New York sports fans who subscribe to Optimum lost access to view some of their favorite teams this week due to a spat between the cable provider and MSG Networks over fees.
The fallout from the dispute leaves fans of local teams whose games are carried by MSG Networks — including the Knicks, Rangers, Islanders, and Devils — without televised access to games in the midst of the NBA and NHL seasons.
Optimum, which is owned by the company Altice USA, alleged in a Dec. 31 statement that MSG is seeking “exorbitant fees” that could raise its customers cable bills. Additionally, the provider claims that MSG is demanding that it make their channels available to most Optimum subscribers — forcing even those who do not want to watch local sports channels to pay for them.
“We refuse to allow any entity to force our customers to pay more than they can afford,” the cable provider said. “And with direct-to-consumer options like MSG+ available on the Gotham Sports app, customers who want to watch it have alternatives so that non-viewers don’t have to pay for content they don’t want.”
But MSG Networks responded that it made Altice several “fair and reasonable” offers that would have allowed the provider to pay less for its sports content.
“Altice rejected all of them, including our offer to keep MSG Networks on the air while we continued to try to reach a deal,” the company said in a Jan. 1 statement. “We remain ready to negotiate in good faith.”
MSG also said that Altice is waging this battle while raising prices by 50% for existing customers and 70% for new customers who subscribe to the package that includes its channels.
“MSGN is one of the most viewed television offerings in the New York metro area. This is a pure and simple price gouge from Altice. An attempt to add over $10 dollars a month right to their bottom line – a $10 dollar rate increase on top of a 50 % rate increase.”
However, an Optimum spokesperson told the news site Gothamist that less than a quarter of subscribers who get MSG Networks were subjected to a rate increase.
