Dodger Games "Exclusive" to Cable?

One of the many questions emerging from the massive Time Warner Cable-L.A. Dodgers deal is, will there be ballgames available free and over the air in 2014?

The L.A. Times raised this issue earlier in the week. 

Writes Bill Shaikin:

[E]ven as a statement said the new channel would be the “exclusive local home” of the team, the Dodgers would not say whether they might broadcast any games on free local television.

The CBS-owned independent, KCAL, will enter the eighth season of an eight year deal with the team this year. The station shows around 50 Dodger games a year. It’s a pretty big number–in comparison, the Yankees were on Fox-owned WWOR New York 21 times last season.

Last week, Shaikin said the Fox-owned stations in L.A. might get a handful of Dodger games. 

Of course, with the newly star-studded Dodgers lineup, there will be games selected for the weekend national broadcast on Fox.

The 25-year deal, with the Dodgers airing on the new SportsNet LA, starts in 2014 and is worth a reported $8 billion.