Right as pitchers and catchers are due to report to spring training, many baseball fans will be without the network offering wall-to-wall coverage of the sport.
On Jan. 31, MLB Network went dark for Optimum subscribers after the league and the cable provider failed to reach a renewal on its distribution deal. According to Anthony Rieber of Newsday, the blackout impacts approximately one million Optimum subscribers in the New York metropolitan area. According to 2023 data by Leichtman Research Group, Optimum served over two million TV customers nationwide and is the ninth-largest pay TV distributor in the country behind Cox and Verizon.
“With Major League Baseball coming off a historic 2025, we regret that Altice has opted out of our agreed upon terms for the 2026 season,” MLB Network sent Newsday in a statement. “To date, we have offered terms similar to what’s been agreed to by close to 300 other providers. We’re more than prepared to engage in meaningful dialogue that would result in continuing our 15+ year partnership … We always encourage viewers who would like to watch MLB Network to visit mlbnetwork.com to find out where they can watch our content.”
“MLB Network carries a limited number of live, out-of-market MLB games – many of which are available elsewhere – and offers niche content, which our customers should not be forced to pay for if it does not align with their viewing preferences,” Optimum said in a statement to Newsday. “As sports programming becomes more fragmented, Optimum is working to ensure our customers continue to receive the sports and entertainment content they love while keeping costs down.”
It’s true that Optimum customers, the majority of which reside in the tri-state area, are likely given sufficient baseball coverage through YES Network and SNY alone, assuming those customers are either Yankees or Mets fans.
The blackout signals just how challenging a time it is for league-owned networks. We just saw the NFL offload NFL Network to ESPN. NBA TV seemingly has fewer and fewer live games each season, and no postseason games to speak of, making it a challenging proposition to get distributors to pay top dollar for their content.
And while there are efforts to innovate with whip-around shows, extensive studio programming around events like winter meetings, and increased focus on international competitions, these networks are competing with a digital media landscape that is much nimbler and more tailored to the desires of individual fans. To MLB Network’s credit, it does air hundreds of non-exclusive live games each season, which is a big draw for baseball fans trying to watch teams outside their local market.
However, it’s understandable that a company like Optimum would be OK saving a buck or two per subscriber and doing without MLB Network, especially when direct-to-consumer options are available for fans that really want the channel. The cable provider has similarly cut other networks like NBA TV and NESN.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.