Knicks and Rangers games on Optimum were set to go dark Wednesday as contract talks between the cable operator and MSG remained at an impasse ahead of a deadline before the ball drops.
As of press time Tuesday, neither side seemed willing to budge much over the carriage fees paid by Optimum parent Altice to broadcast MSG Networks, which is run by Knicks and Rangers owner James Dolan.
In the current deal that expires at midnight, Optimum pays MSGN $10 per subscriber, a source close to the situation told The Post.
The cable operator, which has about one-third of the roughly 3 million subscribers in the New York City area, is looking to reduce that fee in the new contract.
On Tuesday, MSGN sweetened an offer it floated weeks ago that would involve allowing Optimum to move it from the basic tier, meaning subscribers would have to pay an additional fee for the channel, the source said.
Optimum did not respond for comment about the latest offer.
“MSG Networks is demanding exorbitant programming fees – which could raise our customers’ cable bills,” the company said in a statement on Monday.
If no deal is reached before midnight, it will force Knicks fans to scramble to find another provider in order to watch the New Year’s Day matchup against Utah.
“Unsurprisingly, Altice continues to confuse its customers so it can get away with charging them more for less,” an MSG spokesperson said in a statement released late Tuesday,
“They just implemented exorbitant price increases — nearly 50% for current subscribers and 70% for new subscribers (after expiration of promotional offer) for the package that now includes MSG Networks – and now their customers are at risk of losing coverage of their favorite local sports teams on MSG.”
MSG Networks also broadcasts games for the Islanders and the first-place New Jersey Devils, who take the ice Wednesday against the Los Angeles Kings.
More than half of Optimum customers are not able to switch to another cable company like Verizon’s Fios, sources said.
Their only option to watch MSG during the Optimum blackout would be through its Gotham Sports streaming service, which costs $29.99 per month.
Credit: Source link
