Michael Kay criticizes Netflix for taking Yankees’ Opening Day from YES: ‘It sucks’

The New York Yankees’ Opening Day plans have taken an unexpected streaming turn, and not everyone is happy about it. When the Yankees kick off their season against the Giants on March 25th, the game will be exclusively streamed on Netflix in a standalone primetime event. Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay didn’t mince words when he expressed his disappointment with this decision.

In an interview with Newsday, Kay said, “To be blunt, it sucks. It really does.” This means that as the Yankees play their season opener in San Francisco, Michael Kay and the YES Network will only be broadcasting the second game of the series.

The reason for this shift is Netflix’s multi-year deal with MLB, which includes live streaming rights to select games, including the Opening Day primetime matchup featuring the Yankees. While YES Network will still broadcast the second game against the Giants, they won’t have coverage for the series finale.

Kay elaborated on the situation, saying, “It doubly sucks because we just have the middle game. And the third game is a Fox game. So, essentially, I’m flying to San Francisco for one game, and then we go to Seattle after that.”

Despite these changes, Netflix plans to make a splash with the Opening Day coverage. This switch from traditional broadcast to streaming has raised concerns about missing out on the usual fanfare and excitement that comes with Opening Day baseball games.

Last year’s Opening Day broadcast of the Yankees-Brewers game on ESPN, featuring Joe Buck, brought a memorable experience for Kay. He mentioned, “That was really, really fun and nice. The good part about it was I was there with my family, which I never get a chance to do. So if I could sit with my son on Opening Day, I’m going to look at that as a plus.”

While the Yankees remain the favorites in the American League, concerns about the accessibility and coverage of their games are being discussed. With over 120 games typically broadcast on YES Network and the My9 channel, the move to streaming on Netflix marks a significant change in the landscape of televised sports.

In conclusion, Kay’s disappointment with Netflix’s exclusive streaming of the Yankees’ Opening Day game reflects broader conversations about how sports are evolving in the digital age. Despite the changes, fans are eager to see how this season unfolds for their favorite teams in this new era of sports media.