The Lakers’ new deal with Time Warner Cable has come as almost an afterthought, as the Lakers have dropped two in a row on the road – including an embarrassing 20-point loss to the Bobcats on Monday. While the Lakers are enduring their recent bout of struggles on the road, it’s important to understand the implications of their new television deal with Time Warner Cable.
We’ll start off with numbers: According to Hoopshype.com, the Los Angeles Lakers are valued at approximately $643 million; however, as tweeted by Yahoo.com’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Lakers’ owner Jerry Buss has had recent suitors willing to pay up to $1 billion for the franchise.
Fortunately for Buss and his family, the Lakers new deal with Time Warner, which is slated to start in 2012-13, allowed him to keep the franchise, as the Lakers will receive a payout of up to a total of $3 billion over 20 years – or $150 million a year.
According to the Los Angeles Times , Time Warner’s yearly payment to the Lakers will be five times what the Purple and Gold was receiving from Fox to broadcast the games on Fox Sports West.
So, what does this mean for the actual viewing experience of a Lakers game? Well, no longer will their games be available to watch on KCAL-9 or FS West. Instead, they will only be viewable for those with cable, and the games will be broadcasted on two new regional sports networks in Los Angeles.
The two stations will be broadcasted – one in English and the other in Spanish – and will hold the rights to all Lakers’ pre-, regular and postseason games.