EL SEGUNDO, Calif.—DirecTV has filed a federal antitrust lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, Sacramento Division, alleging that the proposed merger between the broadcast station groups Nexstar Media and Tegna violates the federal antitrust laws and would significantly harm consumers.

The complaint asserts that the proposed merger—which combines the nation's largest and second-largest English-language broadcast station groups—represents a concentration of broadcast media that will drive up consumer costs, reduce local competition, shutter local newsrooms, and increase both the frequency and duration of blackouts from retransmission consent disputes.

DirecTV’s actions come on the heels of a multistate lawsuit filed in the same court by attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, and Virginia. More on that lawsuit can be found here.

Like the federal antitrust suit filed by the eight states, DirecTV pays particular attention on markets where Nexstar would own at least two, and sometimes three, of the most influential and widely watched local stations. The markets include more than 25 million TV homes in major cities like Austin, Buffalo, N.Y.; Charlotte, N.C.; Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio; Denver; Indianapolis; Memphis, Tenn.; New Orleans; Portland; San Diego; St. Louis; and Tampa, among others.

DirecTV alleges that owning two or more affiliate stations of major broadcasters in those markets would give the combined company more power to demand higher retransmission fees in negotiations with pay TV operators, which in turn would raise programming costs for consumers and lead to more widespread blackouts of programming. These blackouts would make it difficult for fans to watch local professional and college sports.

The suit also notes that a significant number of these markets are also state capitals, where reduced competition would limit the diversity of local news coverage.

As previously reported, DirecTV has filed evidence with the Federal Communications Commission claiming that wherever Nexstar already operates similar “duopolies,” it reduces alternate viewpoints and competition for stories by using one newsroom, one news director, one online news site, and spreads the editorial staff to create news content shared and frequently repeated across two station newscasts.

"DirecTV supports the action taken by the states and has determined it is necessary to join this effort to protect competition and consumers," said Michael Hartman, general counsel and chief external affairs officer at DirecTV. "We have consistently made clear that this merger is anti-competitive and not in the public interest and, if it goes forward, will trigger a wave of similar consolidation."

"The acquisition would give Nexstar control of 228 broadcast stations reaching 80% of television households in 132 local markets and increase concentration in dozens of local markets by more than 10 times the amount that is presumptively unlawful under the antitrust laws," the complaint states. "That enormous increase in market power will enable Nexstar to raise prices and reduce the amount, variety, and quality of local news without having to worry about losing business to competition."

The complaint also highlights that the merger is likely to exacerbate the already sharp rise in retransmission consent fees charged by local station groups, which have increased more than 5,000% over the past two decades—from approximately $214.6 million in 2006 to an estimated $11.9 billion in 2025. Retransmission consent fees are a large input cost for pay TV providers, which means the greater leverage and market power Nexstar will gain by buying its close rival Tegna will translate into price increases that end up on millions of Americans' monthly TV bills.

"By acquiring Tegna's competing stations, Nexstar will deprive distributors and consumers of the benefits of competition: lower prices and higher quality," the complaint further states. "Instead, Nexstar will be able to raise prices and reduce quality. DirecTV and its subscribers will end up paying more for less. The antitrust laws forbid acquisitions that substantially lessen competition, enabling acquirers to charge more while offering less."

Nexstar and Tegna have filed papers with the FCC that address many of the arguments made by the two lawsuits. They have consistently contended that the merger would strengthen their ability to compete against big tech companies that control much of the video market and would bolster their ability to invest in local news.

As previously reported, both President Trump and FCC Chair have backed the merger.

TV Tech has reached out to Nexstar for comment and will add those comments when they become available.

LONG ISLAND CITY, N.Y.—With a deadline looming for inking a new retransmission consent deal with Tegna, the cable operator Optimum has issued a statement, forcefully rejecting what it calls “excessive and unjustified demands from Tegna."

"Tegna is pursuing egregious fee increases that are divorced from market reality, including a massive 30% hike for major network affiliates and a colossal 50% increase for The CW,” the operator said in a press release.

“Optimum will always take a stand for our customers against broadcasters and programmers demanding significantly higher fees for the same content,” Keith Bowen, president of news, programming and business services at Optimum, said. “Tegna is operating as if the market hasn’t changed in 20 years and its request is nothing short of egregious.

TV Tech has reached out to Tegna for comment.

