MSG Plus

MSG Plus
Launched 1976 (1976)
Owned by The Madison Square Garden Company
Picture format 1080i (HDTV)
480i (SDTV)
Country United States
Language English
Broadcast area New York State
New York metropolitan area
Nationwide (via satellite)
Headquarters New York City, New York
Formerly called Cablevision Sports 3 (1976–1979)
SportsChannel New York (1979–1998)
Fox Sports New York (1998–2000)
Fox Sports Net New York (2000–2004)
FSN New York (2004–2008)
Sister channel(s) MSG Network
Website www.msg.com/
Availability
Satellite
DirecTV 635 (HD/SD)
MSG Plus 2:
637-1 (HD)
637 (SD)
Cable
Time Warner Cable (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island) 48 (SD)
319 (HD)
Optimum (Brooklyn and The Bronx) 88 (SD/HD)
RCN (Manhattan and Queens) MSG Plus:
374 (SD)
688 (HD)
MSG Plus 2:
31 (SD)
679 (HD)
Verizon FiOS MSG Plus:
580 (HD)
80 (SD)
MSG Plus 2:
no HD
81 (SD)
Available on most other cable systems in designated broadcast area Consult your local cable provider or program listings source for channel availability

MSG Plus (visually branded on-air as MSG+) is an American regional sports network owned by Madison Square Garden, Inc. under the holding company MSG Media; it operates as a sister channel to MSG Network. The network serves the New York City metropolitan area, whose reach expands to cover the entire state of New York, Northern New Jersey, Southwestern Connecticut and Northeastern Pennsylvania; MSG Plus carries sports events from several of the New York area's professional sports franchises, as well as college sports events.

History

SportsChannel New York

MSG+ originally launched in 1976 as Cablevision Sports 3, a local sports network owned by Cablevision (the "3" referenced the network's channel slot on Cablevision, where it remained through the 1990s). The service was renamed SportsChannel New York in March 1979.[1] Along with carrying New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders hockey (the only teams that it has carried since its launch that remain on the network to this day as MSG Plus), the network carried sports events featuring the New York Yankees and New York Mets Major League Baseball teams as well as the NBA's New Jersey Nets.

As the original SportsChannel was growing in popularity in New York City, Cablevision (through its then-broadcasting unit, Rainbow Media) eventually decided to form a new group of regional sports networks under the SportsChannel brand, with SportsChannel New York serving as the flagship charter affiliate. The expansion began with Cablevision's purchase of PRISM New England, a Boston-based premium channel previously owned by Spectacor, which was rechristened as SportsChannel New England on January 1, 1983. Other SportsChannel networks launched between 1984 and 1990 in markets such as San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

In December 1988, Cablevision announced that it would form a joint venture with NBC to operate the cable networks owned by the respective companies, including SportsChannel.[2] Through this partnership, SportsChannel acquired the cable television rights to the National Hockey League, which aired several games involving non-New York area teams on the SportsChannel regional networks at times when no games involving local teams were set to air and served as the programming cornerstone for national sister network SportsChannel America upon its launch in 1990.

SportsChannel New York lost the broadcast rights to the Yankees to the MSG Network, then its main competitor, after the 1988 season. This led to a lengthy dispute between Cablevision and MSG that resulted in the network being removed by the provider, resulting in many Cablevision subscribers not being able to see MSG's Yankees telecasts during the 1989 season.

On April 25, 1995, NBC sold its 50% interest in SportsChannel New York to Rainbow Media for US$93 million, citing that "owning a piece of SportsChannel New York made less sense" after Cablevision and ITT Corporation purchased MSG.[3]

FSN New York

On June 30, 1997, Fox/Liberty Networks – a joint venture between News Corporation (then the parent company of the New York Post and Fox owned-and-operated station WNYW (channel 5) and Liberty Media – purchased a 40% interest in the SportsChannel networks, Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers from Cablevision. The deal was intended to expand the reach of Fox Sports Net – a group of regional sports networks launched by Fox/Liberty in November 1996 through News Corporation's purchase of Liberty's Prime Network – by integrating the SportsChannel networks into the group; SportsChannel New York would also be rebranded as Fox Sports New York, while MSG would also become an FSN outlet, while retaining its existing brand.[4][5][6][7]

National Sports Partners, the venture formed through Cablevision's entry into the News Corporation/Liberty partnership to operate the existing and newly acquired Fox Sports owned-and-operated regional networks, later announced that the other SportsChannel networks would be relaunched under the "Fox Sports Net" banner.[8] The last event broadcast on the network as SportsChannel New York aired on January 27, 1998: an NBA game between the New Jersey Nets and Denver Nuggets at the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver.

