The MSG Network and Time Warner have reached an agreement on cable rights that will restore Linsanity -- along with coverage of the first-place Rangers -- to more than 2 million city cable subscribers who've been in the dark for the last 48 days, a Time Warner spokesman told NBC New York.
The cable company spokesman told NBC New York the Knicks game against New Orleans will air on Time Warner cable subscribers' TVs tonight.
MSG pulled sports programming to Time Warner subscribers Jan. 1 after the two sides failed to reach an agreement on royalty fees.
Many fans were not pressed to watch the struggling team in early January, but the shocking emergence of Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin has intensified public pressure to get a deal done.
The Knicks have won seven games in a row and are looking to bag their eighth straight victory against New Orleans tonight at the Garden. That streak, catapulted by an unlikely hero, sparked renewed urgency for a resolution.
News of the agreement comes shortly after City Council Speaker Christine Quinn wrote to company executives, demanding a resolution to the negotiations within two weeks, or she would hold public hearings and ask executives to explain themselves to hordes of angry fans.
After the agreement was announced Friday, Quinn thanked both sides for putting the Knicks and Rangers back on TV.
"Now, a million more New Yorkers will be able to go Linsane in the privacy of their own living room," she said. "I’m looking forward to watching the return of Carmelo Anthony for the Knicks and Henrik Lundqvist in goal for the Rangers.”
Gov. Andrew Cuomo also applauded the agreement.
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The Knicks, seeking an eighth straight win, face off against New Orleans Friday night and play Dallas Mavericks in a much-anticipated Sunday afternoon showdown.
