Direct TV made a formal request to broadcast Comcast’s terrestrially-delivered SportsNet Philadelphia last June 25, 2010. 

Direct TV’s move follows FCC’s announcement to close the “terrestrial exemption” where cable operators are required to give access or sell any of their satellite-delivered networks to Satellite TV providers, Telcos and other competitors under reasonable terms and conditions, in accordance to FCC’s program access rules.  AT&T is another provider who quick in its feet in responding to the recent OMB sign-off announcement.  The company had filed a program-access complaint against Cox Communication for withholding Channel 4 San Diego which has exclusive TV rights to programs such as the MLB San Diego Padres games.  Cox had agreed to start negotiations with AT&T along with the other providers in San Diego.

While Comcast owns the NHL and NBA franchises, its SportsNet Philadelphia televises Philadelphia Phillies' Major League Baseball games, Flyers' National Hockey League contests and the Sixers' National Basketball Association affairs. 

Comcast spokesman Tim Fitzpatrick says that the company will respond accordingly to the request after reviewing the same.  Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia has been available to competing cable operators like RCN since its launch in 1997 and Verizon's FiOS since the service was launched in Philadelphia.  The programming was not made available to satellite TV operators because their satellite TV deals already have exclusive programming like the NFL out of market packages in Sunday Ticket which sets the DBS service from that of cable.