Time Warner Cable Sports sets regional nets’ launch

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Time Warner CableTime Warner Cable Sports unveiled launch plans for the company’s two new regional sports networks debuting on 10/1 to serve SoCal sports fans. The networks, “Time Warner Cable SportsNet” and “Time Warner Cable Deportes,” will deliver comprehensive sports information, complementing a year-round schedule of more than 120 live sports events as the new exclusive local homes of the Los Angeles Lakers, LA Galaxy and Los Angeles Sparks.


Beginning with the 2012-13 NBA season, the networks’ exclusive game coverage will include full seasons of Lakers, Galaxy and Sparks games, as well as CIF high school regular season and playoff contests. This is the first time in history that all locally televised Lakers games will be available on one network. Beyond live game coverage, Time Warner Cable Sports is creating a daily programming schedule to give local sports fans comprehensive in-depth coverage, fresh opinions and behind-the-scenes insight into their favorite local teams and personalities.

“We are building Time Warner Cable SportsNet and Time Warner Cable Deportes from the ground up to be the new homes for Southern California sports fans,” said Time Warner Cable Sports President David Rone. “Our networks are created around live coverage of some of the region’s signature franchises and represent a 24/7 commitment to give fans more access and insight than they have ever seen before.”

Time Warner Cable Deportes is being billed as the nation’s first Spanish-language regional sports network. It will air all local Lakers and Galaxy games entirely in Spanish – also a first.

Deportes will feature separate production teams, Spanish-speaking talent and a distinct graphics package. Additionally, Time Warner Cable Deportes has built a dedicated team that will oversee the production of original programming including daily local sports news, a daily soccer news show and coverage of other sports including boxing and lucha libre.

Sports fans will see a mix of familiar and new on-air game and news personalities, including Lakers broadcasters Stu Lantz and Bill Macdonald on Time Warner Cable SportsNet and Adrian Garcia Marquez and Francisco Pinto on Deportes. Studio host Andy Adler, formerly of KNBC and WNYW, will anchor nightly studio programming from the networks’ new technical facility and Heidi Watney, former reporter for the Boston Red Sox and NESN, will report on and interview teams, athletes and fans while on-the-scene.