Latest YES Network news is absolute savior for Yankees fans

In what's been a struggle for so many Major League Baseball fans over the years, some teams' regional sports networks have had exclusive deals with certain cable companies, which limited viewership (or made it particularly expensive).

In the New York Yankees' case, the YES Network has long held exclusive deals with Comcast and Spectrum, meaning you have to purchase those cable packages in order to watch the Bombers (and it's not cheap!). Fans can also stream games, but that's only if you have a DirecTV Stream account.

Unless you're out of market and purchase MLB TV, there's no other way to watch the Yankees. You need cable or the lone streaming service to make it happen. And that's not reasonable for fans who only want to watch the Yankees and have no interest in 120+ other channels.

How does it make sense that an out-of-market customer can purchase MLB TV and watch the Yankees for $140 for the ENTIRE YEAR, but in-market customers are forced to purchase cable and pay anywhere from $60-$100 per month to have such access? That comes out to $360-$600 for the year for people who should be watching their team.

Fans across the country have been outraged by the cost, and it appears the Yankees have heard the complaints and are ready to make amends. Per Andrew Marchand of the New York Post (subscription required), the Yankees are "aiming to take YES Network direct-to-consumer by Opening Day."

YES Network, Yankees could make games more accessible to fans

The YES app was already accessible to fans who had a cable subscription with Comcast, Spectrum or DirecTV stream, but now there seems to be a developing situation where fans can pay a cheaper price to have sole access to the YES Network without the larger commitment to cable.

With households now purchasing various streaming subscriptions (Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Paramount+, HBO Max, Amazon, etc.), the unnecessary costs continue to rise. A lot of people have actually abandoned cable because of the plentiful offerings elsewhere, but some regional sports networks haven't made that possible for fans of certain teams.

Though consumers looking to watch the Yankees would still need another streaming service on their credit card bill, one can assume it'll be cheaper and more convenient than having to deal with a cable company.

Opening Day is two months away, so expect a game-changing update over the next few weeks on this front and expect some savings for the 2023 season.

Finally, one for the people!