For many fans sitting in the Garden with Spike Lee is the only way to watch the Knicks play, until MSG and Time Warner sort out their cable war. (Wire Image)
Linsanity may bring peace in the MSG-Time Warner Cable war.
The two sides met earlier this week for the first time since December, when Time Warner’s contract expired and MSG shut down the signal.
Hours before Jeremy Lin led the Knicks last night to their seventh straight victory, a 100-85 blowout of the Sacramento Kings, Mike Bair, head of MSG media, told WFAN’s Mike Francesa that negotiations had reopened.
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Neither company would give details, but the talks came in the midst of Lin’s incredible run, which has millions of local viewers demanding to see games.
“There was a conversation, a face- to-face meeting this week,” Bair said. “I think right now, because of the Lin story, because of the performance of the team, and because of what we’ve seen in the ratings, now is the time to do a deal. But we have to have a dialog to be productive.”
Lin-starved fans are denouncing Time Warner on social media, flooding its switchboard with complaints — and watching the games through other cable providers or packing local bars airing the games.
MSG ratings have surged as Lin has turned the Knicks into must-see TV. Average ratings are up 87 percent in the Lin era — all 11 days of it.
The rating for Tuesday’s Toronto Raptors game was 4.66 and drew 344,272 households, the highest-rated MSG game since Carmelo Anthony’s debut last year. Time Warner’s Facebook page has been all but hijacked by complaining customers.
One subscriber, Jim Redican, posted yesterday, “No MSG on TWC in NYC. Stop the Linsanity.”
Kari McAniff Castro posted: “I’m so freakin’ tired of missing my Rangers and Knicks games. I feel I should be given a rebate for every day MSG is not on my cable lineup. Get up and get talking.”
A spokeswoman for Time Warner Cable reiterated that MSG was to blame in the dispute over what are called carriage fees.
“Unfortunately, MSG is still demanding a 53 percent increase. Our hope is that they will go back to their pre-December demand for a 6.5 percent increase, and then we can close a reasonable deal,” she said.
“It’s important to remember that they declined our request for an extension in December, thus preventing our customers from viewing games on MSG.”
According to sources, MSG receives $4 per month per household for its two channels and wants an instant 53 percent increase in any new deal.
MSG has said that the figure is a mischaracterization, but has declined to specify its demands.
Meanwhile, Linsanity drives up ticket prices and T-shirt sales. Modell’s had to get a rush delivery of Lin gear at its Times Square store
Even President Obama has caught Lin fever. White House spokesman Jay Carney said Obama watched Lin’s last-second three-pointer that beat Toronto and came away “very impressed.”
The only winners in the MSG-Time Warner stalemate are bars that get the games from a different cable provider.
“In the past, they might show up and watch the first quarter with their food and leave,” said Tara Tinquist, manager of Stout NYC on West 33rd Street. “But now, they’re staying longer. We’re also seeing larger groups than we’ve ever seen before.”
Fan Brian Tseng, 34, who was born in Taiwan and lives in Jersey City, said he can’t get enough of Lin. He spent $300 for six No. 17 jerseys.
“I’ve been a fan since he was a senior at Harvard,” said Tseng who will keep one of the shirts for himself. “I couldn’t be happier for him and I couldn’t be happier for the team.”
Additional reporting by Michael Blaustein and Bob Fredericks