New York Attorney General Letitia James commented on the continuing stalemate between Altice and MSG Networks, which has blacked out New York Knicks, Rangers, Islanders, and New Jersey Devils games for local residents since the start of 2025.
“As two major corporations engage in contract talks, the people who are impacted the most are everyday New Yorkers who simply want to watch sports and enjoy television programming,” a statement from James read on Monday. “Altice, which owns Optimum, and MSG Networks, which provides sports coverage for some of New York’s favorite sports teams, are struggling to reach a final agreement, and consumers who expect the programming and games they paid for are the ones missing out. I will be monitoring this situation closely to ensure New York customers receive the services they are paying for. I urge both companies to work together to reach a fair, final agreement so New Yorkers can get back to rooting for the home teams.”
As of Sept. 30, approximately 1.9 million New Yorkers were Altice customers who are now unable to watch their favorite teams after negotiations broke down toward the end of 2024 because of a dispute over fees.
The dispute has now broken down to finger-pointing. MSG Networks said they offered Altice “a number of fair and reasonable proposals that called for Altice to pay us less than last year.”
Altice countered by calling those proposals “exorbitant,” saying that accepting any of their offers would force customers to pay more for their subscriptions.
MSG Networks released its own statement on Monday, shortly after James weighed in on the dispute.
“We thank New York Attorney General Letitia James for stepping in on behalf of Optimum subscribers who are not getting what they are paying for,” the statement read. “We hope the Attorneys General in New Jersey and Connecticut do the same, as well as other officials and advocates across the tri-state area.”
In 2023, MSG Networks launched a streaming service priced at $29.99 per month. Last year, it teamed up with YES Network, which broadcasts New York Yankees games, to create the Gotham Sports app, which costs $359.99 annually or $41.99 per month.