SportsChannel New York officially became Fox Sports New York the following day on January 28, with the first event aired as a Fox Sports Net outlet that evening being an NBA game between the Nets and the Los Angeles Lakers at Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California. Prior to the conversion, FSN programming had aired on then-independent station WBIS-TV during its S+ era, where it carried a hybrid of sporting and business programming; by June 1998 the station dropped the format and eventually became WPXN-TV (though it continued to air Fox-sourced programming until August). Five of the seven other remaining SportsChannel networks relaunched as member networks of Fox Sports Net later that week (SportsChannel Florida, which was rechristened Fox Sports Florida, was the last to join FSN in March 2000, after Rainbow bought Florida Panthers owner Wayne Huizenga's controlling interest).[9] The network was later rebranded as Fox Sports Net New York in 2000, as part of a collective brand modification of the FSN networks under the "Fox Sports Net" banner.

In April 2002, Fox Sports Net New York began sharing the broadcast rights to the Mets with the newly launched YES Network, which also took the regional television rights to the Yankees and Nets (both owned by their and the network's co-parent at the time, YankeeNets) from FSN. In 2004, the channel shortened its name to FSN New York, through the networks' de-emphasis of the "Fox Sports Net" brand.

On February 22, 2005, Cablevision and News Corporation agreed to trade several sports-related assets. Cablevision acquired majority control in Fox Sports New York, Fox Sports Chicago, Madison Square Garden and its associated properties, and a 50% share of Fox Sports New England; News Corporation, meanwhile, received Cablevision's ownership stakes in Fox Sports Ohio and Fox Sports Florida (Fox Sports Bay Area was not included in the deal, as News Corporation and Cablevision chose to retain joint ownership of that network).[10] Incidentally, News Corporation would later reverse course and purchase a 49% stake in YES Network in November 2012.

In 2005, the Mets announced that it would launch its own sports network to carry the team's games after FSN New York's contract with the team expired; SportsNet New York became the Mets new cable home when it launched in April 2006, at the start of that year's regular season. As a result of losing the Yankees, Nets and Mets over the span of three years, FSN New York and MSG went from being the sole rightsholders to seven of the New York area's major sports franchises (excluding the New York Jets and New York Giants, as the NFL does not sell game broadcasts on an individual team basis or to regional cable outlets) to carrying games from only four of the teams.

MSG+

On February 26, 2008, Cablevision announced that it would rebrand FSN New York as MSG Plus (branded in logos as "MSG+"), restructuring it as a spin-off of MSG Network.[11] The last event to air under the FSN New York banner was a college basketball game between the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers and the Robert Morris Colonials from Moon Township, Pennsylvania on March 9, 2008. Veteran graphics coordinator Dave Katz was in the production truck for both the first and last events broadcast under the Fox Sports Net umbrella.

The network was rebranded as MSG+ at 7:00 p.m. on March 10, 2008, beginning with its broadcast of an exhibition tennis match at Madison Square Garden between Roger Federer and Pete Sampras (which was also distributed nationally on the Tennis Channel).[12] In February 2010, Cablevision spun off MSG Network and MSG+ into The Madison Square Garden Company. In September 2013, YES began carrying many national programs from Fox Sports Networks that were previously broadcast on MSG+; however, the network continues to maintain a reduced schedule of FSN-distributed programming.

Programming

Professional sports

MSG+ holds the regional broadcast rights to the NHL's New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders, and the New York Lizards of Major League Lacrosse. MSG Plus also serves an overflow feed in the event that multiple local teams whose games would normally be televised on MSG (such as the NBA's New York Knicks, WNBA's New York Liberty, and the NHL's Buffalo Sabres) are playing at the same time. In turn, through MSG's regional television rights agreements, MSG Plus also broadcasts certain NHL games involving the New York Rangers and Major League Soccer games featuring the New York Red Bulls not broadcast by its parent network. MSG Plus also carries a large proportion of Buffalo Sabres games available to subscribers in most of upstate New York.

