Optimum’s Blackout Betrayal: Tri-State Attorneys General Stand up for Fans
Tri-state sports fans gained three new champions this week when NY Attorney General Letitia James, along with CT Attorney General William Tong and NJ Attorney General Matthew Platkin demanded that Altice USA's Optimum cable service issue automatic refunds to customers deprived of MSG Networks due to an ongoing blackout. For the last several weeks, SFC has also called for refunds to sports fans.
It’s Time to Decriminalize Resale in New Mexico
Across the country, states are rolling back outdated and anti-consumer laws that unfairly penalize individuals for engaging in common-sense economic activity. From outdated blue laws to rigid licensing requirements, governments are modernizing regulations to better reflect today’s realities—except, it seems, in New Mexico, where ticket resale remains criminalized (and punishable by up to a year in jail) in a way that disproportionately harms students.
SFC praises passage of TICKET Act from Senate Commerce Committee
Fans have called out for the TICKET Act for many years. Today Chairman Cruz, Ranking Member Cantwell, and Senators Schmitt and Markey answered that call and advanced commonsense consumer protections in ticketing that will help sports fans buy tickets to their favorite games and protect them from deceptive sales. We thank them for their tireless leadership on this issue, and urge the Senate to pass the bill quickly.
Fans Fight Back: Over 2,000 Speak Out Against Optimum’s MSG Blackout
Sports fans are fed up—and they’re making their voices heard. More than 2,000 fans have mobilized, sending more than 14,000 emails to lawmakers demanding an end to the outrageous blackout that has kept Knicks and Rangers games off their screens.
Optimum’s Blackout Betrayal: How Consumers are Paying the Price for Altice USA’s MSG Blackout
On January 1, 2025, the carriage agreement between MSG Networks and Altice expired, leaving more than 1 million households across the tri-state area without access to the important local sports they pay for as part of their Optimum cable subscription. That sports programming includes exclusive live coverage of major league sports teams like the New York Knicks, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, and New Jersey Devils.
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.
SFC Files Amicus Brief in NFL Sunday Ticket Antitrust Litigation
SFC filed an amicus brief in the ongoing NFL Sunday Ticket antitrust litigation, arguing that the league abuses its antitrust exemption, causing harm to fans nationwide and that the overturning of the multi-billion dollar verdict is wrong. We are outraged that, once again, the NFL may get away with restricting access and charging higher prices, and that fans are left holding the bag, even after the judge affirmed the jury’s verdict that the NFL violated antitrust laws. We can not let the NFL get away with it again!