DirecTV unlikely to carry Pac-12 channels this season
Satellite broadcaster DirecTV is probably again going to take a pass on carrying the Pac-12 sports channels this season.
“Unfortunately, it has become clear they don’t intend to take the network this year,” said Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said during the conference’s media day Friday. Scott went on to uge Pac-12 fans to “drop DirecTV and switch to one of the providers that carry it.”
Pac-12 Networks is the conference’s regional sports service. In Los Angeles, there is one channel devoted to USC and UCLA (Pac-12 Los Angeles) and another network that focuses on the entire conference (Pac-12).
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The issue for DirecTV has been that the Pac-12 does not want its networks put on a specialty tier but rather wants it distributed broadly.
“We can reach an agreement quickly if Pac-12 is willing to give customers a choice of whether they want to pay for it or not,” a DirecTV spokesman said.
While DirecTV has yet to sign an agreement, Time Warner Cable and Dish Network both carry Pac-12.
Follow Joe Flint on Twitter @JBFlint
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