Geoffrey Manne on Comcast/Fox merger in Ars Technica
Geoffrey Manne’s recent analysis on the Comcast/Fox merger was cited in an Ars Technica article:
Owning RSNs lets Comcast set the price that cable, satellite, and online TV services pay to air local sports games, because Comcast’s rivals have to buy those rights from Comcast. The other major benefit of owning RSNs is that Comcast’s cable TV service can broadcast games for local sports teams in many markets without having to pay another company for programming rights. This benefit won’t extend across Comcast’s footprint, however, because 14 of Fox’s 22 RSNs are in local markets where Comcast’s cable TV network doesn’t have a “substantial” presence, economist Geoffrey Manne wrote.