Well, it looks like this is how DirecTV has decided how to handle the additional cost of carrying TWC's SportsNet:
DirecTV adds local sports surcharge for some new subscribersBy Joe Flint, The Los Angeles Times - December 10, 2012
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www.latimes.com/entertai ··· 76.storySatellite broadcaster DirecTV has quietly added a surcharge to some customers for sports channels separately on several of its most popular programming packages.
New DirecTV subscribers who live in areas where there are more than one regional sports network (Los Angeles has four -- News Corp.'s Prime Ticket and Fox Sports West and Time Warner Cable's SportsNet and Deportes) and want those channels are being asked to pay a monthly surcharge of $3. That fee is on top of whatever portion of the costs of the channels DirecTV passes on to its customers.
EDIT: Also an article on the Multichannel News site: »
www.multichannel.com/dis ··· e/140662