The Tribe Has Spoken: Cox, Indians Make Nice Before Opening Day

Chalk up another win for Cox’s "Make Them Play Fair" Website. The MSO signed a carriage deal with the Cleveland Indians RSN SportsTime OH less than a month after Cox re- launched its anti-sports rights Website during contentious negotiations. Comcast also signed a deal with the RSN this week; DISH and DirecTV are still in negotiations. When CableFAX asked Cox pres Pat Esser about the deal Wed, he simply said, "They played fair." Cox will begin carrying the net Mar 27. The deal could include a VOD component, as well. The SportsTime OH deal comes weeks after Cox settled another contentious RSN deal in the DC area with the Mid-Atlantic Sports Net after keeping that RSN off the air for a year. "Baseball is kind of pricey," Esser said. Cox wound up signing the MASN deal after customers made it clear they wanted the net and its Nationals games, he said.