What happened to Yankees YES Network? All you need to know about how it'll affect Opening Day viewing & more

Modified Mar 27, 2025 16:01 GMT

MLB: ALCS-New York Yankees at Cleveland Guardians - Source: Imagn

The New York Yankees are hosting the Milwaukee Brewers on March 27 as part of MLB Opening Day 2025. That game will be broadcast on ESPN for the entire nation to see, and also locally on the YES Network.

There is a chance that this could be the final 2025 game seen on the YES Network as Front Office Sports has uncovered a contract dispute between the television home of the Yankees and Comcast.

According to a recent story, the New York Yankees are in danger of being without a television home for the second game of the season.

"The Yankees' YES Network is facing a blackout right at the start of the MLB season due to a dispute with Comcast, sources tell FOS. Without a deal, the channel will go dark for subscribers. The first Yankees game impacted would be Saturday's home game agianst the Brewers," @FOS captioned the post.

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The home opener will be seen throughout the country, but most local Yankees fans will be tuning in to YES Network to watch their favorite announcers. A deal between the YES Network and Comcast is set to expire on Thursday night, just hours after the Opening Day game comes to an end.

According to the report, the two sides have reached several short-term deals to keep the Yankees on the air, but they are far apart in many of the key issues.

Yankees are important to YES Network, Comcast

The YES Network not only broadcasts the Yankees, but it's also the home to the New York Nets of the NBA. Comcast is the second-largest cable provider in the United States, and it is looking to capitalize on the market by charging customers more for regional sports networks (RSN).

This is not the first time that YES Network and Comcast have had a dispute as the station was off the cable provider from November 2015 through to March 2017. Yankees fans are at risk of not watching Aaron Judge and company play during the 2025 season, but this story is getting some national attention.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has called for a resolution to this dispute by saying:

"Both broadcasting parties need to stay at the table and resolve this dispute without impacting fans. As your governor, I am prepared to take further action if this is not resolved."

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ESPN is planning a special broadcast for the Opening Day game between the Brewers and Yankees, but fans in New York hope to be able to watch their team on Saturday and beyond.

About the author

Ryan Burks is a baseball journalist at Sportskeeda with over 7 years of experience in the field, writing for publications such as Knup Sports. Ryan graduated from Elmhurst College in 2009 with a degree in Communications.

Ryan is a huge Chicago Cubs fan and enjoys their storied history and traditions. His favorite sporting moment was when the Cubs won the 2016 World Series, breaking a championship drought that dated back to 1908.

His favorite player was Ken Griffey Jr., as Ryan grew up during his prime and he was the coolest player in league history. Greg Maddux also deserves a mention, as he was truly amazing on the mound.

When not working or watching sports, Ryan coaches basketball and baseball, loves fishing, and spends time with his family.

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Edited by Akshay Saraswat