November 18, 2024. New York State, New York, USA. New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8 years old) takes on Washington Wizards guard Malcolm Brogdon (15 years old) and forward Alexander Sarr (20 years old) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. to the basket. Required Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
New York sports fans who subscribe to Optimum lost access to watch some of their favorite teams this week due to a pricing dispute between their cable provider and MSG Networks.
The fallout from the dispute means that fans of local teams whose games are broadcast by MSG Networks, including the Knicks, Rangers, Islanders and Devils, will not be able to watch games on TV during the height of the NBA and NHL seasons.
Optimum, a unit of Altice USA, claimed in a Dec. 31 statement that MSG is demanding “exorbitant fees” that could drive up customers’ cable bills. Additionally, the provider claims that MSG requires the channel to be available to most Optimum subscribers, forcing even those who don’t want to watch their local sports channels to pay.
“We refuse to allow any entity to force customers to pay more than they can afford,” the cable provider said. “And direct-to-consumer options like MSG+ available on the Gotham Sports app provide an alternative for customers who want to watch, so non-viewers don’t have to pay for content they don’t want. It will disappear.”
But MSG Networks countered that it had made several “fair and reasonable” offers to Altice that would have allowed it to pay less for sports content.
“Altice has rejected all offers, including our offer to continue broadcasting MSG Networks while we continue our efforts to reach an agreement,” the company said in a Jan. 1 statement. Ta. “We remain ready to negotiate in good faith.”
MSG also said Altice is waging this battle while increasing prices by 50% for existing customers who subscribe to packages that include its channels and by 70% for new customers.
“MSGN is one of the most-watched television programs in the New York metropolitan area. This is price gouging by Altice, pure and simple. Any attempt to add $10 or more to your earnings each month is a $10 interest rate increase on top of a 50% interest rate increase. ”
However, an Optimum spokesperson told news site Gothamist that less than a quarter of MSG Networks’ subscribers will be affected by the rate increase.
