• by David Goetzl , June 7, 2007

AT&T's telco TV service could be on the brink of launching in Ohio, particularly the Columbus market. Officials at station group Sinclair said this week they have a deal allowing AT&T to offer their ABC and Fox stations there on its U-verse service.

That could challenge Time Warner Cable--which covers a portion of the Ohio capital area, the 32nd-largest DMA--and pry customers away from the MSO. U-verse, however, has shown that it rolls out gradually when it enters a new market, favoring a neighborhood-by-neighborhood approach rather than flooding the zone.

The deal is a retransmission consent arrangement in which AT&T pays Sinclair for the carriage rights. Securing rights to carry the local broadcast stations is a first step prior to launch.

AT&T declined to comment on the issue. "AT&T is in the process of securing content deals that support our video rollout now and in the future," a representative said in a statement. "We don't discuss the details of our content negotiations."

It's unclear whether AT&T has deals with Media General, which owns the Columbus NBC station, and the Dispatch Broadcast Group, which operates the CBS outlet. A market launch is unlikely unless deals are inked with all the local affiliates of the major broadcast outlets. It's also unknown whether Sinclair's deal covers its stations in Cincinnati and Dayton, paving the way for launches in those markets. In Dayton, Sinclair has an ABC/Fox duopoly that could ease things along.

So far, U-verse is available in seven of the 22 states in AT&T's footprint, but nowhere in Ohio. It has launched in five of the top-10 DMAs, and this week launched in San Diego (No. 27), giving it a presence in 21 markets.