{"id":801858,"date":"2025-01-16T16:33:01","date_gmt":"2025-01-16T21:33:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/optimum-demands-msg-networks-refund-customers-upwards-of-125-million\/"},"modified":"2025-01-16T16:33:01","modified_gmt":"2025-01-16T21:33:01","slug":"optimum-demands-msg-networks-refund-customers-upwards-of-125-million","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/optimum-demands-msg-networks-refund-customers-upwards-of-125-million\/","title":{"rendered":"Optimum Demands MSG Networks Refund Customers Upwards of $125 Million"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Optimum Demands MSG Networks Refund Customers Upwards of $125 Million<\/b><\/p>\n

Optimum Continues to Help Fans Watch Their Favorite Teams AND <\/i>Continue to Offer New, Affordable Video Options to Non-Sports Fans<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Is MSG Networks Trying to Tank this Deal to Get Customers to Pay Three Times More Through Gotham and Drive Up the Share Price of the Sphere (which he also owns)?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE<\/a>)–
\nFor weeks, Optimum and MSG Networks have been negotiating continued carriage on Optimum systems. Over the last two weeks, Optimum hosted MSG Networks\u2019 executives in its offices twice and hosted multiple calls trying to find a solution that would bring MSG Networks\u2019 content to fans and prevent non-viewers from having to pay for what they do not watch. MSG Networks has refused all offers. Perhaps MSG Networks is purposely trying to tank the deal to get customers to pay three times more for their own app AND save the Sphere by bankrupting MSG Networks?<\/p>\n

\nAs MSG Networks continues to deflect responsibility for its ongoing blackout of Knicks, Rangers, Islanders, and Devils games, today, Optimum has called on the programmer to refund customers upwards of $125million \u2014 representing the estimated $10 per month per subscriber MSG Networks announced its sports programming is worth.<\/p>\n

\nOptimum issues the following statement:<\/p>\n

\n\u201cMSG Networks continues to play games with our customers while refusing to engage in meaningful negotiations. MSG Networks needs to take responsibility and issue refunds to subscribers for the programming they did not watch but were forced to pay for in 2024.<\/p>\n

\nMSG Networks has habitually overcharged consumers, first for cable distributed content and now for Gotham Sports, taking what they say is a $10 product and tripling that fee to $30 for Gotham Sports users to access the exact same content on its app (one of the most expensive apps in the ecosystem). In light of its impending bankruptcy, MSG Networks continues to try and extort consumers for their hard-earned dollars while charging die-hard fans triple the costs, despite airing less games due to a $76 billion NBA deal that MSG and its owners will benefit from.<\/p>\n

\nAt Optimum, our attention is on our customers \u2013 we will continue to make sure they have ways to watch MSG Networks\u2019 content, including getting fans signed up for Gotham Sports, driving profits to MSG Networks\u2019 business. If Gotham Sports isn\u2019t of interest, we have other streaming service solutions for customers.<\/p>\n

\nAnd non-sports fans can call us to talk about our new video offerings<\/a> that provide choice, flexibility and affordability, and are designed to ensure customers pay for the content they care about.<\/p>\n

\nAt the heart of this dispute is MSG Networks, a company prioritizing profits over people. In fact, their owner publicly acknowledged how outdated and unviable their own business model is due to the fragmentation of viewing now that customers have options to get their sports content from various sources. MSG needs to address their core issue: their continued insistence on inflated, mandatory fees that penalize most subscribers to offset their dying business model.<\/p>\n

\nThe truth is, sports should unite us, not divide us \u2013 we love our local sports teams and will continue to support and cheer them on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additional Information:<\/b><\/p>\n