MSG+ uses a graphics package similar to that used by MSG for its sports telecasts, which incorporates unique animated elements. The network also utilizes a score ticker which appears on-screen full-time, even during commercial breaks; however, it is absent during live sports broadcasts and its telecast of The Final Score.

The network carries New York Rangers and Red Bulls games, which mainly air on MSG, in the event that its parent network is scheduled to air a Knicks (in the case of the Rangers) or Liberty (for Red Bulls) game at times when MSG+ is not carrying games of its main local teams. Games respectively involving the Knicks and Liberty earn higher ratings on MSG than those involving the Rangers or Red Bulls, and rarely air on MSG+ as a result. This is also the case with MSG, as the Islanders or Devils air on that network in lieu of MSG+, when those teams play simultaneously at times none of MSG's main contracted teams are playing.

Since the start of 2006–07 NBA and NHL seasons, some Rangers telecasts have aired on MSG+ even when there is a conflict with an Islanders and/or Devils telecast, resulting in these games being relocated to MSG2 and/or MSG+ 2. In addition, when the Knicks are not in contention for the NBA Playoffs and the Rangers are contending for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Rangers telecast usually airs on MSG and the Knicks telecast on MSG2, or vice versa in either case.

College sports

MSG+ also airs college sports events and local weekly college basketball magazine program for Hofstra University. However, games involving teams in the Tri-State area are generally blacked out outside the New York City market. Some cable providers, such as Time Warner Cable, acquire the rights to the local games for broadcast on local origination and regional sports channels in certain markets. MSG+ previously carried most college sports events televised by Fox Sports Networks (including football and basketball games from the Pac-12 Conference and Big 12 Conference), before these rights were transferred to the YES Network in September 2013 as part of its affiliation with FSN through 21st Century Fox's ownership interest in the network. Nationally televised FSN games aired in all of MSG+'s broadcast zones, unless a local team was playing at the time of the national telecast. In such cases, the collegiate event would be joined-in-progress at the end of the local telecast (if the ended before the conclusion of the national game) on MSG, if there is no other live game telecast scheduled, or not at all.

Fox Sports Net programs

Since joining Fox Sports Net, MSG+ had also carried select non-sports programming distributed by FSN (such as FSN Final Score, The Best Damn Sports Show Period[11] and The Dan Patrick Show). Even after the network's rebranding as MSG+, it continued to carry these programs until there were discontinuance, similar to a programming agreement FSN maintained with Comcast SportsNet affiliates in markets where there is no local FSN outlet (although CSN maintains a local affiliation with SportsNet New York). As FSN New York, MSG+ formerly aired some Arena Football League games involving the New York Dragons as part of the AFL on FSN package.

Related services

MSG+ 2

MSG+ 2 is a gametime-only overflow feed of MSG Plus, that – along with the MSG overflow MSG 2 – broadcasts in the event that three or four local games are scheduled to air simultaneously on the two main networks (for example, a Knicks or Rangers game would air on MSG2, while an Islanders or a Devils match would be shown on MSG+ 2). Normally, New York Knicks games are televised over MSG2 only during road games that start at least one hour later than a Rangers telecasts due to the fact that the Knicks (whose telecasts are the highest-rated sports events on MSG Network) normally take precedence on the main MSG network when played at Madison Square Garden. However, several Knicks home games originally scheduled to air on MSG were moved to MSG2 in 2008, in order for the former to carry the Rangers' Stanley Cup Playoff matches.

Cable providers mainly transmit MSG 2 and MSG+ 2 as "over-the-air" telecasts on other non-critical networks (such as TVGN, prior to its January 2015 relaunch as Pop); conversely, satellite providers carry both networks on alternate provider-assigned channels. At times when MSG2 and MSG+ 2 are broadcasting at the same time, one of the overflows will be carried on the alternate channel, mostly on C-SPAN2, in the case of cable providers.

From 1998 to 2005, Cablevision instead placed MSG's NBA and NHL telecasts on the MSG Metro Channels, which had limited availability within the provider's systems in the New York metropolitan area. In high cases of overflow, partially caused by New Jersey Nets telecasts aired on the then-rebranded FSN New York at the same time, games were also aired on Riverhead-based independent station WLNY-TV (channel 55). During this era, when two of the teams that the MSG Networks held the rights to broadcast played against each other, only one broadcast would usually be produced using one of the team's announcing staffs. This was either due to stipulations in MSG's television contracts or a desire to show a different sporting event at the same time. Beginning in the 2005–06 NBA and NHL seasons, after the Metro Networks ceased operation and the Nets telecasts moved to YES Network, MSG and the then-FSN New York relaunched MSG2 and FSN New York 2 (the present-day MSG+ 2) and began producing two separate broadcasts when two of their contracted teams play one another.

