Resolution Will Urge Comcast to Settle Contract Dispute with YES Network
Assemblyman Craig J. Coughlin will introduce legislation urging Comcast Corp. to settle its contract dispute with the Yankees Entertainment and Sports (YES) Network, the regional sports network that broadcasts coverage of the New York Yankees, the Brooklyn Nets and the New York City Football Club.
The ongoing dispute between the two entities has disrupted nearly 900,000 Comcast subscribers’ access to coverage of professional sports games since November.
“With opening day just weeks away, baseball fans – some of whom retain a cable subscription solely to be able to watch these games – ought to receive the service for which they have paid,” said Coughlin (D-Middlesex). “They shouldn’t have to leave the provider they’re familiar with because of a schoolyard fight between multi-million dollar companies.”
Because the YES Network broadcasts 80 percent of all Yankees games, many of the franchise’s fans will be unable to watch the team play this season in the absence of a deal, Coughlin noted.
In addition to urging Comcast to settle the contract dispute, the resolution also will urge Comcast to reimburse subscribers for each day of the YES Network blackout.
“The conflict we’re observing between Comcast and YES simply fails to reflect the fundamental spirit of a national pastime that brings people together,” said Coughlin. “As a fan of the Yankees, I hope to see a resolution soon, but regardless of how long this dispute continues, Comcast subscribers should, at the very least, be able to rest assured that they will be reimbursed.”