MSG, YES Launch Combo Streaming App for New York-Area Sports

New York-area fans hoping to stream the Yankees in the summer and the Knicks or Rangers in the winter will now have a single place to do so. 

On Wednesday, MSG Networks and YES Networks’ digital-focused joint venture, Gotham Advanced Media and Entertainment (GAME), announced that a soon-to-launch Gotham Sports App will become the exclusive regional online service for its properties, which also include the Brooklyn Nets, Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders.

Cable subscribers will be able to authenticate their status and stream games in the app. Others will have the option to subscribe to MSG+ ($30/month, $280/year) or YES ($25/month, $240/year) separately, as well as a “Gotham Package” of both services for $42/month and $360/year. MSG+ is also expected to continue offering individual game passes for $10. 

“The Gotham Sports App allows fans of our teams one easy access point for New York area sporting events from MSG Networks and the YES Network,” MSG Networks president and CEO Andrea Greenberg said in a statement.

The changeover is planned to take place between the end of the Yankees regular season and the start of NBA and NHL regular season. To start, the new app will be available on iOS and Android mobile devices; Amazon Fire, Android TV, Apple TV, and Roku TV-based platforms; and the web.

YES and MSG initially announced their overall joint venture in January. GAME was also set up to work with third parties interested in leveraging the two relatively large RSN companies’ technical knowhow, though no such projects have been publicly announced. 

The Gotham Sports App will integrate live stats, free-to-play games, a loyalty program and other features. 

“The new Gotham Sports App will deploy GAME’s best-in-class technology to deliver a greatly enhanced fan experience, showcasing the best in New York sports all in one place,” YES Network CEO Jon Litner said in a statement.

More teams across the NHL and NBA have announced over-the-air partnerships and/or their own direct-to-consumer products this offseason, with Diamond Sports Group’s—and the entire cable bundle’s—long-term outlook still uncertain. The New Orleans Pelicans and Portland Trail Blazers are among the franchises experimenting with new strategies this year.