It is the single-most embarrassing blemish for the wealthiest team in all of professional sports – the Los Angeles Dodgers – and their team-owned regional sports network – SportsNet LA – with roughly half of the team’s television market area still unable to watch their beloved Dodgers.

The reason?

A two-and-a-half year long dispute between Time Warner Cable’s SportsNet LA and DirecTV – the largest satellite television provider in the country – over fees that neither company is willing to budge on.

After two full seasons there is still no end in sight to the on-going dispute between Time Warner Cable’s SportsNet LA and DirecTV. (Image courtesy of Time Warner Sports)

Yes, Time Warner sets the cost of their programming to cable and satellite providers, but thus far DirecTV is unwilling to pass on the higher fees for the SportsNet LA package to their subscribers, even if the subscribers themselves are willing to pay the additional (estimated) $5 per month to listen to and watch Vin Scully call every Dodgers home game and watch 24/7 /365 Dodgers programming. But rather than making SNLA a customer-by-customer option for their LA-based subscribers, the satellite giant instead gives them no say in the matter whatsoever. Oh sure, they certainly have the option of cancelling their satellite service, but why would they if they live in areas not covered by Time Warner Cable, Charter Cable or Bright House Networks cable companies which do offer SportsNet LA to their subscribers? So instead, the dispute between the media moguls continues and appears to be headed for a third straight season.

Enter MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred Jr.

On Tuesday, the first-year MLB boss expressed his concern over the on-going television rights dispute involving the second largest baseball market in the game (behind only New York) at the annual general managers meetings currently underway in Boca Raton, Florida.

“My concern could not be higher,” Manfred told LA Times Dodgers beat writer Dylan Hernandez. “I think that the Dodgers and the Los Angeles market are crucial to Major League Baseball and its reach. This has gone on a long time.

“I’m hopeful that there are dynamics in play beyond baseball, in terms of corporate activity, that may create some flexibility and, hopefully, we will get a resolution in time for the 2016 season,” Manfred added.

Until Time Warner Cable and DirecTV return to the negotiating table, it doesn’t matter how concerned MLB commission Rob Manfred is. (Photo credit – Patrick McDermott)

So what does Time Warner Cable have to say about Manfred’s plea for a resolution to the on-going dispute?

“We want all Dodger fans to have access to SportsNet LA, and we’re excited Charter customers can now enjoy the network’s games and in-depth programming,” said Nadia Gonzalez, Public Relations Manager for Time Warner Cable Sports. “However, despite our repeated attempts, other providers have been unwilling to engage in any meaningful discussions. We certainly hope that the agreement with Charter and the exciting 2015 season will bring other providers back to the negotiating table.”

Strike two on DirecTV.

“But wait… there’s more!

On May 5, 2015 DirecTV CEO Mike White boldly proclaimed that Time Warner’s unwillingness to lower the cost of their SportsNet LA package isn’t hurting them at all.

“It was a reckless deal at many multiples above what anybody else would have bid, and then they tried to force consumers to pay for it,” White told Variety’s Cynthia Littleton in an exclusive interview. “My view is we made a very fair offer and it was rejected out of hand. We haven’t lost any customers. The channel’s probably worth less to us than it was a year ago.”

But White wasn’t finished. He put the blame entirely on Time Warner yet acknowledges that what TWC did happens frequently in the TV biz.

“[They try to] abuse customers by overpaying for stuff and then try to jam them. There’s a lot of that in this industry,” said White. “It behooves all of us to be more responsible when striking these deals with sports teams, to recognize that there is a limit beyond where customers will go.”

Maybe there are some Dodger fans who are willing to pay those extra fees, Mr White – but you are unwilling to even give them that option.

Strike three, DirecTV – you’re out.

But in spite of Manfred’s high level of concern and regardless of all the hoping that he and Time Warner’s Nadia Gonzalez do, there is nothing to even remotely suggest that White has any plans of returning to the negotiating table anytime soon, and we are no closer to a resolution in this situation than we were two-and-a-half years ago.