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New York Post
06-08-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Michael Kay, YES Network personalities to star on ‘Bronx Buds' cartoon
Like countless other kids in the 1960s and 70s, Michael Kay spent his Saturday mornings glued to the TV for weekly showings of his favorite cartoons, 'The Flintstones' and 'The Jetsons.' That made it an easy answer for the Yankees broadcaster when creative directors at YES Network approached him about appearing on Season 2 of 'Bronx Buds,' the baseball-themed animated children's series that streams on the Gotham Sports App. 'I mean, Saturday was like a big deal,' Kay told The Post. 'That's why I love what YES is doing, bringing this back…to give a new generation of kids something to watch, this one baseball-centered, which is two things I love. I think it's gonna be great.' 3 Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay on Aug. 19, 2019. AP Kay will play a significant role in the upcoming season alongside several fellow YES Yankees voices: analyst John Flaherty, clubhouse reporter Meredith Marakovitz and studio host Nancy Newman. The show, which returns for Season 2 on Aug. 9, follows the adventures of a Bronx-based youth baseball team called the Bronx Buds, featuring main characters Riv, Bash and Oscar. Kay was tapped to play a heroic character who saves the Bronx Buds, while Flaherty acts as a baseball legend and Marakovitz and Newman are reporters. Kay joked he was a 'little jealous' the producers didn't tap him for the first season — especially because studio analyst Jack Curry got a cameo — but that it was 'pretty cool' when he was asked this time around. 3 Bash (left), Riv (middle) and Oscar (right) are the main characters of 'Bronx Buds.' YES Network 3 The animated portrayal of Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay in 'Bronx Buds.' YES Network Kay, the Yankees broadcaster since the network debuted in 2002, did his voiceovers from the network's studios in Stamford, Conn. in March, working with a producer and director remotely over a Zoom call. For Kay, it was a foray into a new side of the media industry — even if the 64-year-old talks into a microphone for a living. The director and producer didn't brief Kay on the plot, but they would have the broadcaster read his lines over the Zoom call, telling him when to be more demonstrative, or goofy, or serious. 'You look at it on the TV and see, 'Well, it's a cartoon,'' Kay said. 'But it's really detailed, how much effort and time they put into it. And obviously the people that are doing it, it's a labor of love, so they want to make it just right.'
Forbes
23-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
ESPN Could Create Downward Pressure For Sports Streaming Prices
ESPN's forthcoming streaming service will cost $29.99 – which is both a high price for a sports-only service, but also a relative bargain compared to the larger landscape of its competitors in the sports streaming space. For instance, the Gotham Sports App, which combines YES and MSG+, also costs $29.99 per month with an annual subscription ($41 per month if you opt for a monthly plan) but doesn't include games that appear on New York's third regional sports network, SNY (which costs another $139.99 annually). Marquee Sports Network's app costs $19.99 per month for audiences to watch live Chicago Cubs games, and get coverage around other Chicago teams. But it doesn't include live games for the Blackhawks, Bulls or White Sox, which all appear on the CHSN app (another $29.99 per month if you want to watch all three teams and $19.99 if you only want one). In Los Angeles, the Dodgers' newer SNLA+ app costs $199.99 for the year (averages out to $16.67 monthly), but doesn't include any of the other local teams, who have their own streamers with their own pricing included. And notably, for all of these apps, you have to be in the coverage areas for these services in order to subscribe at all. Otherwise, out-of-market audiences are subscribing via ESPN+ or MLB/NBA/NHL-specific services, which all come with their respective own costs in a similar range. At this point, it's easy to ask: How can these prices stay where they are, when the largest provider of live sporting events (ESPN) is offering its network as a standalone service for the same price (and even less, when you figure in the $36.99 ad-supported Disney bundle price)? Simply put, they can't. Despite the market's shift toward every-game viewing for audiences' favorite teams – those fans also need access to national games. And many of those national games appear on ESPN's family of networks. So a fan of the Cubs and Bulls is paying $70 per month just to watch those two teams and only national games that appear on ESPN. Fan of the Bears, too? Well, they'll need access to Fox and CBS for afternoon NFL games, plus NBC for Sunday Night Football, and potentially Amazon Prime Video