MSG Networks-Altice dispute being 'monitored' by NY Attorney General Letitia James on behalf of fans

New York Attorney General Letitia James weighed in on the ongoing dispute between MSG Networks and Altice on Monday, warning that she is watching out for consumers’ interests as the standoff approaches the two-week mark.

“Consumers who expect the programming and games they paid for are the ones missing out,” James’ statement said in part. “I will be monitoring this situation closely to ensure New York customers receive the services they are paying for.”

One of the jurisdictions of the Attorney General’s Office is consumer protection. The office has taken on cases in which consumers are paying for a service that they don’t receive.

MSG, which carries Knicks, Rangers, Islanders and Devils games, has been off Optimum TV, whose parent company is Altice, since 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1.

MSG Networks issued a statement thanking James for her remarks and urging Altice to automatically reduce customers’ bills by the approximately $10 per month that Altice pays MSG per subscriber under the companies’ most recent contract.

“Enforcement agencies should investigate these anti-consumer practices on behalf of all tri-state area residents,” MSG Networks’ statement said.

Altice has been providing reduced bills, special offers for fuboTV and the Gotham Sports app, and, in some cases, gift cards worth hundreds of dollars to customers who call to complain about the loss of MSG Networks — especially those who threaten to leave for Verizon Fios, a key competitor.

Altice’s position is that given the complexities and changing nature of its programming options, it wants customers to call and learn more about the best plan for them rather than issue a blanket rebate.

Altice’s statement read, in part, “Optimum agrees with the Attorney General that fans should be able to continue to watch their favorite teams” and added that it still is negotiating in good faith while trying to protect the interests of those who do not wish to pay for expensive sports channels.

The sides met last Monday but appear to be far apart. MSG Networks said on Friday that Altice had broken off talks, but Altice said it had offered to meet this week.

James is one of several politicians to comment on the contract dispute, but as the state’s chief law enforcement officer, she potentially has more influence than most.

MSG and Altice have agreed to place the network on a new Optimum tier called “Everything,” which costs $160 per month and includes other local sports channels such as YES and SNY.

But the sides appear to still be at odds over how to handle existing programming tiers and prices.

The basketball and hockey regular seasons end three months from this week.

With Michael Gormley

By Neil Best

neil.best@newsday.com@sportswatch

Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.