The New Jersey Devils have been on the MSG Network for decades. There is mixed opinions about this. Most Devils fans are not thrilled with their games being on a network bearing the name of their biggest rival's home arena, and there's a feeling they are the fourth team on the channel based on their placement in the cable package and the extras given to the Devils.
That's beyond the point because the Devils have reportedly reached an agreement to stay on MSG Network, as first reported by NJ Advanced Media's Ryan Novozinski. The multi-year agreement will begin this season, and on Wednesday, we learned that the Devils are going to be part of a brand-new venture for MSG Networks.
For New York fans, the Yankees, Knicks, Nets and all the area NHL teams will be available on one service as YES and MSG Networks will launch the Gotham Sports App.
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) August 28, 2024
The Mets and SNY are not involved.
More from @AndrewMarchand: https://t.co/LGdoTKB7yb
We'll ignore Andrew Marchand's headline calling the Devils a "New York team," but it is true at the Devils, along with the New York Rangers, New York Islanders, and the Buffalo Sabres, can be seen without a cable provider. This is where the industry is going. Regional Sports Networks have been failing all across the country. The numbers are not what they were even five years ago. Live sports still drive TV revenues, but the limited opportunity that comes with regional advertising dollars has the rising cost of sports making less and less sense.
So, that's how we get to Gotham. The Gotham Sports App pairing the teams of the YES Network and MSG gives New York-area sports fans all the teams not names the Mets they could want in one place.
However, unlike other streaming apps that are hoping to rely on scale to make ends meet, Gotham is hoping to not only replace RSN fees, but they want to profit beyond what they were getting per household. It will cost $41.99 per month. That's the same price as the combined app with FOX, Disney (ESPN), and Warner. However, that app, which was called Venu, had football, which this doesn't.
Devils fans appreciate a lot of what is coming with MSG when it comes to Devils hockey coverage. Most people love Ken Daneyko, and Bill Spaulding was a perfect replacement for Steve Cangialosi. Nobody is happy that the network got rid of intermission reporter Erika Wachter, and it could honestly drive Devils fans from spending this kind of money just to watch hockey.
There is a "discount" to pay for an entire year up front. It's $359.99. Yet, if someone just paid for the app throughout the NHL season, it would only cost a little over $250. That price is asking fans who are just as committed to basketball and hockey as they are to baseball.
Just MSG+, anyone with a cable subscription can get access to the app for free, so that's definitely a plus, but paying $42 per month for one app is getting us closer and closer to the price we were paying for the cable bundle. They might as well reinstall my landline at this point.