Add another direct to consumer sports streaming service to the fray.
Per the New York Post, New York’s MSG is planning on launching a direct to consumer service sometime this season, which would allow in-market fans to watch live games without a cable subscription.
Pricing for the service has yet to be announced, though similar services run between $20 (Bally Sports+) and $30 (NESN 360) per month.
In the New York market, MSG has the rights to the Devils, Islanders, Knicks, and Rangers.
Being the first New York RSN to launch a direct to consumer service would be a solid coup for MSG. YES Network, which airs the Yankees and Nets, is kicking the tires on launching a service of its own, while SNY, which airs the Mets, “is not known to be exploring that option” per the Post.
While it’s great for viewers to have the option to dump cable and still watch local live sports, this could become a major headache for fans of various teams airing on different RSNs in the New York market. If you’re, say, an Islanders/Mets/Nets fan, keeping the cable bundle would make sense, because otherwise, you’d have to pay for *three* separate DTC services (assuming that YES and SNY even launch DTC services in the near future). If you don’t care about certain sports or teams and can get away with paying for just one, great! But if you cheer for a team in each major sport, you’d need a minimum of two DTC services in that market, and the math might be too daunting to bail on cable (also assuming that there’s not a rush of major carriers dropping RSNs).
