Why I’m Telling My Baseball-Loving Friends to Skip Optimum This Year

When the game is on, timing is everything. Optimum provides customers with a Dedicated Sports Menu button that pops up on the home screen the second you turn on your TV. You can use the Sports Menu to see every game that’s happening in real time, as well as what’s scheduled for later.

Having a personalized, dedicated sports menu is a free and easy way to find and watch the games you love, without having to remember which channel you’re searching for.

My crew likes to use the Menu to personalize their viewing choices each season. They simply favorite their best-loved leagues and teams in the My Sports subsection of the Dedicated Sports Menu, and from there they can see on-demand and replay content from multiple networks in one centralized location. This level of customization saves so much time, especially on those nights when you’re rushing home to catch the final inning.

Optimum customers with the Core TV package or greater can add Optimum’s Sports Package for $5 to $15 per month. The more you pay for your base package, the less you’ll pay for the Sports Package add-on. Basic TV and Extra TV customers aren’t eligible for this add-on.

The Sports Package gives you unlimited access to a really wide range of networks, including Fight Network HD, Willow by Cricbuzz, NHL Network, FOX Sports 2, and the World Fishing Network HD.

If your living room turns into sports central for the entire block on Sundays, you (and your neighbors) will be happy that the Sports Package also gives you NFL Red Zone HD. This channel uses a whip-around format composed of up to eight split screens to bring you every single touchdown, in every single live game, for seven hours or longer at a pop.

If you want to feel like you’re in the stadium, 4K Ultra HD is about as close as it gets, generating four times the resolution of standard HD. You’ll need a 4K television or streaming device to reap the full benefits of this technology. Optimum offers an Apple TV 4K streaming device you can rent or buy from for $10 a month for 13 months, or $130 up front. 

Optimum has a dedicated channel for 4K HD sports, and other live special events. In New York and New Jersey it’s channel 200. (Check your guide to find the dedicated 4K channel in your area.) The lineup changes, but the thrills won’t. The Olympics, college basketball, NBA and NFL games, the U.S. Open, and the World Series are some examples of live sporting events routinely shown in 4K Ultra HD. Live games on a 4K TV look sharper, clearer, and more vivid than standard HD. If you have a large screen system, you’re golden.

Optimum requires internet bundling with any television package, and at least 1 gig of internet speed is recommended for optimal 4K HD streaming. When choosing an internet package, pass on its least expensive 500 Mbps internet plan, and go for either the 1 gig or 5 gig plan, based on your household’s needs. Currently, HBO Max is included free for a full year with either option.

In January 2026, Optimum’s broadcasting agreement with the MLB Network expired. This came on the heels of a long-term contract dispute between Optimum and the MSG Network that is finally resolved. The fight got so nasty that Governor Kathy Hochul of New York entered the foray and told both entities to make up and play nice already. 

According to Optimum, local and regional coverage of the NY Yankees and NY Mets will be available on other stations, but that’s hardly sufficient for diehard baseball fans. After all, how many times can you watch “Field of Dreams”? Optimum also hasn’t mentioned if spring training will be covered on any local stations. Even the World Series, which should be broadcast in 4K HD, probably won’t be. How much can a fan take?    

Optimum’s track record of contract disputes with sports networks can be troubling, since fans get stuck in the middle with nowhere to go but a sports bar, and the last thing sports fans want is a game blackout. Optimum hasn’t cornered the market on contract disputes, which are, unfortunately, commonplace. Verizon Fios and other providers have also had their share.

You know what they say — perfect is the enemy of good, but for baseball fans, good doesn't include a missing channel. If you’re an avid baseball fan who relies on the MLB Network for 24/7 coverage, you may want to pass on Optimum this season.

Despite that one nasty hiccup, Optimum TV offers solid, dependable benefits for sports fans year round.