History of YES Network in Timeline

YES Network is a regional sports network primarily serving New York City and the surrounding area. Owned by a consortium including Yankee Global Enterprises, Main Street Sports Group, Amazon, and others, its main focus is broadcasting New York Yankees baseball and Brooklyn Nets basketball games, along with related programming. The network also airs various other sports events, documentaries, and discussion programs.

1989: MSG Network Assumes Yankees Rights

In 1989, MSG Network assumed the regional cable television rights to the Yankees from Cablevision-owned SportsChannel New York, leading to a dispute with Cablevision.

1989: MSG Network Broadcasts Yankees Games

Since 1989, MSG Network had held the broadcast rights to the Yankees games.

1994: Viacom Buys Paramount Communications

In 1994, Viacom purchased Paramount Communications, the parent company of MSG Network at the time.

1997: Cablevision Gains Control of New York Sports Broadcast Rights

In 1997, Cablevision became the sole owner of television rights for all seven Major League Baseball, NBA, and NHL teams in the New York City market after acquiring MSG Network. Cablevision's acquisition led to the shift of some games to the cable-exclusive MSG Metro Channels due to carriage agreement disputes.

1998: Cablevision's Attempt to Purchase Yankees

In 1998, Cablevision attempted to purchase the Yankees, but was unsuccessful. Cablevision carried the team's games on MSG Network at the time of YES Network's launch.

1999: YankeeNets Holding Company Founded

In 1999, the YankeeNets holding company was founded through a merger of the business operations of the Yankees and the New Jersey Nets. The goal of this operational merger was to enhance both teams' leverage over their broadcast rights through collective negotiation.

2000: YankeeNets and IMG Propose Sports Channel, Cablevision Sues

In 2000, YankeeNets and IMG proposed forming a sports channel valued as high as $2.4 billion. Cablevision, considering its valuing as "outlandish", sued to block the channel.

2000: YankeeNets Enters Marketing Agreement with the New York Giants

In 2000, YankeeNets entered into a marketing agreement with the New York Giants, granting YES the exclusive rights to the NFL franchise's magazine programs. The Giants' team-related programming was featured on YES.

April 2001: Lawsuit Settled, YankeeNets Buys TV Rights

In April 2001, the lawsuit between Cablevision and YankeeNets was settled. YankeeNets paid MSG to take the Yankees' TV rights in-house.

June 2001: YankeeNets Finalizes Acquisition of Yankees' TV Rights

In June 2001, YankeeNets officially paid MSG to acquire the TV rights for the Yankees, completing the in-house acquisition process.

March 19, 2002: YES Network Launches

On March 19, 2002, the YES Network officially launched at noon with an introductory show. The first game broadcast was an exhibition between the New York Yankees and the Cincinnati Reds at 7 PM that same day. YES was available on DirecTV and all major New York area cable providers except Cablevision.

2002: WCBS-TV carries the Yankees broadcasts

From 2002, WCBS-TV carried the Yankees broadcasts.

2002: YES Broadcasts Columbus Clippers Games

From 2002, YES Network broadcasted games from the Yankees' former Class-AAA team, the Columbus Clippers, of the International League. These games were produced locally in Columbus, Ohio.

2002: Bob Sheppard Becomes Continuity Announcer

Since the network's launch in 2002, longtime Yankee Stadium public address announcer Bob Sheppard served as a continuity announcer for YES' network identifications and programming schedules.

July 31, 2003: YES National Feed Launch

On July 31, 2003, the YES national feed was launched on cable systems in Miami, Dallas–Fort Worth, Chicago and Los Angeles. This feed differs from the satellite feed available on DirecTV, where Yankees and Nets games can be viewed outside of their markets through subscriptions to MLB Extra Innings and NBA League Pass.

2003: Don Zimmer Criticism and Alleged Ban

In 2003, Don Zimmer criticized George Steinbrenner, leading to rumors that Steinbrenner ordered YES not to show Zimmer on-camera during Yankee telecasts.

2003: Carriage Agreement with Cablevision

In 2003, YES and Cablevision signed a long-term contract to carry the network on Cablevision's New York area systems, resolving a carriage dispute that had lasted for an entire year. The New York state government intervened to negotiate a temporary agreement.

2003: Yankees and Nets Decide to Part Ways

In 2003, the Yankees and Nets decided to separate, leading to the sale of the Nets to a group led by Bruce Ratner. The team's ownership stake in YES remained with the pre-merger owners.

July 2004: YES HD Initial Telecasts

In mid-July 2004, YES HD initially televised only Yankees home games, as well as away games involving the New York Mets and Boston Red Sox, in high definition.

2004: WWOR takes over the rights for the Yankees broadcasts

From 2004, WWOR took over those rights for the Yankees broadcasts.

2004: YankeeNets Renamed Yankee Global Enterprises

In 2004, YankeeNets was renamed Yankee Global Enterprises, which owns the Yankees and a minority share in YES as separate entities. The Yankees receive a higher rights fee from YES compared to what MSG previously paid.