MSG+ HD

MSG+ HD is a high-definition simulcast feed of MSG+ HD, which broadcasts in the 1080i resolution format. It is carried on Cablevision (except on its system in Litchfield), Time Warner Cable (in New York and New Jersey), Comcast (which has carried MSG+ HD full-time since October 15, 2009 in areas of northern and central New Jersey within the New York City market)[13] RCN, DirecTV[14] and Verizon FiOS. Sister network MSG+2 also maintains an HD simulcast, whose availability depends on geographic location and television provider.[15] MSG+ HD carries all home and most road games involving the New York Rangers, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils and New York Red Bulls in high definition; however, Lizards game telecasts are currently presented in standard definition.

On January 22, 2009, hockey games broadcast by MSG HD and MSG+ HD were dropped from NHL's GameCenter Live service following a contract dispute between MSG and the National Hockey League;[16] MSG HD and MSG+ HD returned to NHL Center Ice on March 17, 2010, beginning with the former's telecast of a game between the New Jersey Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins, confirmed on-air by NHL Hour co-host Gary Bettman during the program.[17] On December 14, 2011, a three-judge panel of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals denied MSG Holdings' petition to review an order by the Federal Communications Commission that Cablevision make the HD feeds of its regional sports networks available for distribution to AT&T U-verse and Verizon FiOS.

MSG/MSG+ broadcasting zones

MSG Plus maintains eight broadcasting zones, one less than that of its parent network, as it is not available in northwestern Pennsylvania, where the main MSG channel carries all of the Buffalo Sabres game telecasts instead (New York Knicks games and other hockey games not involving the Sabres are blacked out in that region). Until recently, MSG Plus was also not available in Western New York, with any scheduling conflicts between the Sabres and Knicks (non-Sabres hockey games also are blacked out in this zone) being resolved by placing the Knicks on an overflow channel such as Time Warner Cable SportsNet.

Zone # Region served Team broadcasts available
1 New York City Tri-State area (including the Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island and The Bronx, northern and central New Jersey and Fairfield County, Connecticut) All Knicks, Rangers, Islanders, Devils, Liberty and Red Bulls games air on MSG and MSG+.
2 Upstate New York (north of Sullivan, Ulster, and Dutchess Counties) All Knicks, Liberty, Red Bulls, and Sabres games air on MSG or MSG+, up to 50 games each involving the Rangers, Islanders and Devils air on MSG or MSG+.
3 Western New York (within 50 miles (80 km) of Buffalo, including Rochester) All Knicks, Liberty and Red Bulls games air on MSG and MSG+; all Sabres games air on MSG.
4 Northeastern Pennsylvania (excluding Bradford, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming Counties) All Liberty and Red Bulls games air on MSG and MSG+.
5 Central Connecticut (north and east of Fairfield County) and Northeastern Pennsylvania area (Wilkes-Barre and Scranton areas) All Knicks, Liberty and Red Bulls games, up to 50 games each (sometimes all, depending on NHL's out-of-market rules) involving the Rangers, Islanders and Devils air on MSG or MSG+.
6 Eastern Connecticut (New London and Windham Counties) All Red Bulls games, up to 50 games each (sometimes all, depending on NHL's out-of-market rules) involving the Rangers, Islanders, and Devils air on MSG or MSG+.
7 Southwestern New York (within 100 miles (160 km) of Cleveland) All Red Bulls and Sabres games air on MSG or MSG+.
8 Northeastern Pennsylvania (Bradford, Lackawanna (excluding Scranton area), Luzerene (excluding Wilkes-Barre area), Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming Counties) All Knicks, Liberty and Red Bulls games air on MSG or MSG+.
9 Northwestern Pennsylvania (areas in the Buffalo Sabres market) All Sabres games air on MSG.[18]

MSG+ in Upstate New York

Hoosick area

Until 2004 (when it was rebranded as FSN New York), the town of Hoosick was the only area served by Time Warner Cable's Albany systems that did not carry MSG+ within New York state. Hoosick was also formerly part of Adelphia's Bennington, Vermont service area (which is now part of Comcast), which formerly carried FSN New England (now Comcast SportsNet New England); but because of rules imposed by FSN that cable providers within one of the network's broadcast territories must carry that individuval regional network, Adelphia replaced that network with FSN New York.

