MSG Network

Lore & Background

What would become MSG debuted on October 15, 1969, with an NHL hockey game between the New York Rangers and the Minnesota North Stars, becoming the first regional sports network in North America. The channel, initially unnamed, was carried by Manhattan Cable Television under a one-year, 125-event deal signed in May 1969. Madison Square Garden renewed the deal with Sterling Manhattan Cable Television in fall 1970 in a five-year deal at an estimated rights fee of $1–1.5 million. In 1977, a separate network was created by the Madison Square Garden Corp. to distribute 125 events to New York-area cable systems, which evolved into the current MSG Network. On April 9, 1980, the channel began using both the full name 'Madison Square Garden Network' and its abbreviated form 'MSG Network'. In December 1988, MSG Network became the first cable network to secure all local television rights to a Major League Baseball team's game, signing a 12-year deal with the New York Yankees. In 1994, Paramount Communications was acquired by Viacom, which sold the MSG properties to Cablevision and ITT Corporation; ITT sold its share to Cablevision three years later. On October 5, 2006, MSG underwent an extensive rebrand with a new logo and graphics package. In February 2010, Cablevision spun off MSG Network, the Madison Square Garden venue and other related properties into The Madison Square Garden Company. In September 2015, the MSG Networks division was spun out into a separate company. The company was split further in April 2020, with the sports properties operating as Madison Square Garden Sports Corp., and the venue and entertainment properties spun out as Madison Square Garden Entertainment. On March 26, 2021, MSG Entertainment announced it would acquire MSG Networks in an all-stock deal, completed in July 2021. In April 2023, MSG Entertainment subsequently spun off its theatre and live events businesses under the MSG Entertainment name, with the remainder renamed Sphere Entertainment.

In Their Own Story

The rain slicked the streets of Manhattan outside the arena, but inside the MSG Network control room, the air was electric with anticipation. A producer adjusted the monitors showing the pre-game warmups at Madison Square Garden, where the familiar red and blue jerseys moved in practiced rhythm. As the camera panned to the stands filling up with fans wearing vintage hats from the 1970s championship run, the director nodded to the teleprompter. Tonight wasn't just another game; it was a continuation of a story that had been told on this very channel for decades, connecting the ghosts of past legends with the players stepping onto the hardwood right now.

Reader's Guide

MSG Network's programming includes live game broadcasts of the New York Knicks (NBA), New York Rangers, New York Islanders, Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils (NHL), and Gotham FC (NWSL). It also produces radio and television broadcasts of the Knicks and Rangers, and has aired games from the Westchester Knicks (NBA G League) since 2014, and the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL) since 2013. MSG holds television rights to the NASL's New York Cosmos since 2017, and has broadcast exclusive content from the NFL's New York Giants since 2010 and Buffalo Bills since 2016. It also owns television rights to the NHL's Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders and the AHL's Bridgeport Islanders and Rochester Americans. The network broadcasts nightly highlights of races held at tracks sanctioned by the New York Racing Association, as well as soccer events from the Premier League (since 2002) and the UEFA Champions League (since 2009). It also runs extended highlights from concerts held at MSG or other venues owned by the Dolan family through MSG Entertainment, along with movies and New York sports-related programs.

Did You Know?

• MSG Network debuted on October 15, 1969, with an NHL game between the New York Rangers and the Minnesota North Stars, becoming the first regional sports network in North America.
• The channel's coverage of the deciding game of the 1970 NBA Finals, in which the Knicks beat the Los Angeles Lakers, was the only live broadcast of the game shown in New York City.
• In December 1988, MSG Network became the first cable network to secure all local television rights to a Major League Baseball team's game, signing a 12-year deal with the New York Yankees valued at approximately $500 mil
• As of April 2023, MSG Network is owned by Sphere Entertainment, after a spin-off from MSG Entertainment.