After weeks of a publicity war that included tersely-worded public statements and demand letters from a number of government officials in three states, the feud between MSG Networks and cable television provider Altice USA is finally over.
On Saturday, Altice USA and MSG Networks affirmed a new distribution agreement has been reached that brings the regional sports network back to millions of Optimum TV subscribers in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
As is typical, both sides were incredibly noisy after the channels were pulled on January 1, with MSG Networks and Altice USA blaming each other for depriving local sports fans of New York Rangers, New York Knicks, New Jersey Devils, Buffalo Sabres and Brooklyn Nets games, among others.
The way it ended was also typical: Neither side disclosed financial terms of the agreement, and it wasn’t clear if the return of the channels will lead to higher fees for Optimum TV subscribers in the near future.
During the fight, a spokesperson for Altice USA said MSG Networks was demanding more money for the continued carriage of its regional sports multiplex, as well as a term that requires Optimum TV to offer the channel in its base programming package. By doing so, Altice USA said MSG Networks was forcing all of its customers to pay for the channel, even if they never watch sports programming.
Officials at MSG Networks said they were seeking a fair agreement, and even offered Altice USA the opportunity to “pay us less money than last year” as well as an extension that would have allowed MSG Networks to return to the cable platform if Altice USA agreed to resolve the dispute through arbitration.
While both sides were at odds, Altice USA pointed customers to Fubo, a sports-inclusive streaming service that offered a discounted rate off its base package for two months. Fubo carries the MSG Networks multiplex, and charges customers a regional sports fee that is separate from their base subscription price.
MSG Networks operates its own streaming service, MSG Plus, which is available through the Gotham Sports App. For $30 per month, MSG Plus offers live streams of its cable networks with the same live games.
