YES Network - Controversy

Controversy

A carriage dispute with Cablevision, who attempted to purchase the Yankees in 1998 and carried the team's games on MSG Network at the time of the channel's launch, led to a year without Yankee games for all Cablevision subscribers until New York State's government stepped in and negotiated a temporary deal. The two sides eventually signed a long-term carriage contract in 2004. When MSG first signed its TV deal with the Yankees, Cablevision (which owned SportsChannel New York) and MSG also had a lengthy carriage dispute.

Dish Network remains the only cable or satellite provider in the New York City area not to carry YES, and has indicated that it will not offer YES unless YES asks for a lower subscription fee. YES, however, has a most favored nation clause with all of its cable and satellite operators. If YES lowered its price for one operator, it would void all other contracts. YES minority owner Goldman Sachs also has an ownership stake in Dish Network parent Echostar.

In 2003, now-former Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer said some negative things in the media about owner George Steinbrenner. In response, Steinbrenner is rumored to have ordered YES not to show Zimmer on camera during its Yankee cablecasts.

In April 2005, YES declined to broadcast pre-game Opening Day festivities celebrating the Boston Red Sox' 2004 World Championship prior to a Yankees-Red Sox game at Fenway Park. Instead, a fixed camera shot was focused tightly on correspondent Kimberly Jones as she described in general terms the events surrounding her; afterwards, YES was roundly criticized for the move. Yankees players not only witnessed the ceremonies, but graciously applauded them from the top steps of their dugout. Perhaps due to this incident, in 2012 when the Red Sox celebrated the 100th Anniversary of Fenway Park, YES broadcast the majority of the ceremonies.

During the 2005 season, local New York newspapers reported that the post-game questions asked to Yankees manager Joe Torre by Jones were being sent to her by top-level team executives (quite possibly on directives from Steinbrenner), and that Torre did not feel comfortable answering them. For the 2006 and 2007 seasons, Torre, who had been paid a fee by YES to give exclusive interviews after each Yankees game, ended the agreement. YES now sends its reporter to the regular pre- and post-game media sessions with other broadcast outlets.

In March 2008, Time Warner Cable moved YES from its channel 30 position in the New York metro area to channel 53 soon after the Yankees received city public funding for a new stadium. Simultaneously, Time Warner Cable moved Bloomberg TV to the channel 30 position, all while renegotiating its 10-year contract with Mayor Bloomberg and the city of New York.