By Kyle Gunn-Taylor:
Pulling into an empty parking lot at a South Buffalo establishment during a Sabres game is like Maple Leafs goaltender Jonas Gustavsson giving up a goal to the slumping Buffalo attack, it just doesn't happen.
Actually it happened Tuesday, however, because of a dispute that has two wealthy companies putting Sabres broadcasts, and fans, in the dark.
The squabble between Time Warner Cable and MSG is a feud that mirrors the recent NBA and NFL lockouts, two entitled entities fighting over what should be pennies to them, but an insulting fortune to the general masses.
Time Warner posted profits of over $1-billion dollars in the first 9-months of 2011. MSG, a much smaller company, had profits of close to $50-million in the same period. The bickering is cutting into profits on both sides, as people switch from Time Warner to other providers and MSG loses eyes on their product.
Charlie O'Brien's (photo) is a neighborhood place where people gather for a bite and a drink and the chance to cheer for their teams in a collegial atmosphere. The city is littered with places like it, and the fans that typically pack the bar for the games they cannot attend. These establishments and their patrons are suffering most from the dispute over the percentage increase MSG wants Time Warner Cable to pay to carry the sports networks.
To places like Charlie O'Brien's, one of South Buffalo's most happening bars during Sabres contests, the impending fear has become reality, "Usually during games every barstool is occupied," said owner Dino Pinelli Jr.
While these two media gluttons argue over who is getting the biggest piece, some fans are left wanting, but hurting in a real way are small businesses like Charlie O's, "Zero bar crowd," Pinelli said of the post-dispute Sabres fans.
Although places that use Time Warner to provide entertainment to their patrons are free to change providers, some like Pinelli still hope to avoid the aggravation of switching.
"We made calls to Time Warner," said Pinelli, "But they aren't willing to do anything to keep me as a customer."
Although Pinelli said it was too soon to tell how the situation is affecting his business monetarily, he will surely be looking into making a change in the near future should the impasse not reach a timely conclusion.
When asked why he hasn't yet switched providers, Pinelli claimed they are in the process of searching for a different network, but it's hard to know exactly which provider can meet all of the establishments needs.
Buffalo is not alone in this squabble as MSG broadcasts the Knicks, Rangers, Devils and Sabres into homes across New York State, where Time Warner Cable is the second largest service provider, behind only Comcast Cable.
As many fans of these different teams scramble to find ways to watch their favorite teams, advertisers who have paid top-dollar for their names to be represented by the broadcast of these games suffer as well.
Should the games not be broadcast for the rest of the season, even with the ratings dropping from 8.3 to 3.2 that occurred in the first game after the network went black; the Sabres will still finish third in ratings for the season in all NHL markets, as Buffalo is typically the top-selling American hockey market.
The most obvious solution for the fans who want their Sabres can be found by simply switching to a different provider; Verizon or DIRECTTV.
Another way Sabres fans have taken to watching their team involves a recent internet sports-phenomenon called peer-to-peer sharing. Many websites have catered to the nationwide sports fans by providing every game on any given night and several links to the action.
Technically, peer-to-peer sharing is walking a thin legal line and can involve copyright infringement, but in practical terms, droves of fans have taken to watching their teams on the computer. Time Warner Cable and MSG are leaving fans with very few options.
What is the City of Buffalo doing to combat the problem? According to a press release on Thursday, January 5, 2012:
"The leadership of the City of Buffalo Common Council, Council Members Richard A. Fontana, Demone A. Smith, and Bonnie E. Russell, have sent a letter to New York State ("NYS") Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman asking his office to intervene in the impasse in negotiations between Time Warner Cable ("TWC") and the MSG Television Network.
It is the position of Council leadership that this dispute has the potential to cause significant fiscal harm to the City of Buffalo and its taxpayers.
Pursuant to a franchise agreement overseen by the NYS Public Service Commission, the City receives five percent of TWC's gross revenue dependent upon the number of City of Buffalo subscribers to its service.
In the past this agreement has contributed approximately 2.5 million dollars per year in revenue to the City. If the number of City subscribers to TWC decreases, the City will lose a significant amount of funds, consequently impacting the City's finances and budget."
Any way you slice it, this problem is negatively affecting all parties involved and it makes no sense, how these two media giants haven't yet found a solution to this problem.
Affecting