The ongoing dispute between the MSG Network and DISH Satellite means that any local customers of DISH will not be able to watch Buffalo Sabres games once again.
MSG pulled its channel from the DISH lineup last October after there was no agreement on carriage of the signal. At the time DISH said it would not give in to what it termed MSG's "outrageous" renewal demands or stand for customers being "bullied". They did not return our calls for comment this year but MSG did respond. MSG says "We are disappointed that DISH has rejected every one of our fair and reasonable proposals and continues to deprive its subscribers of the ability to watch Sabres games." An MSG spokesman also said they were still willing to go along with arbitration to resolve the matter.
Sabres officials say they are not directly involved but are affected when their fans who subscribe to DISH are not able to watch their games. That's why they are encouraging fans to sign up with another satellite subscriber like Direct - TV. Some people have also opted for Time Warner Cable or Verizion FIOS to catch the games. But there are hefty cancellation fees for DISH.
There were reports last year of some potential federal involvement in such cases with a bill from Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts and comments from the FCC that it may review its policies in such cases. We did not hear back from anyone in Washington as well.