Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Exclusive Broadcast Territories Being Challenged

12/05/2012 at 2:09pm EST

from Bob Van Voris of Bloomberg,

A group of baseball and hockey fans can go forward with claims that the National Hockey League and Major League Baseball violate U.S. antitrust law in their control over television and Internet broadcast rights.

U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin in New York today denied the leagues’ request to dismiss the suits, filed by subscribers to broadcasts of hockey and baseball games. The group sued the leagues; individual clubs; regional TV sports networks; Comcast Corp. (CMCSA), the largest U.S. cable broadcaster; and DirecTV LLC (DTV), the largest U.S. satellite television provider.

The plaintiffs, seeking to represent other MLB and NHL viewers in a class-action suit, claim the practice of dividing live game broadcasts into exclusive territories, protected by local blackouts, is anti-competitive. They also targeted the sale of “out-of-market” packages only through the leagues.

continued

Create an Account

In order to leave a comment, please create an account.

About Kukla's Korner Hockey

Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

Email Paul anytime at [email protected]

Most Recent Posts

Most Recent Comments

Comment by Wingding in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Seider's Year - 4 minutes ago
Comment by Wingding in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Seider's Year - 7 minutes ago
Comment by RockyGibraltar in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Same Lineup Tonight - 10 minutes ago
Comment by Wingding in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Seider's Year - 10 minutes ago
Comment by Paul in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Same Lineup Tonight - 14 minutes ago