2004: Red Sox 2004 World Series Championship

In 2004, the Boston Red Sox won the World Series.

April 2005: YES Declines to Broadcast Red Sox Celebration

In April 2005, YES declined to broadcast pre-game Opening Day festivities celebrating the Boston Red Sox' 2004 World Series championship win prior to its telecast of a Red Sox home game against the Yankees at Fenway Park.

2005: Torre Ends Agreement with YES

During the 2005 season, it was reported that post-game questions asked to Yankees manager Joe Torre by Kimberly Jones were being sent to her by top-level team executives. Torre ended his agreement with the network because he did not feel comfortable answering them.

2005: Expanded HD Telecasts

In 2005, YES expanded its HD telecasts to include all Yankees games played east of the Mississippi River.

2005: New Jersey Devils Renew Contract with MSG Network and FSN New York

In 2005, the New Jersey Devils renewed their contract with MSG Network and FSN New York under a long-term agreement, after the team was sold to a different ownership group.

September 2006: HD Telecasts on WWOR-TV

In September 2006, all YES-produced Yankees and Nets game telecasts aired on WWOR-TV began broadcasting in HD. The HD feed was available to these outlets, but not necessarily distributed to television stations outside of the New York City area that simulcast WWOR's game broadcasts.

2006: Yankees End Affiliation with Columbus Clippers

After the 2006 season, the Yankees ended their affiliation with the Columbus Clippers and became affiliated with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.

April 2007: Aspect Ratio Conversion

In April 2007, YES converted the aspect ratio of its primary standard definition feed from full-screen to a letterboxed 4:3 format, which is a downconversion from the 16:9 high definition feed. YES Network used the AFD #10 broadcast flag to transmit its HD feed in this manner for broadcast in SD.

2007: Goldman Sachs' and Ray Chambers' Share in YES Put Up for Sale

In 2007, Goldman Sachs and former Nets owner Ray Chambers put their shares in the YES Network up for sale.

2007: Giants' Programming Moves to Fox-Owned Stations

In 2007, the New York Giants' relationship with YES Network ended, and its team-related programming moved to Fox owned-and-operated station WNYW and MyNetworkTV owned-and-operated station WWOR-TV.

March 2008: YES Relocation on Time Warner Cable

In March 2008, Time Warner Cable relocated YES from channel 30 to channel 53 on its New York City area systems. Bloomberg Television was moved to YES' former channel 30 slot.

2009: Launch of YES-CT

In 2009, YES Network launched a feed for Connecticut called YES-CT.

2010: Bob Sheppard Dies

Bob Sheppard died in 2010, recordings of him are still used occasionally.

2010: First 3D Baseball Game Telecast

In 2010, YES Network carried the first baseball game ever transmitted in 3D on July 10 and 11, when the Yankees faced the Seattle Mariners, on Cablevision's "iO TV 1300" service and on DirecTV. The 3D telecast was also distributed to other cable providers.

2011: YES Airs Fordham University Basketball Games

In 2011, YES Network aired live broadcasts of college basketball games involving Fordham University.

November 2012: News Corporation Acquires Stake in YES Network

In November 2012, News Corporation reached an agreement to acquire a 49% stake in YES Network, leading to a reduction in ownership stakes for the previous owners. As part of this sale, the Yankees agreed to keep their games on the network through 2041.

2012: Fenway Park 100th Anniversary

In 2012, YES broadcast the majority of the ceremonies honoring the Red Sox' celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Fenway Park.

2012: Agreement Ends, YES Gains Partnership with Manchester City FC

In 2012, the agreement with MP & Silva ended at the start of the 2012-13 Premier League season. Arsenal was picked up by ONE World Sports while YES gained partnership with Manchester City FC.

July 2013: 21st Century Fox Assumes News Corporation's Interest in YES

In July 2013, News Corporation's interest in YES was transferred to 21st Century Fox when the company spun off its U.S. entertainment holdings.

September 2013: YES Network Gains Rights to Fox Sports Networks Programming

In September 2013, the rights to Fox Sports Networks' national programming were transferred to YES, previously held by MSG Plus.

January 25, 2014: 21st Century Fox Becomes Majority Owner of YES Network

On January 25, 2014, 21st Century Fox increased its ownership interest in YES Network from 49% to 80%, becoming the majority owner.

December 2014: YES Acquires Broadcast Rights to New York City FC

In December 2014, YES Network acquired local broadcast rights to New York City FC of Major League Soccer. Yankee Global Enterprises owns a minority stake in the club.

2014: Yankees Game Broadcast Viewership Announced

In 2014, the YES Network announced that Yankees game broadcasts averaged 223,000 households in viewership.

2016: Comcast Drops YES Network

In 2016, Comcast (part owners of Sportsnet New York) dropped the YES Network.

March 31, 2017: YES Network Returns to Comcast

On March 31, 2017, just in time for the start of the 2017 New York Yankees season, the blackout on Comcast ended, and YES Network was restored.

