KICKIN’ & STREAMIN’

Will be fans who pay for MSG-YES partnership

THE REASON bills don’t arrive scented with perfume is because they’re bills. You could soak them in Aunt Ida’s Sweet Syrup and they’d still stink. Nothing nice about them beyond, perhaps, the word “please,” as in “please remit.”

And that’s why Thursday’s lengthy dual-network announcement that YES and MSG will partner in all-their-local-sports streaming ventures did not include the single most important information for consumers:

How much more will this deal cost us? How much more to remain a fan of the Yankees, Rangers, Islanders, Devils, Knicks, Nets and Liberty? Must we all now dig deeper to buy games rather than continue living without streaming purchases, as many of us holdouts and priority-aware have chosen to do the last few years?

Or is this just the latest test to see how much more we can suffer or deeper we can reach as per the best-laid plans of take-’em-forgranted Roger Goodell and Rob Manfred? Does this have anything to do with Jimmy Dolan’s longheld desire to sell MSG Network?

Put it this way: If this new alliance between formally hostile and hateful rivals were a bargain, one that would cost us nothing or just a few cents more, that info would have been heralded at the top of the announcement. Instead, all consumer cost considerations were entirely omitted.

Though we credit the newlyweds for their public vows of devotion, what’s in it for us, the purchasing public?

MSG Networks CEO Andrea Greenberg:

“This joint venture with YES will combine the streaming expertise of two of the largest regional sports networks in the country . ...

“We seek to marry our collective insight, expertise and bestin-class technology not only to explore enhancements to our own products, but also to offer other networks, teams and sports properties an efficient way to launch a state-of-the-art streaming service. “We are excited to partner with YES to create solutions for thirdparty content providers looking for a seamless way to reach new audiences.” Fine. We’re thrilled for both. But what’s in it for us — those whom both networks depend on for blood, oxygen and dough? Most of us have never considered changes we didn’t need. We never before had a problem trying to watch Knicks games on MSG or watching the Yanks on YES, at least until lately when the Yanks and MLB began to sell a minimum of 20 games to streaming services.

But why such a confederation of networks if not to pad their takes by targeting even more of our money? Is it to impress us by “seamless” technological achievements that mean little-to-nothing to sports fans?

As everyone at the top of YES and MSG would agree, always follow the money. It never fails to land on the answer.

And as boxing referees advise, “Protect yourselves at all times.”