February 24, 200620 yr Fox to buy Turner South, get Braves broadcast rights Fox Cable Networks (FCN) will buy Turner South from Time Warner Inc. for an undisclosed sum, the companies announced Thursday. With the purchase, Los Angeles-based FCN also gets Turner South's long-term local telecast rights to the Atlanta Braves, the Atlanta Hawks and the Atlanta Thrashers. "This transaction is a win for Turner Broadcasting and for viewers of the Fox Cable Networks," said Phil Kent, chairman and CEO of TBS Inc. "It creates significant financial return for our company, adds quality programming to Fox's portfolio and enhances the value for consumers of a popular cable service." Turner South, part of Atlanta-based Turner Broadcasting System Inc., is a regional sports and entertainment network that reaches about 8 million cable and satellite subscribers in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, South Carolina, and parts of western North Carolina. New York-based Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) put Turner South and the Braves up for sale in December. On Feb. 22, Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank suspended discussions with Time Warner to buy the Braves. The Turner South deal also increases FCN's owned-and-operated regional programming networks to 15, reaching more than 80 million cable and satellite subscribers across 40 of America's 50 largest cities. FCN's owned-and-operated regional networks are the primary local television partners to more than half of all U.S.-based MLB, NBA and NHL franchises. FCN is a unit of the Fox Networks Group that includes 29 cable and satellite programming networks in which News Corp. (NYSE: NWS) holds interests.
February 25, 200620 yr Author Will this affect games being shown on TBS? Eventually TBS will only air 40 games with rest moving to FSN South/Turner South.
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