Tennis Channel files complaint against Comcast

The Tennis Channel said on Wednesday it filed a complaint against Comcast Corp with US regulators, alleging that the top US cable operator favors its own programs over others. The Tennis Channel, seeking a wider audience, said Comcast offers its tennis programs on the premium tier of sports shows which is watched by a small fraction of Comcast subscribers instead of the basic tier available to subscribers. The channel said Comcast offers its programming such as the Golf Channel and Versus to all of its 23.8 million subscribers, while the Tennis Channel reaches only 2.6 million homes. Comcast disputed the complaint, filed with the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday. It said the Tennis Channel signed an agreement in 2005 allowing Comcast to carry the channel on different tiers, including the premium sports package. "We are fully honoring the terms of our agreement with Tennis Channel and plan to continue carrying the network for our customers and tennis fans," Comcast said in a statement. FCC spokeswoman Janice Wise declined to comment.