Operators See Sports, Broadcast Surcharges Rise in 2015

As programming costs rise with little hope of near term relief, several operators said they are expecting to increase their sports and broadcast surcharges in 2015 to help lessen the blow. Cablevision Systems was one of the latest to join the growing list of pay TV distributors looking to increase the surcharges, warning customers that it will hike its surcharge by about $1 per month. DirecTV has implemented its surcharge in markets with multiple regional sports networks, including New York and Los Angeles. The company said it anticipates a modest increase in RSN surcharges in 2015 as part of its overall annual rate increases in February.