A fight between two entertainment giants, Comcast and Major League Baseball, might be headed for Congressional intervention, according to this piece by The Washington Post’s Amit Paley. Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-VA), chairman of the Government Reform Committee, has threatened to hold hearings on a dispute that has kept most of The Washington Nationals’ games off of Comcast’s line-up.
The complex dispute centers on MLB’s decision to grant the TV rights to Baltimore Orioles’ owner Peter Angelenos even though Comcast had submitted a higher bid for the games via its regional Comcast SportsNet. The Nats games are aired on an MLB-Orioles regional sports network called the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network.
Despite the fact that MLB won’t budge in its contract demands with Comcast, the cable operator is taking most of the heat.
Some of the elected officials who directed their ire at Comcast yesterday said they were focusing their energies on the cable giant because it is the only party that can resolve the problem now. “You can’t change history regardless of who is right or who is wrong,” said U.S. Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.). “So now it has to be up to Comcast to swallow a bitter pill for the sake of the fans.”
Cynthia Brumfield at 7:57 AM|Comments(0)
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