Cox signs deal to show Runnin’ Rebels, Lakers basketball games

Cox Cable customers who root for UNLV men's basketball and the Los Angeles Lakers will no longer be in the dark when it comes to TV coverage.

Cox and Time Warner Cable reached an agreement Sunday night to carry TWC's SportsNet and Deportes channels on Cox in Las Vegas and in Southern California.

The Lakers, in their first season on Time Warner, will have Wednesday's game against Utah televised on Cox.

However, Time Warner remains deadlocked in negotiations to bring its SportsNet channel to DirectTV or Dish Network.

A Cox spokesman said details were expected to be announced today regarding the channel location of TWC SportsNet and scheduling for both the Lakers and UNLV. It is believed the channel will be located on Cox's "Essential" cable tier.

Lakers fans who are Cox subscribers missed only one game - Sunday's win over Detroit - after the first three games were aired on ESPN and TNT.

UNLV's basketball season begins Monday, and the Rebels will appear on TWC SportsNet 11 times, starting with the Nov. 28 nonconference game against UC Irvine at the Thomas & Mack Center.

"It's great news for Rebel fans," UNLV athletic director Jim Livengood said. "What a wonderful opportunity for us to be part of Cox and Time Warner.

"I know how hard Cox has worked on trying to make this happen, and the winners will be Rebel fans."

UNLV coach Dave Rice said it was important to maintain visibility in California, and the Time Warner deal allows that to continue.

"It's such an important part of our recruiting base," Rice said. "Obviously, we're thrilled that through this deal our fans in Las Vegas will be able to watch all our road games, and it also will allow our fans in California to follow us."

In addition to Rebels basketball, Saturday's UNLV-Colorado State football game from Fort Collins, Colo., will be televised on TWC SportsNet.

As important as this deal was for UNLV, it also was important to Las Vegas' substantial Lakers following. Jeanie Buss, the team's executive vice president of business operations, said in a statement the team was glad to retain its television presence in Southern Nevada.

The deal between Cox and Time Warner was many months in the making, and there was fear that the parties would be unable to reach an agreement. At issue was the amount TWC wanted to charge Cox to land a spot on its system.

Cox officials would not comment on how much its customers will have to pay to receive the new channel. But the Los Angeles Times reported Monday that both DirectTV and Dish Network, which have yet to come to terms with Time Warner, are balking at a reported $3.95 per customer price tag.

A byproduct of the Cox deal is that in addition to UNLV, fellow Mountain West Conference members San Diego State and Fresno State will have their basketball games televised on the channel. The Aztecs, like the Rebels, were nationally ranked in the Associated Press preseason poll, and San Diego State was picked to win the MWC in the league's preseason media poll.

"It's big for the conference to get this kind of additional exposure," Rice said.

Contact reporter Steve Carp @scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-22913. Follow him on Twitter @stevecarprj.