In the Optimum release, the operator also stressed the link between rising retrans fees and consolidation in the broadcast station business. Broadcasters believe consolidation will help them better compete against big tech firms, while pay TV operators believe it will lead to higher prices for programming.

“These demands from Tegna cannot be viewed in isolation; they are directly linked to the looming merger of Nexstar and Tegna and a broadcasting industry that is rapidly contracting into a duopoly,” the release said. “In fact, Optimum’s negotiations with Tegna and Nexstar—with expirations just one week apart—expose the dark side of broadcaster consolidation.

Optimum did not say when its deal with Tegna expired but others have reported the deadline was in December 2025.

Earlier this year, Nexstar's stations were blacked out on Optimum between Jan. 10 and 18, when a new deal was reached.

"Tegna is attempting to lock in skyrocketing rates now, effectively forcing Optimum’s constituents to pre-pay for a merger that will only reduce their choices,” Bowen said. “Optimum is taking this stand not just for today, but to stop a trend where broadcasters use the threat of blackouts to fund their takeover sprees. As broadcasters race to consolidate, they are leaving the consumer behind. Optimum urges policymakers to look closely at how these rate demands serve as a precursor to anticompetitive behavior.”

WASHINGTON—In the runup to what could be another blackout of broadcast TV stations, the American Television Alliance (ATVA) has released a statement complaining that a retransmission dispute between Mission Broadcasting and Verizon might result in two stations being dropped from the Fios lineup next week.

Neither Verizon or Mission has commented publicly on the contract, which will expire on Dec. 15 according to The Desk.

The issue of a potential blackout was first raised by ATVA, which is funded by pay TV groups and counts Verizon as a member.

If an agreement is not reached, Verizon customers in Albany, N.Y. could lose access to Mission's WXXA (Fox) in Albany, N.Y. and WNAC (Fox) in Providence, R.I.

In a statement issued Dec. 10, ATVA attacked Mission for demanding “exorbitant retransmission consent fee increases for programming that is free over the air.”

“Mission Broadcasting is the latest broadcaster to threaten TV blackouts for FOX and CW affiliates in key markets while demanding unjustified retransmission fee hikes that raise costs for American consumers,” said ATVA spokesman Hunter Wilson. “These tactics underscore the urgent need for retransmission consent reform and exemplify how broadcasters exploit disruptions to extract excessive profits, sidelining viewers who rely on affordable access to local stations.”

TV Tech has reached out to Mission for comment.

WASHINGTON—Federal Communications Commission member Nathan Simington and his chief of staff, Gavin Wax, have published a blistering editorial urging that the agency crack down financially on broadcast networks like CBS that they believe are part of a “corrupt media cartel.”

The editorial framed the argument as part of an effort to back President Donald Trump’s larger “America First” agenda and as a policy that would strengthen local broadcasters at the expense of broadcast networks like CBS.

After praising Trump’s $20 billion lawsuit against CBS as “bold litigation,” the editorial in The National Pulse said “we must go beyond the courtroom to move from outrage to reform.”

To achieve those changes, they proposed the FCC institute a 30% cap on “reverse transmission fees” that would hurt the broadcast networks, “protect local broadcasters, lower consumer costs and strike a decisive blow against the corrupt media cartel.”

“Media conglomerates like Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS, have begun charging what’s known as ‘reverse’ retransmission fees to broadcasters,” the editorial contended. “The networks demand a share of broadcasters’ revenue for the right to use their content. This practice was once unheard of, but some networks now regularly require more than one hundred percent of broadcasters’ retransmission fees as “reverse” fees, leaving broadcasters to sustain themselves solely on whatever ad sales they can make with their limited inventory (also capped by the networks, and often amounts to only a few minutes of airtime per hour).”

The editorial also attacked networks for the current practice of the networks handling retransmission consent negotiations with vMVPDs like YouTube TV, a system that broadcast stations have tried to change.

“Under their affiliate agreements with the networks, local affiliates can’t even negotiate for online providers to carry the content,” the editorial argued. “The networks do it for them and pay the affiliates whatever they deem reasonable (sometimes, nothing). This gives the networks total control over streaming distribution while robbing local stations of revenue and autonomy in the rapidly growing online video space. What was once a mechanism to support hometown news is now a corporate racket. Instead of investing in local reporters, meteorologists, and producers, local broadcasters’ funds are siphoned to bloated national newsrooms that churn out anti-Trump propaganda and woke talking points. Meanwhile, higher cable bills pass the cost to everyday Americans.”

