Fans rejoice over MSG/Time Warner deal

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Buffalo Sabres fans, your long winter of discontent is over. The Time Warner blackout ended Friday and the games are back on MSG for the first time in seven weeks.

About an hour before game time, MSG network popped back on Time Warner Cable. Many of the fans heading into the game heard the news from News 4.

Time Warner customer Chrissy Cavotta said, "I am so happy. We live in the Albany area so we didn't have MSG either and it was the only way I could catch the Sabres games and we're huge fans so it was so good to hear finally."

"I streamed them on my computer, but it's just not the same without hearing Rick Jeanneret go crazy, you know what I mean?" added Time Warner customer Joey Smith.

After missing about a dozen Sabres games, Caitlyn Grimm couldn't take anymore.

"We switched because we were missing these games, but had I known that this dispute be over, we probably wouldn't have switched," said Grimm, who switched to another provider less than a week ago.

For 48 days, the Sabres and their sponsors were caught in the middle.

Sabres spokesman Mike Gilbert said, "We have a deal with MSG and it's a multiyear deal and they controlled our broadcast rights and we weren't happy that this happened and there was a lot of people that couldn't see our games. Prior to this happening we had the highest local TV ratings in the NHL, so we're hopeful that will continue here."

The real game changer may have come two weeks ago when a basketball star was born. Jeremy Lin has been averaging about 25 points a game and led his team to seven straight wins, but NY Knicks fans couldn't watch him on cable. Hear more here on how Lin's stunning rise put pressure on MSG to make a deal.

Governor Andrew Cuomo stepped into the TV dispute and within 24 hours a deal was done.

Time Warner customer Mike DiTonto said, "Well, you know we like to think it's all about western New York. We forget that it really was a statewide deal. But whatever, we're just happy to have hockey back on in western New York."

News 4 tried repeatedly to contact Time Warner Friday night. The question that remains unanswered is how much, if anything, will this new deal with MSG cost their customers.