NY Attorney General Letitia James sends letter to Altice calling for refunds to MSG Networks customers

New York Attorney General Letitia James and two other area attorneys general sent a letter to Altice USA, parent company of Optimum TV, on Thursday calling for refunds for customers who have been without MSG Networks since Jan. 1.

James joined Matthew Platkin of New Jersey and William Tong of Connecticut in sending the letter, which was addressed to Altice USA CEO Dennis Mathew and expressed frustration with the ongoing programming disruption.

Altice removed MSG Networks, which carries Knicks, Rangers, Islanders and Devils games, from Optimum TV at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1. The sides have sought a new carriage agreement since then without success.

“Our respective offices have received complaints from consumers who simply want nothing more than to relax on the couch and watch the games they signed up [and paid] to watch,” the letter says.

Later, it says, “We hereby request that you promptly and voluntarily credit all affected consumers who were not able to access MSG stations during the month of January 2025.

“Reducing only future charges of consumers who continue to be unable to access MSG stations is not enough. It is inappropriate for our residents to be charged for services that Optimum did not provide in January.”

In response to the letter, Altice released a statement that read, in part, "Since January 1, Optimum has been focused on limiting customer disruption by proactively engaging with customers to provide personalized assistance and alternative solutions for sports fans and non-sports fans alike . . .  Optimum remains focused on fighting for our customers and offering solutions that provide the content they want to watch at affordable prices."

Optimum TV is in approximately one million homes in Long Island, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The carriage dispute is a disagreement over compensation between the distributor, which is Altice, to carry a channel from the provider, which is MSG Networks. Regional sports networks such as MSG and cable companies such as Altice are struggling in an era of increasing options outside the traditional cable bundle.

James last month warned both Altice and MSG Networks that her office would monitor contract talks to ensure consumers got the services they were paying for.

Thursday’s letter did not spell out specific actions the attorneys general might take. One of the jurisdictions of James’ office is consumer protection. The office in the past has taken on cases in which consumers are paying for a service that they do not receive.

Altice has been giving customers who call to complain or threaten to leave for another provider, such as Verizon Fios, deep discounts on their bills and in some cases gift cards.

But the company has not issued a blanket refund for the loss of MSG, for which it had been paying approximately $10 per month per subscriber.

The attorneys general’s letter acknowledged “some consumers have been able to obtain some refunds or credits” but added “that has been far from a universal or satisfactory result for many consumers.”

The letter said the AGs are willing to “work with you on the terms for and implementation of action to ensure that both your company and the affected consumers are treated fairly.”

An MSG Networks spokesman said in a prepared statement, “We applaud the attorneys general in demanding Altice do right by its subscribers and either issue a full refund or immediately reach an agreement to return MSG Networks to Optimum subscribers."

James said in a news release, “New York sports fans are being put in the penalty box, forced to shell out their hard-earned money for television channels they cannot even watch.

“Optimum customers have paid for channels to watch their home sports teams, but their cable company is not offering these channels while charging them anyway.

“I am determined to secure a solution for New Yorkers who have had to endure these unfair blackouts and I urge Optimum and MSG to finally reach a deal so New Yorkers can watch their home teams.”

Altice has repeatedly encouraged concerned customers to call for help with alternative ways of watching the Knicks and the local hockey teams affected.

Tong said in a news release, “Optimum and MSG need to stop the posturing and get back to the table. Figure it out and let us watch our sports in peace. In the meantime, consumers are paying for sports they can’t watch and they are owed immediate refunds without hassle.”

By Neil Best

neil.best@newsday.com@sportswatch

Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.