COLUMBUS - When Columbus Crew SC made a deal with Time Warner Cable SportsChannel in March – just two days before their 2014 season began – they were met with a massive backlash from fans.
The channel became the only place to watch Crew SC home games for fans in Columbus due to local blackout rules.
Fans were furious that those without Time Warner as their cable providers were being told to switch providers, while others who did not have access to Time Warner were even less capable. The club launched promotions like pub partners and showing away games at Crew Stadium, but the response was clear.
Crew SC owner Anthony Precourt said at the time that he was aware of the backlash and was looking into alternatives for programming, and nine months later he says the club is looking for a solution.
“Our previous front office signed a two-year deal with Time Warner; there are obviously pros and cons to the agreement,” he told MLSsoccer.com this week. “[Time Warner] have really done a great job of improving their shoulder programming and we have a studio now that’s in Columbus, and being on a designated HD channel each week is good. Obviously the distribution was a big trade-off, and the previous front office made that decision.”
But that doesn’t mean that Precourt isn’t still thinking about the issue.
“We’ve tried to improve distribution, and look to continue to do that,” he said. “That’s extremely important to our fans, and I feel that and understand their frustration. We’re working really hard to improve our distribution for our fans in the open market.”
Precourt said he and other CCSC representatives have been in discussions with Time Warner over the issue. But little has changed, and Crew SC fans may not have a respite from the issue in 2015.
“They’ve been open to our suggestions, and we’re working with them to try to implement some of our ideas,” he said. “They’ve been very open-minded to it, but there haven’t been any changes yet that we can speak to publicly.”
And while the league struck a new TV partnership with ESPN, FOX Sports and Univision Deportes in May, the national TV rights likely won’t change the structure of the Time Warner deal, Precourt said.
“The national deal will probably provide more teams with nationally broadcasted games,” he said. “The landscape around Time Warner and Comcast and Charter Communications, things are pretty dynamic and changing pretty quickly. So who knows how that all changes in the upcoming season; it’s too early to tell.”
