Time Warner Cable SportsNet, the new home of the Los Angeles Lakers, is adding 12 Los Angeles D-Fenders to the schedule starting this weekend.

The telecasts of the Lakers’ minor league team (though it would be hard to pick out the real minor league team based on the way Kobe and Co. have been playing) will be called by veteran broadcaster Steve Quis and former three-time NBA champion A.C. Green.

“We are thrilled to partner with Time Warner Cable SportsNet this season,” Joey Buss, president/CEO of the D-Fenders, said in a statement.  “This is an opportunity for our fans, Lakers fans and basketball fans to develop a connection with top D-Fenders prospects as well as Lakers assignment players, both of which are instrumental to the future of the Lakers and NBA.”

Read more

You can cross Cox Communications off the list as the cable provider have agreed to terms with Time Warner Cable to carry SportsNet and Time Warner Cable Deportes.

“Time Warner Cable SportsNet and Time Warner Cable Deportes and Cox Communications have agreed to terms,” the networked announced in a statement on Sunday night. “Launch details will be announced shortly.”

That leaves just DirecTV and Dish as the two lone holdouts. Considering DirecTV still hasn’t signed up for Pac-12 Networks, it makes you wonder how long this standoff will last.

Based on the 1-3 Los Angeles Lakers record, fans aren’t missing anything as of yet.

Charter Communications and Verizon FIOS reached an agreement with Time Warner Cable SportsNet and Time Warner Cable Deportes on Friday afternoon, adding two more cable providers that will be able to watch the Los Angeles Lakers starting next week.

Charter is trying to launch TWC SportsNet on or before Oct. 31 and will be available in SD on channel 215 and in HD on channel 787; Time Warner Cable Deportes will be available on SD channel 216 and HD channel 788.

“Charter is committed to bring programming to our customers that mirror their interests,” said Allan Singer, Charter’s senior vice president of programming. “We are proud of Charter’s robust selection of sports programming.  Charter is the first provider of this brand new programming in our service areas, and we know that the addition of these networks especially pleases our customers in Southern California.”

It might be time to start making alternative plans to watch the Los Angeles Lakers next week if you don’t have Time Warner Cable.

The cable provider fired a shot on Wednesday as to why they’ve been unable to reach a deal with their competition after rejecting a proposal from Cox Cable:

“With the Los Angeles Lakers, LA Galaxy and Los Angeles Sparks, two networks and unprecedented behind-the-scenes programming, Time Warner Cable SportsNet and Time Warner Cable Deportes are delivering tremendous value for Southern California sports fans. Any assertion that we are the highest priced regional sports outlet in the country is simply untrue; as a significant buyer of regional sports across the country, we know that there are higher priced regional sports networks, including Root Sports that we buy from DirecTV. Cox and DirecTV know that there is no regional sports network anywhere in the country that is offered on an optional tier — that would be unprecedented. If Cox or DirecTV choose not to carry our networks, we and their customers will be very disappointed but we are confident there will be other alternatives for their customers to see this highly-anticipated Lakers season.”

Read more

The Los Angeles Lakers opened the 2012-13 preseason on Sunday night and unless you have Time Warner Cable, you were out of luck.

A week after Time Warner Cable SportsNet launched, it has yet to secure deals with DirecTV, Dish, AT&T and Verizon, leaving many Southern California residents without their Lakers.

Unlike the dispute between the Pac-12 Network and DirecTV, there will be serious backlash if Time Warner doesn’t start coming to terms with the other local cable providers by Opening Night on Oct. 30.

“We expect that Time Warner will reach deals with other TV providers in the near future, but I cannot give you an estimate on when,” Lakers spokesman John Black told NBC4 in an email.

Fans and alums of San Diego State, UNLV and Fresno State are in luck as the new Time Warner Cable SportsNet will carry football and basketball games starting in October.

The network will broadcast 12 Mountain West Conference football games and more than two dozen basketball games featuring the Aztecs, Rebels and Bulldogs.

“The addition of San Diego State, UNLV and Fresno State football and basketball games to our telecast schedule makes Time Warner Cable SportsNet the media destination for sports fans in Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas and Fresno,” Mark Shuken, senior vice president and general manager, TWC Sports regional networks said in a statement. “Our network will give fans access to the teams they care about, from high school to college to the professional level.”

After the jump is the Mountain West football schedule:

Read more