Yankees’ TV network thanks Donald Trump after reaching 11th-hour deal to avoid blackout

By OLIVER SALT

The New York Yankees’ official TV network has heaped praise on Donald Trump for helping secure an 11th-hour broadcasting deal that averted a potential blackout of the channel.

YES Network, which is owned by Yankee Global Enterprises, finally reached an agreement with Comcast roughly one hour before an 11:59pm contract deadline which threatened to leave them without a designated cable provider.

And in a statement released on Tuesday, Yankees president Randy Levine thanked president Trump and his administration for stepping in to rescue the deal and save them from going dark.

‘On behalf of the YES Network and the New York Yankees, I want to express our deep appreciation to everyone who supported our efforts to keep the YES Network from going dark,’ Levine said. ‘All of you worked tirelessly to urge us to stay at the table and reach a deal.

‘I would like to thank president Donald J. Trump and his administration, especially federal communications commission chairman Brendan Carr.’

After also thanking a number of New York and New Jersey politicians, Levine concluded the statement by saying: ‘Most importantly, we want to thank Yankees fans everywhere who showed their unwavering support and passion for keeping YES on the air. Your voices truly made a difference.’

The New York Yankees’ official TV channel secured an 11th-hour deal to avoid a blackout

YES Network heaped praise on Donald Trump for his role in rescuing the deal with Comcast

YES Network and Comcast had been locked in a fierce standoff over carriage fees – which are paid by cable providers to TV networks for the right to carry and distribute their programming to subscribers.

Comcast wanted to move the Yankees’ channel out of its basic cable tier to a more expensive digital tier, a plan which was met with resistance by YES.

Terms of the deal that was eventually struck at the 11th hour are not yet clear, however YES is now expected to remain in the expanded basic tier under the new agreement.

Both parties had pushed back a deadline initially set for last week to Monday night in order for Comcast subscribers to watch the Yankees in action on MLB’s opening weekend. 

The carriage deal reportedly expired back on September 30, but YES and Comcast continue negotiations through a number of unofficial extensions.

Moving YES Network to a high-priced digital tier would have cost Yankees fans roughly $20-a-month more than Mets fans would have to pay to watch their team on expanded basic tiers. 

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Yankees’ TV network thanks Donald Trump after reaching 11th-hour deal to avoid blackout

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