For New York sports fans throughout the tri-state area, the Gotham Sports app has been more like the Joker than Bruce Wayne since its much-anticipated launch in October 2024. Following the announcement of their partnership in January 2024, MSG Networks and the YES Network established the Gotham Advanced Media and Entertainment (GAME), a 50/50 joint venture aimed at revolutionizing sports streaming. A press release revealed that GAME would utilize “state-of-the-art streaming technology” to improve existing services from YES and MSG, and provide its tech solutions to other networks, teams, and sports properties.
The Gotham Sports app debuted in October as the new home for teams like the New York Knicks, New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, Buffalo Sabres, Brooklyn Nets, and New York Yankees, available for $41.99 monthly or $359.99 annually, with smaller subscription packages for MSG-only or YES-only options. Additionally, fans within the regional TV area who authenticate via cable for MSG Networks and YES can access Gotham Sports for free.
In the five months since its inception, numerous fans have taken to social media to voice complaints regarding the Gotham Sports app. Issues range from repeated authentication problems to live game streams failing to load. Users on X have branded the app as a “total nightmare,” “the worst app ever created,” “unusable,” and a “massive piece of garbage.”
As a Knicks fan, I just wanna give a shout out to the Gotham Sports app for being such a massive piece of garbage
— Basketball Enjoyer (Achiuwa Addict) (@NutmegBaller) December 28, 2024
Love the Gotham Sports app! First it tells me I’m not in the USA, then when I have to use a VPN, it says the Knicks aren’t on MSG tonight, then when I finally just stream MSG, it’s on a 3 minute delay!
What a great app!
— Brett Alper (@TheRealAlper) January 18, 2025
Streaming media analyst Dan Rayburn commented to Awful Announcing, “It doesn’t matter when you look at Twitter, there’s always people experiencing problems. They [Gotham] don’t have much demand; this isn’t about delivering to millions of users. The app’s poor development and the third-party company responsible for it don’t inspire confidence, especially given their previous standing before acquisition.”
Discussion threads on Reddit for the Knicks, Nets, Rangers, Devils, and Yankees show fans lamenting the app’s usability across various devices. Rayburn pointed out that “the issue often begins with login; the authentication is failing consistently, and latency has been severe, with some users noting delays exceeding five minutes.”
In a notable Reddit post in November, a Knicks fan shared a disappointing response from Gotham Sports customer support, acknowledging the widespread issues faced and expressing appreciation for the feedback: “We recognize that Gotham Sports is still a new platform; while we are optimistic about its potential, we also admit that significant bugs and problems remain to be resolved.”
As fans are often burdened with numerous streaming subscriptions to follow their favorite teams, the bundle of YES and MSG Networks that formed Gotham was initially well-received. In late 2024, Sports Business Journal recognized MSG Networks as its Best in Local Media of the Year for their bold initiative with the Gotham Sports App. Moreover, Front Office Sports dubbed the partnership between YES and MSG a significant shift from the historical discord between the Steinbrenner and Dolan families.
“It’s undeniably a momentous achievement to merge two major regional sports networks—MSG and YES—in a single platform,” stated Jed Corenthal, CMO of Phenix, a video streaming technology provider. “While bugs and glitches are common in technology, it’s hoped that companies test their products more thoroughly before launch to avoid major problems.”
The negativity surrounding the app is echoed in its ratings. On the Google Play store, Gotham Sports currently holds a 2.2 rating based on over 480 reviews, with more than 50,000 downloads. Awful Announcing discovered in early February that its Apple App Store rating had plummeted to 1.2, although three updates since then elevated it to a more favorable 3.9.
Despite these advancements, recent reviews indicate lingering issues, as all six latest written critiques on the app are one-star. Common complaints call it “the worst app,” “useless,” and “awful.” Similarly, on Google Play, 19 of the last 21 reviews are rated at one star, with many stating poor support and issues like constant freezing or authentication failures. Only two reviews stand out as five stars, one linked to “MSG Go” and another from someone with the same name as a Senior Designer at YES Network. Out of the last 50 reviews on Google Play, a staggering 44 are rated at one star.
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Neither the YES Network nor MSG Networks has addressed the extent of complaints regarding the Gotham Sports app. When approached by Awful Announcing, YES Network chose not to comment on the ongoing issues raised by fans.
— Matt Thomas (@wordsdematt) February 21, 2025
There’s a real problem with the Gotham app on Samsung TVs. It takes forever to log in and it logs you out all the time. Put a QR code on and allow to log in from phone and stop logging users out.
— Casey (@CaseyEngelhardt) February 21, 2025
Rayburn, Chairman of the NAB Show Streaming Summit, previously articulated in a LinkedIn post about technical disparities in the app and discrepancies in subscription pricing between the Gotham Sports website and its mobile counterpart. He also questioned the app’s appeal amidst its high subscription cost, especially since it doesn’t include major NY teams like the NFL’s Jets and Giants or MLB’s Mets. Rayburn’s insightful critiques did elicit a response from Kevin Marotta, SVP Marketing and Content Strategy at MSG Networks Inc., who acknowledged issues arising from users not recalling their login information from previous apps, which led to confusion and queues for support.
“Streaming is difficult, and executing it in real-time for a large audience complicates matters,” Corenthal reflected. “The recent issues with Netflix’s fight stream serves as a reminder that even established platforms can stumble. However, they possess the resources needed to make significant improvements.”
While Gotham Sports has faced hurdles during this NBA and NHL season, it has about a month before MLB’s Yankees games start streaming. Fans in the NY-NJ-CT-PA region hope that SNY’s forthcoming direct-to-consumer service for Mets games will have a better rollout than Gotham Sports.
“The owners of Gotham have larger business concerns, and this app isn’t their primary focus,” Rayburn noted regarding the service’s future quality. “How much investment do you expect for something they don’t prioritize? If it were critical, they would explicitly report its contribution to revenue in their financial statements.”
“Sports leagues prioritize profitability over fans’ needs. They focus on maximizing revenue across platforms, often ignoring the inconvenience faced by fans trying to navigate all these services,” he concluded.
Andrew Cohen has covered sports business and finance for multiple publications, including Sports Business Journal, Front Office Sports, and Crain Currency. He is based in New York.
