Optimum’s Blackout Betrayal: Sports Fans Deserve Better

Once again, sports fans are being used as pawns in a nearly-month long corporate standoff, and this time, Optimum and its parent company Altice are the culprits. While MSG Networks has made it clear that they are willing to keep the channels live during negotiations, Optimum has chosen to pull the plug—leaving die-hard sports fans in the dark.

This isn’t about fair negotiations. This is about Optimum using sports fans as leverage while they wrangle over dollars and cents. And that’s unacceptable.

MSG Networks Stands with Fans—Optimum Turns Its Back

Let’s be clear: MSG Networks has been willing to keep its programming available while a deal is worked out. That means Knicks, Rangers, Devils, and Islanders fans could still be watching their teams battle it out on the ice and court. But Optimum, which serves more than 1 million households in the tri-state area, has decided otherwise, yanking MSG Networks off its service and blocking fans from the games they live for. The end result? Fans pay more for less! Their cable bills haven’t gone down, even though Optimum blacked out  MSG. 

For many of us, sports aren’t just entertainment—they’re a way of life. We plan our nights around the games, we gather with family and friends, and we live and die by our teams. But instead of respecting that passion, Optimum is holding our fandom hostage.

Sports Fans Deserve Better

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen greedy companies use fans as bargaining chips, and unless something changes, it won’t be the last. How many more times will sports fans be forced to suffer while billion-dollar companies squabble?

We pay our bills. We pay the taxes that built these stadiums and arenas. We support our teams. And yet, when it comes time for negotiations, we’re the ones who lose. Enough is enough.

Take Action—Tell Optimum to Bring Back MSG Networks

Sports fans should never be collateral damage in a corporate fight. Optimum customers deserve the channels they pay for, and they deserve them now. If you’re tired of being used as a bargaining chip, make your voice heard:

We won’t let Optimum get away with turning out the lights on sports fans. It’s time for them to do the right thing—restore MSG Networks and stop playing games with our games.