Knicks G Jeremy Lin "might just turn out to be the man who single-handedly gets the TWC cable deal" with MSG Network done, according to Bob Raissman of the N.Y. DAILY NEWS. Lin has created "tremendous buzz" since he began his run on Feb. 4, and fans who "cannot watch the games because of the cable blackout want to see what the whole city is going gaga about." TWC subs "hear about Lin wheeling and dealing from the point and they want to see it." His exploits "might push fans, previously reluctant to call TWC because they weren’t missing anything special, to get on the phones and raise a ruckus." There is now "something to be excited about." TWC subscribers "find themselves on the outside looking in," and this is "motivation enough to raise hell with TWC." The subscribers got to see Friday's game against the Lakers on ESPN, but they "could not access" Saturday night’s win over the T'Wolves in Minnesota (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/12). In N.Y., Richard Sandomir noted 44 days "have passed since the MSG Network disappeared" from TWC and there has been "no progress in negotiations since there have been no negotiations." Optimism is "absent in public comments from each side." Sandomir noted even Lin's emergence "can't get the two sides to talk." Last Monday's win over the Jazz earned MSG "a 2.68 rating, or 197,993 local TV households," and 178,045 homes watched Wednesday's victory over the Wizards. The "Lin-infused ratings have helped push the Knicks’ season average to a 1.88 (138,890 homes), which is up 66 percent from a 1.13 (84,922 homes) last year, despite the Time Warner Cable impasse." But his future play "will remain a mystery to a large segment of the local viewing population until the MSG-Time Warner blackout is over" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/11). CNBC's Darren Rovell said, “This could get people to either tell people, ‘Hey, I’ve got to switch here,’ or put pressure on Time Warner to do a deal with MSG" ("Fast Money," CNBC, 2/10).
LITTLE SOLACE: In N.Y., Phil Mushnick notes TWC, rather than "provide rebates for lost MSG programming, in January provided subscribers its 'Sports Pass' package." TWC now will "extend that through at least February." But TWC customers who "previously paid $6 per month for the Sports Pass package are still paying six bucks a month for what others are now getting in place of MSG." Mushnick: "In other words, the very best, most giving T-W sports customers are being treated the worst" (N.Y. POST, 2/13).
