Top prosecutors in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut want the best cables owned by Altice. The day of the year.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, Connecticut Attorney General William Tonn and New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin signed a letter to the cable company on Thursday, urging one of the nation's largest cable providers to fix it with fans. .
“New York sports fans are put in penalty boxes and are forced to pay hard-earned money for TV channels that they can't watch,” James said.
“The best customers pay for channels to watch home sports teams, but cable companies don't offer these channels while charging anyway.”
“We are determined to secure a solution for New Yorkers who had to withstand these unfair blackouts, and will eventually reach the deal so New Yorkers can see their home team,” James said. “It encourages MSG as it is optimal.”
The dispute arises from a contract standoff between Optimum's parent company, Altice USA and MSG Networks, which resulted in the removal of major sports and entertainment channels from the Optimum Cable plan.
Since January 1st, Optimum customers have not been able to access MSG channels that broadcast games for teams such as the New York Knicks, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, and Buffalo Sabres.
James had previously urged altice and MSG to quickly resolve their negotiations to prevent disruption in New York's consumer services.
Currently, the Attorney General requires that Altice be issued to customers who pay for channels that Altice cannot access.
Rather than asking customers to navigate the claims process, the Attorney General is calling on Altice to automatically issue a refund.
According to the Attorney General, as negotiations between Altice and MSG continue, the affected clients remain arrested along the way.
MSG has issued a statement praising the Attorney General.
“We will commend the Attorney General for requiring that the Attorney General be correct by subscribers, and either issue a full refund or immediately return the MSG network to the best subscribers. “We'll reach,” a company representative told the post.
A spokesman for Optimum provided a statement in the post in response to the letter.
“We are asking the local Attorney General to work with us to fix the broken video programming model and ensure consumers have more options,” an Optimum spokesman said in a statement. It's there.
The cable provider “focuses on limiting customer disruption by actively engaging with customers and providing personalized support and alternative solutions for both sports and non-sports fans.” I said.
“From press releases and social media campaigns to customer emails and educational videos, from helping to offset Gotham Sports or Fubo costs, to moving customers to average video products, options available “We've been speaking out about it. $25 a month,” the spokesman said.
Optimum said it is urging customers to call or chat so they can listen and support their unique needs.
“As we've said repeatedly, distributors like Optimum require that content be made available to most customers, regardless of the interest of their actual audience. The legacy video models are broken because they continue to be handcuffed by programmers like this,” the company said.
Optimum said, “This outdated model… enforces high fees and minimum intrusion rates.” More than ever. ”
Altice accused MSG and its chairman James Dolan of refusing to pursue the agreement in good faith due to the burden of the MSG network's inflated debt.
Last week, the Post reported that the New York-based regional sports network is in talks to reach a deal to avoid bankruptcy, and that media companies are courting potential investors, including Amazon. did.
The MSG network defaulted its loans by default this fall, but lenders extended payment deadlines multiple times.
Sphere Entertainment, which owns and operates the MSG network, filed an 8-K “current report” with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday night, tolerance with lenders extended until March 29th. It indicates that the contract has been reached.
Additional Reports by Josh Cosman
