The CEO of Hartford lifestyle golf media company Back9Network is scheduled to testify Wednesday during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the proposed $45.2 billion Comcast -Time Warner Cable merger.
James Bosworth said Tuesday he was recently asked to testify after meeting with several members of the judiciary committee, including Sen. Richard Blumenthal, raising concerns about how the merger will impact his company’s ability to get a television deal.
Back9Network, which has its business operations in Hartford’s “Boat Building” and is constructing its studio on Constitution Plaza, has been trying to get a TV distribution deal for more than a year. Comcast, one of the largest cable companies, owns the Golf Channel, which is a competitor to Back9Network. That has made it difficult for the Hartford startup to get a cable deal with Comcast, which will only increase its market share dominance after acquiring Time Warner.
Back9Network has also been in talks about a distribution deal with Time Warner, but those discussions have come to a standstill since the proposed merger was announced, Bosworth said.
Bosworth said his main goal in testifying is to make policymakers aware of the difficulties independent networks have getting on TV, and how further consolidation in the industry could make it even more challenging.
“We want the opportunity to put our content in front of the audience,” Bosworth said. “There is no clear and defined system that allows an independent network to get to the consumer.”
“We are asking for the right to exist,” he added.
