MSG Network, Time Warner Cable Reach Agreement


Finally! For all the New York residents on here, you know what we’re talking about. For over a month, the dispute between Madison Square Garden and Time Warner Cable left Knicks fans unable to watch their team and the Linsanity that’s recently ensued. But today, MSG reached a deal to put Knicks games back on television for some 2 million TWC subscribers in the New York area. From ESPN: “One state official close to the negotiations said [Jeremy] Lin’s phenomenal run forced the deal, along with the recent play of the Rangers, whose hockey games are also carried on the MSG network. NBA commissioner David Stern stepped in over the last two days, telling the sides how important it was to get Lin back on TV for both parties, for the league and for basketball itself, said one person close to the talks who requested anonymity. New York governor Andrew Cuomo called each company’s top executives in the last two days, according to another state official. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because negotiations were private. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said he had been working for a month to shepherd the companies toward agreement. The deal came just as the Knicks prepared to host the New Orleans Hornets Friday night. A hurricane of ‘Linsanity’ has swirled around the breakthrough 23-year-old, who was born in Palo Alto, Calif., to Taiwanese parents. His play has helped lift the stock of The Madison Square Garden Co., which owns the Knicks and the MSG network that carries their games. On Friday, shares closed up 98 cents, or 3.1 percent, at $32.85.”