all of these programs again and again. While the channel is a 24/7 operation, the Dodgers are not.
That means "Access SportsNet," "Connected With…" and all other programs will be on repeat all season long. It will likely get to the point where tuning in to the channel outside of a game, or pre/post-game analysis, is going to yield a show you have already seen.
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While it would be ideal to get the channel by launch date, the only real deadline is Opening Day. If it gets to the point where fans are not able to watch the team actually play baseball, things could get ugly.
Cable providers will start to feel the heat from subscribers, but there is still no guarantee it will be available to all by the season opener. There is bound to be at least one major company that holds out during negotiations with Time Warner Cable, and a large group of the Dodger fanbase will be missing out on games in the opening weeks. Hopefully it is not yours.
So for those of you with Time Warner, be sure to tune in to channel 631 Tuesday night--and please let your Dodger-fan buddies come over to watch with you!
