New York City

AG addresses outage, negotiations conflict between two broadcast networks

January 13, 2025 Brooklyn Eagle Staff
Attorney General Letitia James. Photo: Mary Altaffer/AP
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NATIONWIDE — A DISPUTE BETWEEN TWO SPORTS PROGRAMMING carriers blocked fans from watching their favorite programming on major networks such as ABC, NBC and Fox. Negotiations between Optimum and Nexstar, the latter of which runs the Madison Square Garden (MSG) and other broadcast stations, disintegrated Friday, Jan. 10, with BusinessWire reporting largely from Optimum’s perspective, and the New York Attorney General has weighed in. 

Part of the dispute centers on what Optimum calls Nexstar’s insistence on bundling contents rather than customizing it based on the viewing habits and preferences of New Yorkers. Optimum accused Nexstar of compelling New York customers to purchase content unrelated to their interests. Meanwhile, Nexstar issued its own press release, announcing that Altice, which owns Optimum, removed 63 local television stations in 42 markets across the country, and the outage affects two million local viewers. Optimum and Nexstar, each of which are publicly-held companies, assert that they have endeavored to negotiate in good faith.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, in a statement released on Monday, Jan. 13, said, “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 … 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.”

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