WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and U.S. Representative Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) introduced the Stop Sports Blackouts Act, legislation that would make cable companies refund customers who aren’t able to watch the channels they already pay for during television blackouts. For over four weeks, due to a dispute between Optimum and MSG Network, over a million customers in the Tri-State area have been unable to watch the Knicks, Rangers, Islanders, and Devils, while a separate blackout left Optimum customers unable to watch Judy Justice and local news for over 10 days. Tens of millions of Americans per year are victim to blackouts – with no requirement that they receive compensation.

“Blackouts are a slap in the face to every customer paying their hard-earned money for TV shows they can’t even watch,” said Murphy. “It’s ridiculous the rest of us get stuck in the crossfire of negotiations between cable and broadcast companies. Our bill is simple: if cable companies can’t provide the service you’re paying for, they owe you a refund.”

“It’s outrageous that millions of folks couldn’t watch the Knicks, Judy Justice, or dozens of other programs for weeks because of blackouts. And it’s even more ridiculous that we’re all still paying for the right to stare at black screens! I don’t see why this is even a debate – cable companies simply should not be able to advertise and charge for services they are not providing,” said Ryan. “On behalf of fans across the country, we’re putting down a marker: everyone will get their money back when a blackout stops them from watching TV, no questions asked. That means dollars back in your pockets, and, equally importantly, it provides a hell of an incentive to these billion dollar corporations to make sure these blackouts don’t happen in the future. They have teams of lobbyists looking out for them – I’m introducing this legislation because I fight for YOU.”

This type of TV blackout occurs when distributors, including cable and satellite TV companies, are unable to reach an agreement with broadcasters over the rights to distribute their content. Until an agreement is reached, subscribers are unable to view the content they had paid for as part of their cable or satellite package.

On January 1, 2025, Optimum and MSG Network announced that they were unable to renew their distribution agreement, leaving subscribers unable to watch NBA and NHL games in the middle of the season. On January 10, Optimum subscribers were subjected to an additional blackout when the company announced it had failed to come to an agreement with Nexstar Media, which owns WTNH, the syndication rights to popular show “Judy Justice,” starring Judge Judy Sheindlin, and the NewsNation network.

The Stop Sports Blackouts Act would direct the Federal Communications Commission to require television distributors to provide rebates to subscribers for television blackouts that occur as a result of carriage disputes.

Full text of the legislation is available HERE.

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