Telecommunications: Impact of Sports Programming Costs on Cable Television Rates

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the impact of sports programming costs on cable television rates, focusing on: (1) the extent to which sports programming costs are contributing to higher cable television rates; (2) how prices paid for sports programming differ for small and large cable operators; (3) the extent to which sports programmers require cable operators to bundle sports programming with other cable programming and how this practice affects cable rates; and (4) whether the salaries of players in major professional sports have risen over the last 4 years, and if so, whether this has contributed to increases in cable rates.