YES Network Logo (Screenshot: YouTube)
Bronx Bombers fan?
Spring training in Tampa began Wednesday, but Brick residents who tuned in to YES Network, where many spring training games are being broadcast, were automatically redirected to other channels. Comcast, since November, has been in a dispute with YES, which has now continued into the spring season.
According to a report in the New York Post, YES has commanded fees of $4.89 per subscriber per month, and presumably asked for an increase during negotiations, leading Comcast to drop the network after reaching an impasse.
YES said in a statement at the time that Comcast was seeking “special treatment and anti-competitive terms.”
Though cable providers are often blamed during contract disputes, industry groups have said that television networks have consistently hiked rates, leading to higher cable bills for subscribers.
YES is owned 80 percent by Fox and 20 percent by the Yankees organization.
There was no telling when the Yanks will return to Comcast. The Post’s sources said there has been “little movement in the discussions.”