MSG Networks, Altice reach new carriage agreement that puts Knicks, Islanders, Rangers and Devils back on Optimum TV
MSG Networks and Altice have reached a new carriage agreement that returns Knicks, Islanders and Rangers games to Optimum TV.
MSG Networks and Altice, parent company of Optimum TV, ended their bitter, 7 1/2-week carriage dispute on Saturday afternoon, returning the Knicks, Rangers, Islanders and Devils to about 1 million homes in the metropolitan area – many of them on Long Island.
“MSG Networks and Optimum would like to thank everyone for their patience as we partnered to reach this new agreement to benefit our fans and Optimum subscribers,” the two entities jointly said in announcing the agreement.
Saturday’s late afternoon Rangers-Sabres game marked the first time one of the four local winter sports teams affected appeared on Optimum since MSG’s contract with Altice expired at midnight on New Year’s Eve.
It was then that Altice pulled MSG Networks from its lineup, which led to a series of sharply worded statements from both companies and mounting frustration among fans.
The attorneys general of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut all got involved in the dispute, as did New York governor Kathy Hochul.
Hochul directed the Department of Public Service to seek answers to a series of questions from Altice under the threat of public hearings on the matter.
Altice responded in a letter to the DPS on Feb. 13, and the state was weighing its next move at the time of the agreement.
“After 52 days in the penalty box, New York sports fans will finally be able to watch the Knicks, Rangers and Islanders again,” Hochul said in a statement.
Later, she added, “This long-overdue step comes after I directed the Department of Public Service to call for public hearings on how consumers are being shortchanged by weeks of corporate bickering. I’m going to keep fighting like hell for New York consumers — no matter which team they root for.”
Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman posted on “X” after the announcement, “I’m very pleased that MSG and Optimum have come to an agreement which will only benefit the fans. Congratulations!”
New York State Attorney General Letitia James also posted on "X": "I called on Optimum and MSG to resolve their dispute and provide New Yorkers with the services, sports packages, and programming they paid for. I’m pleased that the parties have come to an agreement, and I’ll always step up and speak out to ensure New Yorkers are treated fairly."
Altice never offered blanket refunds for the lost sports programming, but it did give customers who called to complain discounted bills and in some cases gift cards worth several hundred dollars to prevent defections, especially to Verizon Fios.
These are challenging times for both cable companies and regional sports networks such as MSG as both grapple with the effects of cord cutting. That can lead to carriage disputes such as this one, in which a programming provider and distributor fail to agree on terms.
That reality was reflected in the intensity of the negotiations. It is not clear what broke the impasse, which included deciding what programming tier on which to place MSG — it will be carried on the same programming tier as YES and SNY — and what price Altice would pay for it.
But the agreement means business peace will reign for now. It also means fans will get their games back.
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.
