re: SEC Network, the thread

quote:

---

DirecTV CEO Mike White once told Wall Street analysts on a conference call, according to Bloomberg, "If I could wave a wand, the first thing I would peel off is regional sports networks. The cost is just too high."

---

quote:

---

York, however, also said, "As popular as sports content is, the vast majority of consumers will not watch any national, regional or local sports network, yet the networks demand they pay a tax so that those who do want to watch it get access to it."

Parts of the negotiation between DirecTV and the SEC Network have become contentious because, as York said, the SEC Network wants to claim all of Texas as being in the "inner market" because of Texas A&M. York said it is an "absurd consumer proposition" that football fans in Austin should be considered in the "inner market" when Austin is the home of the University of Texas.

---