Central New York

As FSN New York, Time Warner Cable's systems in Central New York formerly carried MSG+ on their digital standard tier; the network has since been added to the provider's standard basic tier after TWC struck an agreement with Cablevision/Rainbow Media to move to the provider's standard package in most areas within the region, a move done largely to acclimate Buffalo Sabres fans to allow the team's game broadcasts on the network to air in the area.

Southern Tier of New York

Time Warner Cable does not carry MSG+ on its systems in Fredonia, Ulysses, Salamanca (served by Atlantic Broadband), Jamestown and Sayre, Pennsylvania, mainly served by its Southern Tier service area.

Rochester area

Time Warner Cable maintains limited carriage of MSG+ on its Rochester area systems (as well as markets formerly served by Adelphia), with Dresden and Finger Lakes as the only other towns that carry the network.

Western New York

Time Warner Cable currently carries MSG Plus in high-definition on channel 777 and in standard-definition on channel 70 on its Western New York systems.

On-air staff

Current on-air staff

Awards

MSG+ received Promax Awards in 2009 for their October 2008 rebranding campaign, its promotional campaign for the network's high school sports telecasts, and Devils and Islanders tuners.

References

  1. ↑ "About Rainbow Media - Our Story Timeline: 80's". Archived from the original on February 22, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
  2. ↑ Geraldine Fabrikant (December 23, 1988). "THE MEDIA BUSINESS; NBC and Cablevision Plan Joint Programming Venture". The New York Times (The New York Times Company).
  3. ↑ "NBC SELLS OFF ITS SHARE OF SPORTSCHANNEL NEW YORK". Sports Business Journal (Advance Publications). April 26, 1995. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Fox putting together national Sports Net // Changes ahead for SportsChannel". Chicago Sun-Times (Sun-Times Media Group). June 24, 1997. Retrieved April 10, 2015 – via HighBeam Research.
  5. ↑ John M. Higgins (June 30, 1997). "National net keys regional deal. (Fox Sports, Liberty Media Corp. challenge ESPN with stake in SportsChannel)". Broadcasting & Cable (Reed Business Information). Retrieved April 10, 2015 – via HighBeam Research.
  6. ↑ "SPORTS LANDSCAPE ALTERED WITH FOX/LIBERTY-CABLEVISION DEAL". Sports Business Journal (Advance Publications). June 23, 1997. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  7. ↑ "About Rainbow Media - Our Story Timeline: 90's". Archived from the original on January 11, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
  8. ↑ "About Rainbow Media - Our Story Timeline 90's". Archived from the original on January 11, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
  9. ↑ Steve Donohue (November 15, 1999). "Rainbow, Fox Deal for Florida Net". Multichannel News. Cahners Business Information. Retrieved April 10, 2015 – via HighBeam Research.
  10. ↑ Richard Sandomir (February 23, 2005). "Cablevision Locks Up Garden". The New York Times (The New York Times Company). Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  11. 1 2 Neil Best (February 26, 2008). "FSNY to be renamed MSG Plus". Newsday. Cablevision Systems Corporation. Retrieved February 26, 2008.
  12. ↑ "FSN New York Rebranded as MSG Plus". Retrieved March 10, 2008.
  13. ↑ "Announcement of Comcast-MSG/MSG+ HD carriage". DSL Reports.
  14. ↑ "DirecTV HD Channel Lineup". DirecTV.
  15. ↑ Eric Hornick (November 16, 2010). "MSG+2 HD!". The Skinny (Blogspot). Retrieved November 27, 2010.
  16. ↑ "MSG Hockey MIA in HD". Sports Couch Potato. January 29, 2009. Retrieved September 2, 2009.
  17. ↑ "Status of MSG HD?". DBSTalk. March 18, 2010. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  18. ↑ MSG Network https://web.archive.org/20090106130335/http://cma2.msgnetwork.com/faq.jsp. Archived from the original on January 6, 2009. Missing or empty |title= (help)
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