A harmonious, 15-year partnership probably wasn’t going to end without rancor.
The ongoing carriage dispute between Altitude Sports and its big three distributors – Comcast, DIRECTV and DISH – is a microcosm of the problems plaguing regional sports networks across the country.
Locally, it’s taken Altitude off the air for more than a week as the former partners have been unable to reach an agreement. Nationally, the marriage between regional sports networks and distributors faces a murky future.
Broadcast rights fees for teams have escalated, placing more of a financial burden on networks. In turn, networks, such as the Kroenke-owned Altitude, have demanded higher carriage costs from the distributors.