In spite of the icicles hanging off the eaves, baseball season is upon is, which can mean only one thing: fights between broadcasters and cable companies that threaten to black out games!

Only one game into the season and the New York Yankees’ YES Network could end up vanishing off DirecTV satellites as early as tomorrow.

From Dow Jones:

The dispute comes down to how much DirecTV is willing to pay YES to continue carrying Yankees and New Jersey Nets games to its customers. The companies say they are working to extend the existing agreement, which expires Friday…

DirecTV claims YES is seeking fees that are “significantly higher” than what cable providers Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Cablevision pay.

“DirecTV customers should not be forced to pay a penny more for YES Network,” the satellite TV provider said of the dispute.

During today’s season opener against the Detroit Tigers, YES ran several announcements about the impending blackout.

DirecTV, YES Network Face Potential Blackout Over Fee Dispute [Nasdaq.com]

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