As of this writing, on January 2, 2012, cable giant Time Warner Rochester is now offering on their extensive cable television lineup NBA Basketball on channel 51. If you go over to that particular channel's former high-definition cousin, channel 1092, you are now able to access Disney programming, on-demand.
On December 31, I was able to watch, on channel 1092, the Buffalo Sabres lose in a shoot-out, 3 to 2, to the Ottawa Senators, all the while getting bombarded with messaging throughout the telecast which indicated that we viewers were in essence about to be hosed by MSG. MSG Media, based in New York City, could not find a happy medium (no pun intended) between them and Time Warner, thereby pulling the plug on both the Sabres and, apparently, the New York Knicks broadcasts.
Surprise, MSG-Time Warner Dispute About Money
The issue with all of this is, predictably, about money. MSG has been claiming that Time Warner was benefiting handsomely from what was evidently an expiring agreement and that it was past time to pay the piper. Time Warner's assertion had been that MSG was seeking a 53 percent increase in fees, far above and beyond what they had paid in 2011.
Furthermore, Time Warner has claimed they were willing to continue carrying MSG for a 6.5 percent increase in fees through the end of this current (2011-12) NHL season. Neither side was obviously willing to capitulate to the others' demands, no matter how egregious the respective proposals may have been, with the resultant plug-pulling to show for it.
Spin from Time Warner and MSG Media
That the Sabres have been playing so poorly as of late (for most of this 2011-12 season, actually) is beside the point. My family and I already pay what we (and everybody else) believes to be an exorbitant amount of money for our overall cable television package. I/we should be afforded the luxury of determining whether or not the Sabres (and Knicks) game will be turned on in our household on any given night.
The spin emanating from both the Time Warner and MSG Media offices was enough to make my head spin. Based on all of the press releases disseminated by both parties, you would have thought neither party was at fault. In typical fashion, both entities claimed they were doing whatever it took in order to reach a deal, all in the name of delivering an essential product to the good, sports-loving people of Buffalo (and the New York tri-state area).
Regardless of what either party suggests, the real losers here are the Sabres and other NHL fans (and Knicks and other NBA fans). As I had alluded to earlier, the local high-definition channel has at least been temporarily replaced with an on-demand offering. Last I knew. "on-demand" meant "not free." In other words, availing ourselves of the opportunity to view programming on this channel will now only increase our current monthly cable bill.
Once again, the regular cable television subscribers are left holding the bag...or in this case the remote.
References
McNeil, H. (2011). Time Warner, MSG give mixed message
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