for Thursday Night Football as well. If that consumer also has interests outside of sports, they may have Netflix or another streamer, and suddenly, the entertainment bill is climbing well over $120 per month. This is not the first time that a la carte streaming's escalating costs have come under scrutiny, and those concerns will continue. But ESPN's app may be the one that actually spurs pricing and/or behavioral change. For consumers without a multichannel video programming distributor (MVPD) – Comcast Xfinity, DirecTV, Hulu Live TV, YouTube TV, etc. – subscription, the soaring prices of a la carte streaming could send them back to 'cable' bundles. For these sports streaming services, the consumer math may be a wake-up call on pricing. DirecTV and other carriers have RSN add-ons for as little as $14.99 per month, and that price usually includes ALL of the local RSNs. ESPN's value at $29.99 per month is worth a debate (even if the Disney bundle price is a steal as long as you use Disney+ and Hulu) when weighing it against larger entertainment streamers like Peacock and Paramount+. But when comparing what consumers receive for that price versus what they get through any of the standalone sports streamers, it's clearly night and day. The economics of those RSNs launching and supporting streaming services may have necessitated $20-30 per month price points given how much NBA, NHL and MLB clubs have relied on payouts from those networks. ESPN's existence at the same price level stands in stark contrast, though, and is almost certain to drive down those rates as budget-conscious cord-cutters start assessing value. Will the RSNs be able to sustain price decreases? Perhaps not. They're going to be forced to figure it out, though, within months of ESPN's streaming launch.
New York Post
25-04-2025
- Business
- New York Post
James Dolan's MSG Networks reaches deal to avoid bankruptcy, sets up potential sale to YES
MSG Networks on Friday announced a deal with its lender JPMorgan that allows the regional sports channel to avoid bankruptcy — and potentially pave the way for a merger with the YES Network. Under terms of the out-of-court debt restructuring, MSGN — which carries the Knicks, Rangers, Islanders, Devils, Sabres and Gotham FC — slashes a JPMorgan loan to $210 million from more than $800 million. In exchange, Knicks owner James Dolan — whose Sphere Entertainment owns and controls MSGN — has agreed to reduce the rights fees MSGN pays the Knicks and Rangers, increasing the network's ability to make its interest payment, the sources said. 4 James Dolan's MSG Networks announced a deal with its lender JPMorgan that allows the regional sports channel to avoid bankruptcy. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post Sphere's shares on Friday were recently up 10% at $29 on the news. The company confirmed the news, which was exclusively reported by The Post on Thursday, in securities filings before the market open. MSG and YES — which airs the Yankees and Brooklyn Nets — now partner on the Gotham Sports App, with access to both networks costing $41.99 a month. Customers can also elect to pay $29.99 a month for MSG or $24.99 a month for YES. MSGN had faced a deadline at midnight on Monday to avoid bankruptcy, and got an extension to Thursday as the network and bank feverishly tried to hammer out a truce. 4 MSG Networks carries the Knicks, Rangers, Islanders, Devils, Sabres and Gotham FC Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post After the JPMorgan restructuring, Dolan is likely to start marketing MSGN for sale, sources said. With this new lighter debt package and lower media rights fees, Dolan hopes to have an easier time finding a buyer. The cable network was losing money partly because it paid $187 million in 2025 to broadcast Knicks and Rangers games as part of a 20-year agreement that ended in 2035, according to public filings. 4 After the JPMorgan restructuring, Dolan is likely to start marketing MSGN for sale, sources said. Christopher Sadowski On the open market, a cable network would pay considerably less for those rights due to cord-cutting, sources said. Now, the Knicks fees get reduced by 28% and the media contract only runs until the end of the 2028-29 season, and the Rangers fees get reduced by 18% and also end after 2028-29, according to Friday's public filing. The separately traded Madison Square Garden Sports that owns the Knicks and Rangers gets a 19.9% stake in MSG Networks in return. 4 Jamie Dimon's JPMorgan still owns much of the MSG Networks loan so this is a big loss for the bank, sources said. AP MSGN had been in default since October but had not been put in bankruptcy. JPMorgan was in a tough spot since if it put MSG Networks in bankruptcy the MSGN media rights contract with the Knicks and Rangers could have been terminated, and if a third party then negotiated for those rights MSGN without them would have been nearly worthless.
