MSG and MSG Plus are no longer available on Time Warner Cable as of midnight Eastern time on Dec. 31, 2011 (via New York Times). MSG has been replaced by NBATV on Time Warner Cable.
About 1.7 million cable homes have been affected by the two sides not being able to come to an agreement. As has been the norm throughout the dispute, MSG and Time Warner Cable blamed each other in the media.
Michael Bair, president of MSG Media, said
"All we have asked is for Time Warner Cable to value our programming in the same way as other TV providers - nothing more, nothing less," Michael Bair, the president of MSG Media, said in a statement issued at 8 p.m. Saturday. "Unfortunately, they have rejected every offer we made to them for almost two years."
"In the end, they were simply not interested in conducting serious negotiations on behalf of their customers and instead spent time grossly mischaracterizing our positions to the public."
Time Warner Cable responded in their statement:
"The decision to remove their programming from our lineup rests entirely with MSG. By making that decision well in advance of the deadline, MSG has again shown that they are more interested in holding New York sports fans hostage than in negotiating a deal. Rather than engage in a war of words, they should come back to the table and get a deal done."
Time Warner Cable has claimed that MSG wants too much money (a 53% increase in rates) and that they are simply keeping prices down for their customers. MSG has stated that Time Warner Cable is not being honest about the numbers.
MSG carries games for the New York Knicks and four NHL teams - The New York Islanders, New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres.
For more on the dispute between Time Warner Cable and MSG, stay tuned to our storystream.