Satellite : NBA TV reaches 45 million U.S. homes with carriage deals

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CHICAGO (Reuters) - The National Basketball Association said on Thursday that it had signed deals with Time Warner Cable Inc, Cablevision Systems Corp and Dish Network Corp to carry NBA TV, raising its distribution to 45 million U.S. homes.
Terms of the deals were not disclosed, but they boost the reach of the U.S. sports league's network from 12 million homes last season. The 2009-2010 season tips off on Tuesday.
The NBA signed similar deals earlier this year with Comcast Corp, Cox Communications Inc, DirecTV Group Inc and Verizon Communications Inc.
The deals brings NBA TV closer to its peers. The National Football League's NFL Network and Major League Baseball's MLB Network are available in more than 50 million and almost 54 million homes, respectively.
NBA TV, which offers more than 100 live NBA games, is part of NBA Digital, which is managed by the league and Turner Sports.
NBA Commissioner David Stern told Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal earlier this year that the league would adjust the network's price structure to entice carriers to offer it on more widely distributed tiers.
Time Warner Cable will offer NBA TV to customers on its digital basic tier, while Cablevision will make the channel available on its iO digital package, the NBA said. Satellite provider Dish will carry it as part of its "Classic Silver 200 Package."