Cablevision customers hoping to watch Game 1 of the National League Champion Series between the San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies on Fox were out of luck, thanks to a dispute between the cable network and News Corp.
The two sides walked away from negotiations on Saturday, hours before the first pitch of one of the most anticipated postseason pitching matchups in recent history between Roy Halladay and Tim Lincecum.
Three million customers in New York City (WNYW Channel 5 & WWOR 9) and Philadelphia (WTXF 9) are without their local Fox affiliates along with Fox Business, Nat Geo Wild and Fox Deportes. The channels went black shortly after midnight on Saturday.
Cablevision and News Corp. plan to meet again on Sunday.
“As long as there is a serious effort on the part of Cablevision, we will be at the table,” Fox spokesman Scott Grogin said Saturday. “We want to settle this as quickly as possible.”
If the two sides are unable to reach an agreement in the morning, Cablevision customers will also miss out on the Detroit Lions vs. New York Giants game along with Game 2 of the NLCS.
Better find that local bar and get there early to make sure you can grab a seat.