WASHINGTON • AT&T and DirecTV acted as ringleaders in an illegal plot against the Dodgers Channel that kept Los Angeles sports fans from watching their favorite team on television, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday by the Justice Department.
The anti-collusion suit alleges that DirecTV -- and its corporate parent, AT&T -- shared private negotiating information in 2014 with other TV providers, including Cox Communications and Charter Communications, in order to gain a collective advantage over Time Warner Cable, which was selling licenses to air the Dodgers Channel on other networks. By simultaneously agreeing not to carry the channel, each TV provider could breathe easier knowing their customers would not be able to switch to a provider that did carry live Dodgers games, according to the suit.