DirecTV Fights U.S. Antitrust Suit Over L.A. Dodgers Channel
- Broadcaster asks judge to throw out U.S. antitrust allegations
- Satellite firm claims it had good reason to reject TWC channel
Chicago Cubs fans cheer in the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game four of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium on Oct. 19, 2016 in Los Angeles, California.
Photographer: Jeff Gross/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
DirecTV says it refused to pay top dollar for Time Warner Cable Inc.’s Los Angeles Dodgers channel because it had been “burned” earlier overpaying to air Lakers games, not because it was conspiring with others to get an edge on a competitor.
That’s the defense the biggest U.S. satellite-TV provider, now part of AT&T Inc., will use when it asks a judge to throw out a Justice Department lawsuit accusing it of scheming with competitors in 2014 to gain an advantage over Time Warner Cable in licensing negotiations.