MSG Networks-Altice dispute leaves Long Island sports fans in the dark
Seth Zolot has stuck with the Knicks through thick and thin.
A Knicks fan since the team won its last NBA title in 1973, the Valley Stream resident has supported the franchise through the highs of the Patrick Ewing era and the lows of the past two decades. Among his prized possessions is a stub from the $9 playoff ticket he bought to watch Bernard King’s Knicks play the Boston Celtics in 1984.
These days, the 62-year-old can no longer attend games as he is a caretaker for his disabled adult daughter. One of his great joys, however, has been following the recent renaissance of the Knicks under star guard Jalen Brunson, and he has rarely missed watching the team’s games on television.
Rarely, until now.
Zolot is one of the thousands of local sports fans who since Jan. 1 has not been able to watch the Knicks, Rangers, Islanders or Devils on Optimum TV because of an ongoing dispute between MSG Networks, the company that carries the broadcasts of those teams, and Altice, the parent company of Optimum.
The dispute has been particularly painful for Zolot, given that he has few options other than dumping the cable company with whom he has been a “loyal subscriber” since he moved to Long Island in 1996.
“Because of my daughter, it’s not like I can go hang out in a bar and see what’s going on,” Zolot said. “I’m a Mets, Knicks, Rangers and Jets fan, so I’m used to failure. This year could be different. I really wanted to be able to see the Knicks now that they have Brunson. I just can’t believe I can’t watch.”
Zolot is far from alone in his frustration. In fact, the outcry from area fans over not being able to watch their teams has been so pronounced that New York Attorney General Letitia James said Monday that the dispute was now being “monitored" by her office, which has jurisdiction over consumer protection.
It’s not just fans of really good teams who are up in arms over the dispute.
Ric Stark, a teacher from Oceanside, is an Islanders season-ticket holder who subscribes to Optimum so he can watch his team on the road. He is so upset he said he is planning to switch to Verizon Fios if the dispute is not settled when he gets back from vacation in a little more than a week.
“The Islanders are the only reason I have cable,” Stark said. “Optimum calls me and offers $10 or a gift card. Charging me less for stuff I don’t want doesn’t matter.”
For households in Altice’s geographical footprint, MSG also can be accessed via Verizon Fios, DirecTV, DirecTV Stream and fuboTV. Knicks, Islanders, Rangers and Devils games also can be streamed through the Gotham Sports App.
Frankie Komlosy, a hardcore Rangers fan from East Northport, jokes that the team suddenly started playing well when his screen went dark. Still, he misses watching the games and especially Sam Rosen, the Rangers longtime play-by-play announcer who is in his final year. He said if the dispute isn't settled soon he is going to have to purchase the Gotham Sports App, which costs $29.99 a month or $9.99 a game for the Knicks, Islanders and Rangers.
“I don’t even have a radio in my apartment to put the game on, and I’m not going to get in my car and drive around,” Komlosy said. “Basically, I check the scores on my phone and watch the highlights on YouTube. The whole thing, it’s just corporate greed. It’s just so frustrating.”
The dispute involves the compensation between Altice, the distributor, and MSG Networks, the provider, to carry the network.
MSG Networks and Altice confirmed they resumed negotiations this week after talks broke down late last week. Both sides have said they made fair offers to strike a deal. MSG has argued that Altice in the meantime should give customers $10 monthly rebates. Altice has said customers should call the company to discuss other options for watching games during the impasse.
The severing of viewers from their teams has caused the fury, which is understandable according to Edward Hirt, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at Indiana University who has studied the social psychology of sports fandom.
“We think that as a loyal fan, it’s our right to be able to be there,” Hirt said. “So, to have that snatched away from us is an incredible violation. As fans, we feel like the team needs us, because it’s such an important part of our identity. To prevent us from being able to indulge in that and be a part of something, that hurts deep.
“It’s like saying you can’t go see your kid. Or you can’t go to church. It’s like taking away something that you accept as your right and something you deserve because of the relationship you have. It seems like such a violation.”
Hirt said this impacts fans of both good teams and not-so-good teams. He said he believes sports fans are drawn to being part of something that’s bigger than themselves. It’s about having a sense of community and shared experience, and it’s especially hard psychologically to have that suddenly ripped away.
This is something Zolot understands intimately, so much so he said he will likely cut the cord if the dispute doesn’t get resolved sometime soon so he can be back with his teams.
The sports world has changed drastically since his early years as a Knicks fan. It now costs more for a fan to pay to watch one game on the Gotham Sports App than it did for him to attend a playoff game in 1984. Still, few things have brought Zolot as much joy as being a Knicks fan.
“Life can be tough,” Zolot said. “Sports is an out. . . . Last year’s Rangers and this year’s Knicks, after suffering all these years, those are the things that I look forward to.”
— Neil Best contributed
HOW TO WATCH THE GAMES
- Knicks, Rangers, Islanders and Devils games can be streamed through the Gotham Sports App.
- For households in Altice’s geographical footprint, MSG also can be accessed via Verizon Fios, DirecTV, DirecTV Stream and fuboTV.
- More details here. | AG monitoring situation