For starters, as one of the first name brand cable networks, ESPN locked up universal carriage early on.

FORBES: Why The Tea Party Should Hate ESPN

In one deal, Sprint has locked up most of the country's cable subscribers.

FORBES: Magazine Article

The New York-based cable operator, which has been locked in contentious negotiations over retransmission consent with Fox-parent News Corp for the better part of two weeks, announced that it has offered Fox the same rate it gets from Time Warner Cable to carry WNYW New York and WTXF Philadelphia, something the network had been demanding from the onset.

FORBES: Fox Refuses Cablevision Offer As World Series Opener Looms