By Andrew Wallace

The largest broadcast partner of Raptors basketball and the largest cable provider in the Toronto area are locked in a bitter tug of war over broadcasting the NBA franchise's games this season. And if the battle isn't resolved by Nov. 16, it's local fans that'll ultimately lose out.

The problem is that TSN2 is set to carry a good chunk of the Raptors action this season, but Rogers Cable isn't making the freshly minted station available to subscribers. Although Rogers had been in a basketball broadcaster in years past, it bowed out this year and TSN picked up the slack. The network grabbed 48 games, splitting them between its new digital and regular cable stations. The rest of the Raptors telecasts are divided between The Score (20), CBC (12) and Raptors TV (2).

While negotiations between the two parties are ongoing, the Star's Doug Smith reported on Thursday that "no resolution is imminent." TSN President Phil King called the situation a priority, but Rogers, the only major Canadian carrier who hasn't picked up the new station yet, declined to comment.

Regardless of who's to blame though, without an end to the standoff the majority of the Raptors fanbase will miss out on more than a quarter of all televised tilts. And that's not good for anybody.

Photo by Daniele Sartori used with Creative Commons license.