Connecticut politicians are upset that Husky game is on cable TV

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A couple of Connecticut politicians are miffed that today’s NCAA game between the University of Connecticut and Bucknell will be on cable TV instead of CBS.

As part of the new NCAA TV deal that CBS and Turner Broadcasting signed last year, all of the so-called March Madness games are on television for the first time ever. However, many of those games have moved to cable and are on Turner’s TNT, TBS and TruTV networks. The games are also free online.

Although most of the country is wired and has broadband, Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Rep. Joe Courtney, both Connecticut Democrats, have written letters to CBS Chief Executive Leslie Moonves and NCAA President Mark Emmert asking that the Husky game be put on the CBS affiliates in the state rather than on TNT.

In the past, the Husky game probably would have been on CBS as part of a regional package. Now though, there are no more regional games.

Courtney’s letter said about 150,000 Connecticut households or roughly 10% in the state don’t have cable TV.

One reason CBS teamed up with Turner was because the rising costs of rights fees made the idea of continuing its current deal as the exclusive home for the games very risky.

As for Husky fans, the entire Big East basketball tournament was on ESPN and the state seemed to survive.

-- Joe Flint