Sports fans in the Bay Area may have to increase their TV subscriptions to watch their teams, as soon as the Sharks’ game Tuesday afternoon against the Red Wings in Detroit.
Beginning Tuesday, Comcast’s Popular TV tier will not include NBC Sports Bay Area and NBC Sports California, as those channels will be available only to subscribers on or above the Ultimate TV tier.
A Comcast spokesperson said Monday that the difference in price between the tiers is about $20 in the Bay Area and that, according to the company’s data, most subscribers who watch the regional sports networks are already on the Ultimate TV level. That tier of programming includes the league-run channels of the MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL.
The company is running promotions in an effort to move sports fans from the Popular tier to Ultimate. Those who want to change their subscriptions can do so through their accounts on Xfinity.com or at Xfinity.com/upgradeTV.
Meanwhile, those in the Popular TV tier will no longer be subject to regional sports network fees. As more customers have canceled TV subscriptions with the rise of streaming, much has been made about the financial model in which those subscribers who don’t watch sports incur the cost of those fees along with sports fans.
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The Comcast spokesperson said that changing model and the rising cost of programming rights — particularly sports — contributed to the decision to remove the channels from Popular TV service.
Over the last year-plus, Comcast, which owns NBC, has moved about 30 regional sports networks across the U.S. into the Ultimate tier as their contracts come up. NBC Sports Boston and NESN, another RSN in the Boston market, will move Tuesday along with Northern California’s channels. NBC Sports Philadelphia is still on the Popular tier for the time being.
NBC Sports Bay Area airs Warriors, Giants and some Bay FC games, while the Sharks and A’s are on NBC Sports California. A’s games are expected to remain on the channel in the Bay Area this season as they move to Sacramento, while Kings games air on the channel locally in the Sacramento market.
