AFTER WEEKS OF PAYING FOR KNICKS GAMES AND EPISODES OF JUDY JUSTICE WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO WATCH, CONGRESSMAN PAT RYAN AND SENATOR CHRIS MURPHY INTRODUCE THE “STOP SPORTS BLACKOUTS ACT” TO FORCE CABLE COMPANIES TO REFUND CUSTOMERS FOR TELEVISION BLACKOUTS
After Weeks of Paying for Knicks Games and Episodes of Judy Justice Without Being Able to Watch, Congressman Pat Ryan and Senator Chris Murphy Introduce the “Stop Sports Blackouts Act” to Force Cable Companies to Refund Customers for Television Blackouts
For four weeks, Optimum and content providers have failed to reach a deal, leaving over one million customers in the Tri-State area to stare at black screens, unable to watch the channels they ALREADY pay for
Tens of millions of Americans per year are victim to blackouts
Ryan has previously demanded an investigation into blackouts and demanded that sports leagues do everything in their power to keep games available for viewers
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Pat Ryan and Senator Chris Murphy introduced the “Stop Sports Blackouts Act” to make cable companies refund customers who aren’t able to watch the channels they already pay for during television blackouts. For over four weeks, due to a dispute between Optimum and MSG Network, over a million customers in the Tri-State area have been unable to watch the Knicks, Rangers, Islanders, and Devils, while a separate blackout left Optimum customers unable to watch Judy Justice and local news for over 10 days. Tens of millions of Americans per year are victim to blackouts – with no requirement that they receive compensation. Ryan, a champion of consumer protection in entertainment, previously demanded an investigation into blackouts and slammed sports leagues for making it more difficult for fans to watch games.
“It’s outrageous that millions of folks couldn’t watch the Knicks, Judy Justice, or dozens of other programs for weeks because of blackouts. And it’s even more ridiculous that we’re all still paying for the right to stare at black screens! I don’t see why this is even a debate – cable companies simply should not be able to advertise and charge for services they are not providing,” said Congressman Pat Ryan. “On behalf of fans across the country, we’re putting down a marker: everyone will get their money back when a blackout stops them from watching TV, no questions asked. That means dollars back in your pockets, and, equally importantly, it provides a hell of an incentive to these billion dollar corporations to make sure these blackouts don’t happen in the future. They have teams of lobbyists looking out for them – I’m introducing this legislation because I fight for YOU.”
“Blackouts are a slap in the face to every customer paying their hard-earned money for TV shows they can’t even watch,” said Senator Chris Murphy. “It’s ridiculous the rest of us get stuck in the crossfire of negotiations between cable and broadcast companies. Our bill is simple: if cable companies can’t provide the service you’re paying for, they owe you a refund.”
“I’m 87 years old, and I’m losing my mind not being able to watch the Knicks or Rangers for a whole month. If I can’t watch the games, it seems like the very least they can do is give me my money back,” said David Shufelt of Millerton. “For some people it might not feel like much, but the cable plan and every new streaming service that seems to pop up every day is already bleeding me dry. Thank you Congressman Ryan, for actually hearing when folks like me talk about the economic pressure we’re feeling, and always fighting for us.”
This type of TV blackout occurs when distributors, including cable and satellite TV companies, are unable to reach an agreement with broadcasters over the rights to distribute their content. Until an agreement is reached, subscribers are unable to view the content they had paid for as part of their cable or satellite package. From 2010-2024, New Yorkers experienced a total of 100 blackouts for a total of 3,350 days when consumers were blocked from viewing content they had paid for.
On January 1, 2025, Optimum and MSG Network announced that they were unable to renew their distribution agreement, leaving subscribers unable to watch NBA and NHL games in the middle of the season. On January 10, Optimum subscribers were subjected to an additional blackout when the company announced it had failed to come to an agreement with Nexstar Media, which owns the syndication rights to popular show “Judy Justice,” starring Judge Judy Sheindlin, as well as the NewsNation network.
Congressman Ryan and Senator Murphy’s Stop Sports Blackouts Act would direct the Federal Communications Commission to require television distributors to provide rebates to subscribers for television blackouts that occur as a result of carriage disputes. A copy of the legislation is available here.
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