New York Post
24-04-2025
- Business
- New York Post
MSG Networks nears deal to skirt bankruptcy: sources
MSG Networks is nearing a deal with its lender JPMorgan that will allow the regional sports channel to avoid bankruptcy — and potentially pave the way for a merger with the YES Network, The Post has learned. Under terms of the deal, MSGN — which carries the Knicks, Rangers, Islanders, Devils and Sabres and Gotham FC — will win a debt refinancing in which JPMorgan agrees to reduce it to around $600 million from a current bill of roughly $800 million, sources close to the talks said. In exchange, Knicks owner James Dolan — whose Sphere Entertainment owns and controls MSGN — would agree to reduce the rights fees MSGN pays the Knicks and Rangers, increasing the network's ability to make its interest payment, the sources said. Advertisement James Dolan's MSG Networks is nearing a deal with its lender JPMorgan that will allow the regional sports channel to avoid bankruptcy Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post MSGN and JPMorgan declined to comment. The cable network is losing money partly because it paid $187 million in 2025 to broadcast Knicks and Rangers games as part of a 20-year agreement that ends in 2035, according to public filings. Advertisement On the open market, a cable network would pay considerably less for those rights due to cord-cutting, sources said. After the JPMorgan restructuring, Dolan is likely to start marketing MSGN for sale, sources said. With this new lighter debt package, Dolan hopes to have an easier time finding a buyer. MSG and YES now partner on the Gotham Sports App, which sells access to both networks for $41.99 a month. Customers can also elect to pay $29.99 a month for MSG or $24.99 a month for YES. Jamie Dimon's JPMorgan is working with MSG Networks AP Advertisement MSGN, owned by Knicks owner James Dolan's Sphere Entertainment, had a deadline at midnight on Monday to avoid bankruptcy, and got an extension to Thursday evening as the network and bank feverishly tried to hammer out a truce. Dolan wants to move MSGN out of Sphere Entertainment, where it is hurting the latter's stock price. The best way to do that is to sell after restructuring the debt, a source said. MSGN has been in default since October but has not been put in bankruptcy. Dolan controls the Knicks and Rangers through the separately publicly traded Madison Square Garden Sports.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
What channel is New York Rangers vs Minnesota Wild on today? Time, TV, streaming
What channel is New York Rangers vs Minnesota Wild on today? Time, TV, streaming The New York Rangers will travel to the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul to face off against the Minnesota Wild Thursday night. The Rangers are coming off a 2-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets Tuesday and are 31-28-6 on the season. The Wild are 37-24-4 and picked up a shootout win against the Colorado Avalanche Tuesday, 2-1. Advertisement Here's how to watch the Rangers game, including time, TV schedule and streaming information: What channel is New York Rangers vs Minnesota Wild game on today? Time, TV schedule WINNIPEG, CANADA - MARCH 11: Vincent Trocheck #16 of the New York Rangers skates the puck into the Winnipeg Jets zone in the third period at Canada Life Centre on March 11, 2025 in Winnipeg, Canada. (Photo by) Cable/Network TV: MSG Network, NHL Network (nationally, outside NYC market) Start time: 8 p.m. Where to watch Rangers vs Wild on livestream You can stream the game on The Gotham Sports App. Gotham Sports App is available with a cable or satellite login and also has options for non-cable subscribers and for individual games. TV streaming: You can also stream if you have subscriptions to Spectrum, Optimum, Verizon Fios, DirecTV Stream or fuboTV. Nationally televised games may be available on ESPN+ (if broadcast on ABC, ESPN or carried by ESPN+), Hulu (ESPN+ broadcasts) or MAX (TNT/TBS/TruTV broadcasts). Advertisement Postgame takeaways: NY Rangers skid continues with fourth straight loss New York Rangers remaining March 2025 schedule Emily Barnes reports on consumer-related issues for the USA TODAY Network's New York Connect Team, focusing on scam and recall-related topics. Follow her on X and Instagram @byemilybarnes. Get in touch at ebarnes@ This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Watch Rangers vs Wild game today: Channel, time, streaming
