YES Network Says Comcast Wants to Put Channel on ‘Siberia of a Tier’ in FCC Complaint

It’s not the start of a sports season without a carriage dispute somewhere. Comcast wants to move the Yankees and Nets’ YES Network to a more expensive tier and YES is furious about it.

One of the primary complaints is that YES would cost Comcast subscribers $20 more per month while Comcast’s SNY would remain on the standard package at no extra cost. YES CEO Jon Litner said, “This is exactly the bullying tactic Comcast used against MSG Networks a few years ago which resulted in MSG being dropped by Comcast. I guess it’s the Comcast playbook to favor their own networks and disadvantage networks they do not own.”

In its FCC complaint against Comcast, YES attorneys write, “Comcast wants to relegate the YES Network to the Siberia of a tier and overcharge fans for it, even as it continues to carry its own affiliated programming in its Expanded Basic package.”

YES attorneys share that YES has been on Comcast’s Expanded Basic tier since the network debuted in 2002, so it’s unusual that YES is being moved up to the more expensive Digital Basic tier (known as “Ultimate” or “D1”), while SNY says on Expanded Basic.

YES is asking the FCC to force Comcast to continue carrying the station as negotiations continue.

If you live in the YES broadcast area and you want to avoid the issue altogether, you can pay for the Gotham Sports App, which is $24.99/month or $239.99/year. If YES really wanted to stick it to Comcast, they could just price the standalone streamer below what Comcast wants viewers to pay. As it is, Yankees fans may be willing to just suck it up and pay or wait for national games or the 21 games on Prime Video.

If the two sides can’t come to agreement, Comcast may pull YES off the channel lineup entirely.

Fans outside the NY area can watch the Yankees on MLB.TV. Start with a 7-day free trial.

Pay $29.99/month to watch every team’s out-of-market games or choose just one team and pay $129.99 for the year.