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This May Be The Last Time You'll See The Dodgers On KTLA (Or On TV In General) For A Very Long Time
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The complaint has become a familiar one: Dodgers fans who don't have the SportsNet LA channel don't get to see their favorite team in action.
It's a fiasco that has been ongoing for the past four years. SportsNet LA, which is presented through Charter Communications' Spectrum brand, is not provided by any other major cable or satellite providers in the L.A. area, reports the L.A. Times. This means that a significant number of Angelenos don't get to see the Dodgers play (in 2014, it was estimated that more than two-thirds of L.A. households didn't have the channel).
In an attempt to get viewers to switch to Charter (and to convince other providers to offer SportsNet LA), both Charter and KTLA agreed earlier this year to simulcast ten Dodgers games in April and May. The logic sort of escapes us, but we presume it was done to show that there is a big viewership for the Dodgers, and to tell other providers that there's enough of it to go around.
Anyway, one of those games (a May 7 game against the San Diego Padres) got rained out. And now the networks will make up for that game by broadcasting the May 21 matchup against the Miami Marlins. The Marlins are kinda lame this year. But what's cool is that it'll be a day game (1:10 p.m.) on Sunday, meaning you'll be able to relive those lazy Sunday afternoons with the KTLA telecast playing in the background (there won't be a Vin Scully this time around, though).
As reported at the Times, Charter has no future plans to get more games on KTLA. Also, as noted at True Blue LA, the team isn't slated for any Sunday Night Baseball broadcasts on ESPN at the moment (there will be a handful of games, however, on Fox or Fox Sports 1). Which is all to say that, if you don't have SportsNet LA, you'll be seeing very little of Cody Bellinger's amazing rookie season this year. Sigh.
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