GCI’s Seattle Mariner’s fans may have to find a new venue to watch their favorite team this baseball season. ROOT SPORTS and GCI have failed to reach an agreement for televised baseball for the 2012 season. GCI dropped ROOT SPORTS on Jan. 1.
GCI made the decision to drop ROOT to keep customer rates down.
“We made a commitment not to raise cable rates in 2012,” David Morris, GCI spokesman said.
GCI went through what Morris called “exhaustive” negotiations with ROOT to find a deal. However, Morris said the two companies couldn’t reconcile one important change. GCI wanted to list ROOT as a “Standalone” option, or digital sports tier where customers pay for the service if they want it. For instance, standalone programming would be like horse racing, hunting or fishing programs. ROOT wanted to remain part of the standard package paid for by all GCI customers.
“ROOT has 5,000 customers but it wanted to have all of GCI’s customers pay,” Morris said.
GCI’s action is pushback by operators against programmers, Morris said.
“They can’t keep raising cost,” Morris said.
Still, Morris said, in the end it is about what viewers get to see.
“In video,” Morris said, “programming is king. You want the best programming,” Morris said. “Would we want to have the mariners on there? Yes.”
But the price just wasn’t right, Morris said.
“We apologize for that but at some point you have to draw a line,” Morris said, “or you have to start raising rates.”
The Mariners blackout only applies to regular season games - post-season games will be available on GCI.
Based in Bellevue, Wash. ROOT is the cable home of the Seattle Mariners, Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers, Washington Huskies, Washington State Cougars, Oregon State Beavers, Gonzaga Bulldogs and Seattle University Redhawks. ROOT also offers opening season games for the Seattle Mariners, Colorado Rockies and Pittsburgh Pirates in their respective markets.
ROOT SPORTS services Wash. Ore., Mont. and Idaho. ROOT is owned by DIRECTV Sports Networks.
The sports channel offered to accept GCI’s proposed terms, according to a ROOT SPORTS press release.
“But GCI withdrew their offer and dropped our channel,” ROOT said. “We definitely want to return to GCI. We’ve been in business together for over five years and we would hope to continue to serve their customers for many more.”
However, ROOT SPORTS said GCI is doing a disservice to its customers by making the switch. GCI customers will have to pay “nearly 20 percent more per month to see any sort of replacement live MLB action.”
Customers should switch television providers to see Mariners baseball, ROOT says.
GCI is replacing ROOT with the Major League Baseball Network. GCI says that Major League will offer more games and more diversity of games than ROOT SPORTS.
For more information about ROOT SPORTS visit http://bit.ly/zVuG3l.
For more information about Major League Baseball Network visit http://mlbnetwork.mlb.com/network/index.jsp
• Contact reporter Russell Stigall at 523-2276 or at russell.stigall@juneauempire.com.
Comments (9)
Add commentGrrr...
I didn't like Fox Sports Network (FSN). ROOT Sports is great, and I love the coverage. That does it. I'm looking into whether I can get satellite reception from my house. GCI - you have gone too far! Go Mariners! (P.S. - Sign Fielder will ya please for heaven's sake?!)
sucks
sucks
Want it, buy it
Its only right to have a separate package or billing for sports. I don't want to watch the M's and don't want my bill raised for those who do. If the athletes weren't so overpaid Root wouldn't be having to charge so much.
wolfmagic2012
You do understand that FSN and ROOT Sports are the exact same thing - with a name change. Same people, same broadcasters, same equipment, same contracted content - different name. Man, FSN's rebranding is working!
Im sure ROOT Sports was asking for the same rates in comperable markets - it isnt part of a digital sports package in any other places - GCI tries to tell you this is ROOT's problem for making rates to high and the reality is it is GCI who is being greedy. Cable rates are considerably higher in Juneau than places of similar size and communicaitons capabilities.
Oh well, no one in Juneau follows the Mariners, Huskies, Cougars, Beavers, Zags, Sounders - oh wait - that is a list of the most popular teams in town.
Get a satellite dish and stop putting up with this BS from GCI.
Bring back Root
We choose to watch Root Sports because of our geographical locale, and the variety of sports programming offered within such as the Huskies, Cougars, Ducks, Beavers, Bulldogs, Mariners, Sounders, Rainiers, Etc. To single out a specific channel for raising cable fees is garbage. I'm sure the Hallmark Channel, AMC Channel, or Bravo cost nearly the same as does Root Sports. I also know that as a consumer, I can vote for my entertainment by spending my dollars as I choose. My current choice is with GCI, but my future votes may be with Direct TV if they do not bring back the entertainment that I prefer.
BRING BACK ROOT SPORTS!
alserstreetgang
Really? FOX still owns ROOT? - -Didn't know. Thanks - Yeah, well, like Tom says, it was nice watching Pacific NorthWest sports on one channel. Not sure why ROOT was too expensive for GCI, but is still available on sattelite. I echo Tom - GCI: BRING BACK ROOT SPORTS, or lose a few more customers.
Keep customer cost down or profits up?
GCI says "GCI made the decision to drop ROOT to keep customer rates down" What kind of spin is this? I will give you less service and I wont charge you more for it. I dont buy it. Its simply eroding the service to increase profits.
I dropped GCI one year ago and went to Direct TV. It was a good move. Much better programming and more HD channels.
gci sucks
GCI SUCKS , crappy expensive cell service, the contract is up in march (thank god) we will be going back to AT&T .
Let's see - they are holding
Let's see - they are holding costs, but reducing service. Somehow I see that as a pay raise for GCI. Direct TV's # is 907-264-3474.
GCI stole my roommate
GCI, will you buy back the giant flat screen TV I bought so that I could have life-size Trayvon Robinson in my tiny living room? If not, I will be left with but two possible remedies: 1) return to hiking after work in the spring; or 2) switch to DirectTV. Gee, I wonder which way I'll go?