May 14, 2017: YES Network Broadcasts Derek Jeter's Retirement Ceremony

On May 14, 2017, YES Network aired Derek Jeter's number retirement ceremony, which garnered an average of 724,000 viewers and a 5.79 rating in the New York City area, marking the highest non-game program for the network.

December 14, 2017: Disney Announces Plans to Acquire 21st Century Fox

On December 14, 2017, The Walt Disney Company announced its plans to acquire 21st Century Fox, including the Fox Sports Networks chain and YES Network. However, the Department of Justice later ordered the sale of these networks due to Disney's ownership of ESPN.

November 11, 2018: Yankees Invoke Right of First Refusal for YES Network

On November 11, 2018, the New York Post reported that the Yankees had invoked their right of first refusal to reacquire YES Network in the event of a successful sale of Fox Sports Networks. They formally bid for the 80% stake in a joint deal with Blackstone Group.

March 8, 2019: Yankees Reach Deal to Repurchase YES Network Stake

On March 8, 2019, Fox News reported that the Yankees had reached a deal to repurchase Fox's share in YES Network for $3.5 billion, with minority shares held by Sinclair, Amazon, and the Blackstone Group.

August 29, 2019: Yankees Officially Reacquire YES Network Stake

On August 29, 2019, the deal for the Yankees to reacquire Fox's share in YES Network officially closed.

2019: Ian Eagle Joined by Joe Tolleson for Continuity

Beginning in 2019, Ian Eagle, who sometimes provides continuity for on-air promotions during the Nets season, was joined by Joe Tolleson, who provides network continuity during NYCFC's season.

2019: YES Network HD Ownership and Simulcast

In 2019, YES Network HD was owned by Yankee Global Enterprises (majority owner) before the Disney acquisition. The network provides a 1080i high-definition simulcast feed carried on select cable providers. Fox's SportsTime Ohio and other acquired networks also transmitted HD simulcasts in 1080i.

2019: YES Acquires Broadcast Rights to New York Liberty

In 2019, YES Network acquired the local broadcast rights to the WNBA's New York Liberty after the team was sold by the Madison Square Garden Company.

April 2020: WCBS-TV Broadcasts from YES Network Studio Due to Pandemic

In April 2020, during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, WCBS-TV temporarily broadcast its local newscasts from the YES Network studio set because the CBS Broadcast Center was unavailable.

August 2022: YES Network to Air AC Milan Soccer Matches

In August 2022, it was announced that the YES Network would begin airing AC Milan soccer matches in Serie A, Coppa Italia, and the UEFA Champions League, following the acquisition of the club by RedBird Capital Partners and Yankee Global Enterprises.

August 30, 2022: RedBird Capital Partners and Yankee Global Enterprises Acquire AC Milan

On August 30, 2022, RedBird Capital Partners, along with Yankee Global Enterprises, finalized the acquisition of AC Milan.

2022: Joe Tolleson's Continuity Role Ends

Until 2022, Joe Tolleson provided network continuity during NYCFC's season.

March 2023: Direct-to-Consumer Streaming Service Launch

In March 2023, YES launched a direct-to-consumer streaming service that included access to a 24/7 feed of YES Network and all New York Yankees, Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty games appearing on YES. The service is only available in areas where YES is also featured on local cable.

2023: Regional MLS Broadcasts Abolished

In 2023, all regional MLS broadcasts were abolished as part of the league's agreement with Apple Inc., ending YES Network's broadcast of New York City FC games.

January 2024: Streaming Joint Venture with MSG Network

In January 2024, YES Network established a streaming joint venture with MSG Network known as Gotham Advanced Media and Entertainment (GAME).

June 2024: YES Network to Broadcast MI New York Cricket Matches

In June 2024, Willow announced that it had sublicensed MI New York Major League Cricket matches to YES Network for the 2024 season.

August 2024: Launch of The Gotham Sports App

In August 2024, Gotham Advanced Media and Entertainment (GAME) announced a new streaming platform known as The Gotham Sports App, which subsumes the existing streaming platforms of both MSG and YES. Both the YES DTC service and MSG Network's MSG+ are carried via the platform as individual subscriptions, with bundle offers for both to also be available.

2024: YES Acquires Rights to St. Bonaventure Basketball Games

In 2024, YES Network acquired the rights to St. Bonaventure University men's and women's basketball games, airing nine games between the two squads during the 2024-25 season.

2024: New York Liberty Rights Move to WWOR and WNYW

In 2024, the broadcast rights for the New York Liberty moved to WWOR and WNYW.

2024: YES Network Aired RailRiders Games

Since 2024, YES Network airs a limited amount of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders games.

March 18, 2025: YES Network and Sportico Launch 'Sportico Sports Business'

On March 18, 2025, YES Network and Sportico launched 'Sportico Sports Business Presented by Genius Sports', a monthly series focusing on industry trends, media, finance, and technology. The premiere episode featured interviews with RedBird Capital's Gerry Cardinale and NBA Hall of Famer Grant Hill.