Tennis Channel CEO Ken Solomon appeared on CNBC this morning talking about the network's inaugural coverage of the U.S. Open. Part of that message: the network won't be appearing before Cablevision Systems Corp. subscribers in time for this year's Grand Slam event.
Asked about a deal Cablevision has to put Tennis on its sports tier via a contract with the National Cable Television Cooperative, Solomon said "we don't have a deal right now. We hope to get in one in the future."
Solomon, being interviewed on the grounds of the U.S. National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., where the Open began today at 11 a.m., said Tennis deserves to be seen by a "broad range" of viewers and that positioning on Cablevision's iO Sport Pak would only put it before 3% of the MSO's subscriber base, which totals around 3.1 million video customers. He said that's "not right for the U.S. Open."
