Even though no deal has been made with DirecTV or Cox Cable with less than a week to go before the Lakers open the regular season against the Dallas Mavericks, the new Lakers network is doing everything within their power to get a deal done and provide options for Korean fans of the storied NBA franchise.
As stated in the press release below, the partnership with Radio Seoul will be the first-ever Korean SAP for English-language television.
Time Warner Cable Sports announced the new form of programming in the following press release on Friday:
EL SEGUNDO, CA (October 26, 2012) – Time Warner Cable Sports announced today that it will provide Korean-language Secondary Audio Programming (SAP) for live Lakers games on Time Warner Cable SportsNet this season. The regional sports network, which launched October 1 as the exclusive local TV home of the Los Angeles Lakers, LA Galaxy and Los Angeles Sparks, has partnered with Radio Seoul on the Korean-language audio broadcast. Time Warner Cable SportsNet’s Korean Secondary Audio Programming is the first-ever for English-language television.
“We are extremely proud to partner with Radio Seoul to provide the first-ever Korean SAP for English-language television,” said David Rone, President, Time Warner Cable Sports. “Between Time Warner Cable SportsNet’s Korean SAP and Time Warner Cable Deportes, the first Spanish-language regional sports network, we’re able to speak to Southern California sports fans in their own languages and include them in a way they’ve been never included before.”
“We are absolutely thrilled to collaborate with Time Warner Cable Sports to deliver the first-ever Korean SAP for all live Lakers games,” said Jae Min Chang, Chairman of the Korea Times/Radio Seoul. “The popularity of the Los Angeles Lakers among Koreans extends beyond the borders of Southern California and the U.S., reaching loyal followers even as far as South Korea. This is a symbolic moment for the Korean American community and speaks loudly of Time Warner Cable’s pioneering spirit, and we are tremendously excited to be part of this historical event.”