Found October 24, 2009 on Biz of Hockey: Yardbarker Blogger Network
The battle between DirecTV and VERSUScontinues, even as ratings for the NHL areup on the network President of the Versus network Jamie Davis said on the NHL Live radio show that ratings are up 30 percent. But, Davis wasn’t on the show to talk about a ratings boost, he was on to talk about a dispute between Versus and DirecTV. Davis claimed that DirecTV was insisting on a clause to take Versus away from 6 million existing subscribers, then offer the Versus network for an additional fee. DirecTV accused Versus of asking for a 20 percent increase. "We have an offer to them on the table which is for not one extra penny than what they were paying before, and we're not asking for any extra money or extra distribution," Davis said. "We just wanted to continue on a status-quo deal with no strings attached and they have rejected that." Davis’s claim that Versus didn’t want more money may contradict a statement by Comcast, who owns Versus. Comcast said in a statement, “Versus offered DirecTV a fair and reasonable offer to carry the network at the market price. We hope DirecTV will make the right decision for their customers and put Versus back on the air." That’s not what DirecTV says. A statement released by DirecTV after dropping Versus said “Comcast, which owns Versus, has forced us to take down the channel because we will not submit to their unfair and outrageous demands.” Davis implied in his interview that the two sides could still come to an agreement. "The two sides are talking, that's good news," he said. "If there was no dialogue, that would be really, really bad." OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK (THE BIZ OF BASEBALL) 2009 ALCS Game 6 All About Momentum With Record-Tying 12th One-Run Game, MLB Postseason Ratings Up 18% Contents Under Pressure: The Los Angeles Dodgers Ozfest: Ozzie Guillen to Cover World Series for FOX TBS Quotes and Interviews from NLCS Game 5 Mets Made $48 Million in Profits Through Bernie Madoff Donald Fehr to Receive $11 Million Compensation Package As He Leaves MLBPA Who Will Be the Mystery Interview? Upcoming Interview: MLB Network’s Victor Rojas (THE BIZ OF FOOTBALL) Dolphins Name Jim Rushton Senior VP of Corporate Partnerships and Integrated Media Gov. Schwarzenegger Approves Bill for NFL Stadium in Los Angeles Area NFL on CBS Sees Ratings Up 6% Compared to Last Season Roger Goodell's Comments Likely To Further Drive Wedge Between NFLPA and Retired Players (THE BIZ OF BASKETBALL) NBA and Referees Association Reach 2-Year Agreement, Ending Lockout Deals With Time Warner, Cablevision, and DISH Push NBA.TV's Reach to 45 Million Homes Timberwolves Launch Redesigned Website 250 Games Strong: ESPN Releases NCAA Women's Basketball Schedule Magic's Stan Van Gundy Fined for Criticizing Replacement Refs Brown, Hollins, Bobcats Receive Fines Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network. He can be followed on Twitter Follow The Biz of Hockey on Twitter Follow the Business of Sports Network on Facebook    

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