MSG Unplugs From Time Warner Cable

As you contemplate how much your cable TV habit it costing you, Time Warner Cable has announced that the MSG Network pulled MSG and MSG Plus from the cable carrier. And MSG says that Time Warner dropped them!

MSG Media's president, Michael Bair, said, "We are disappointed that MSG and MSG Plus will be dropped from Time Warner Cable's lineup. All we have asked is for Time Warner Cable to value our programming in the same way as other TV providers--nothing more, nothing less. Unfortunately, they rejected every offer we made to them for almost two years." On the other hand, Time Warner Cable's statement says, "The decision to remove their programming from our lineup rests entirely with MSG. By making that decision well in advance of the deadline, MSG has again shown that they are more interested in holding New York sports fans hostage than in negotiating a deal."

TWC says MSG wanted a 53% increase in fees to carry the networks, "We regret that MSG Networks has taken away their sports programming, but remind fans that even without MSG, Time Warner Cable will carry nearly 40 percent of this season’s remaining Knicks games and nearly 30 percent of the remaining Rangers games, and 20 percent of the remaining Sabres games as well as most NBA and NHL playoffs."

MSG's statement is here; Bair also said, "Given Time Warner Cable's reportedly record-setting $5 billion investment in Los Angeles Lakers rights, we expected that they would be eager to continue to deliver top New York sports programming to their customers, who are unfortunately caught in the middle of this dispute."

Sports are a popular reason for people to subscribe to cable, but TWC told the Wall Street Journal that fees for sports networks are "turning into an astronomical problem."

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in Arts & Entertainment on January 1, 2012 3:50 PM

Comments [rss]

J_Temperance

Apple tv with a couple of hacks and internet access and you'll never be in need of anything ever again. Navi x provides you with access to hundreds of streams providing almost every hour of program from the last 80 years. Shows appear almost as soon as they air. Do a little research and let's bury these dinosaurs.

Ruth Grunberg

Please sign my petition demanding a credit from Time Warner for the $4.50 that they pay MSG when the channel is on their system. That money belongs to customers. It is not a sudden new profit source for them.

http://www.change.org/petition...

David

I only get cable to watch hockey in high definition. I hold cokehead Dolan responsible for this.

whitecastlerock

fuck them all...

Dan

We need a la carte cable.

TeddyNYC

No doubt, but don't hold your breathe. In this country it usually takes the realization from a company that its survival is at stake before it does something in the best interest of the customer. Usually by that time, it's too late. If more and more people cut the cord with cable TV and only keep some internet access, a la carte cable may finally arrive.

Caffiend

Well, technically there is Apple TV. But since I'm such an Apple hater, I'll hold out for this hotness in hopes that it'll offer consumers the depth of choices we need:

http://www.pcworld.com/article...

TeddyNYC

What's up with Google!?! First it was all about their search engine, then Gmail, then smartphones, then they wanted to be the new Facebook, now they want to be a cable company. They seem to want to do everything.

nicemarmot

Jesus I hate Time Warner. I don't even have a choice - they're the only provider in my building, the only choice I have for internet AND cable. I mean, I could live without cable, but I'd still have to pay them for internet. Oh, and have I mentioned that if you pay Time Warner extra for HBO, you don't get the service HBOGo, which is supposed to be included with your HBO subscription?

Gothamist_Cynic

Drop cable tv all together. Just stick with Internet and download all your shows for free.

nvk

This doesn't at all work for sports. That's the last main revenue stream for these providers, and they're going to fight tooth and nail to make sure that you can't get local sports except through them.

That said, fuck Cablevision and James Dolan. Not are you only greedy, you suck at making basketball decisions. Donnie Walsh should not have traded for Melo, and Chandler was on his way to becoming an all-star.

I'll watch the Clippers on League Pass - Donald Sterling is now officially less of an embarassment this season than Jimmy Dolan.

AzzTech

Sports is the only reason I have cable and my big tv.

I hate Dolan/Cablevision and TWC.

TeddyNYC

For some people, that can be a tricky solution, especially when it comes to quality and/or availability. I do expect more and more people to drop cable TV this year and beyond. Paying for cable TV is mostly a waste of money, that's for sure. I'm considering dropping it myself, maybe this will be the year. A few months ago I purchased a HDTV antenna only for a few hours for a "test" in case I dropped cable TV, I returned it after I was done. For some reason channel 7, the one I watch the most, didn't come in as well as I would've liked.

Eric Gordon

I did that a long time ago and I'm not going back any time soon, but the problem is watching Rangers games. There are sites where you can stream them but the quality is awful at best.

Stevennnn

Some people don't know the time to download them and not all shows are easy to find - only the ones on the networks and popular cable ones.

Inconcievable de Impublishable

I only want to pay for the shows I watch. Can you take all that other shit off my bill? I think I'd owe about $23 a month.

Caffiend

Just going to toss a fairly obvious theory out there... Ya think this might have ANYTHING to do with MSG being owned by Cablevision? The same Cablevision that has been fighting for years to get a bigger chunk of NYC's cable share? The same Cablevision that leverages it's pull to fight with each and every local entertainment provider and customer for their money? That Cablevision? Not that TW is any better at the same thing, hell I would take Cablevision at twice the price just to get rid of TW, but let's call a spade a spade here. TW, just raise our rates some more and protect the "beloved" Knicks, Rangers, and whatever other bullshit MSG spews out every season.