Retired federal judge Stanley Sporkin and retired Time Warner executive Richard Aurelio will act as arbitrators in the lengthy dispute which has threatened to lock out Yankees coverage from millions of New York sports fans.
Cablevision, New York's biggest cable operator with 3 million customers, and the YES network have been unable to agree on a long-term contract that would give Cablevision subscribers access to games of the 26-time baseball champions.
The dispute focused on whether the YES network would carried on Cablevision's basic tier subscription package or as a premium offering.
The team's 2002 games weren't shown on Cablevision, and the 2003 games were broadcast only after YES and the company reached an interim agreement less than an hour before the first game of the season.
The two sides agreed to go into binding arbitration to settle the matter, with a decision due by March 31, five days before the start of the new baseball season.
Commented Sporkin: "These are private proceedings. Like a court trial, there will be discovery and hearings. It probably will be quick."
The sides still have to determine a third arbitrator to complete the panel. YES and Cablevision each submit a list from which the opposing side selects a name, and the final arbitrator is then determined with a coin flip conducted by American Arbitration Association.
US pay-TV operator Cablevision and the Yankees Entertainment & Sports (YES) Network have chosen the arbitrators to rule over their ongoing carriage dispute.