“Capping reverse retransmission fees at 30% is not just a technical tweak; it’s a strategic strike on these bad actors’ financial foundations,” the editorial stressed.

Simington and Wax added that the FCC could take further action to hurt the networks financially: “[I]f the networks try to make an end-run by demanding an unfair cut in ad sales, restricting available airtime for local news and weather, or prohibiting broadcasters from trying to reach new audiences through alternative distribution channels, then the FCC should be prepared to step in and stop it. President Trump was elected with a mandate to put the American people back in charge. Capping reverse retransmission fees does just that. It ensures your local news stays local, your cable bill stays lower, and your country remains free from corporate media control.”

The ideas would get the FCC directly involved in the financial details retransmission consent negotiations and potentially in pricing, something the agency has been reluctant to do in the past.

Simington has argued that the FCC should change its rules so that MVPDs and vMVPDs are treated the same.

The full editorial can be found here.

IRVING, Texas, and NEW YORK—After exchanging increasingly pointed barbs in recent weeks, Nexstar Media Group, Inc. and Altice USA (NYSE: ATUS) reached a new distribution agreement that immediately restored all Nexstar stations and programming to Altice USA’s Optimum TV customers on Jan. 18.

Nexstar stations and its cable news network NewsNation were dropped from the Optimum lineup on Jan. 10 after the parties were unable to reach a new deal. The blackout involved 63 Nexstar-owned stations in 42 markets and NewsNation on cable systems owned by Altice around the country.

As usual in these agreements, financial terms were not disclosed.

TYSONS, Va.—After securing the local broadcast rights for several NHL and NBA teams, Tegna has announced that it has reached a new multiyear agreement with Fubo that will ensure the virtual pay TV provider’s subscribers have access to the stations that air those games.

As a result of the deal, Fubo subscribers now can now access KFAA Dallas, an independent station that will broadcast 70 or more Dallas Mavericks NBA games. KONG Seattle, which will air up to 70 Seattle Kraken hockey games, and KTVD Denver, set to air 20 Denver Nuggets NBA games and 20 Colorado Avalanche NHL games, are expected to launch on Fubo in the coming days.

“We’re thrilled to enhance access for viewers and fans through our partnership with Fubo,” Brad Ramsey, senior VP, media operations, at Tegna, said. “By leveraging Fubo’s innovative platform and our dedication to collaborating with premier NBA and NHL teams in our markets, we’re committed to ensuring fans never miss a moment of the action.”

Top executives from Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery have consistently insisted that their joint venture to launch the Venu Sports streaming bundle in the fall of 2024 would not harm the pay TV industry or accelerate cord cutting. 

Right from the start, a number of analysts have doubted that assessment. Now a new survey from Aluma provides new notable and compelling data supporting the idea that the Venu service will negatively impact the already crumbling pay TV industry. 

The issue is important not only for pay TV operators but also for broadcasters who have staked much of their financial future on extracting ever larger sums of money from retransmission consent deals with pay TV operators. 

In earnings calls right after the sports streaming service was announced, the backers of Venu Sports argued that the new service targets cord cutters and would not hurt the pay TV industry. 

However, the new Aluma Insights study finds that pay TV subscribers are far more inclined than non-subscribers to sign up for the Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery (DFW) sports bundle when it launches. One-in-five pay TV subscribers are at least moderately likely to sign up for the DFW bundle, double the rate of those without pay TV, reports Michael Greeson, principal analyst, at Aluma Insights. 

The data is based on cost-averaged interest across three randomly and exclusively assigned price points: $29.99, $39.99, and $49.99 per month.

Among the pay TV customers likely to sign up for the DFW bundle, 39% are at least moderately likely to cancel their pay TV service as a result. And MVPDs are taking notice, Greeson explained. 

“A loss of even 10% to 15% of the already-declining base of paid subscribers would severely diminish the ability of operators to stay afloat,” noted Michael Greeson, principal analyst at Aluma. “And if those launching the DFW bundle intend to rely on demand from those without pay TV, they can forget about it. Less than one-in-ten are legitimate prospects for the service.”

In other words, the most lucrative audience for the DFW bundle is pay-TV subscribers, not at all what MVPDs want to hear, Greeson noted. 

The analyst also notes that the potential impact of the DFW bundle on pay-TV subscriptions spurred virtual MVPD Fubo to file an antitrust lawsuit against the three companies. It charges that these networks continue to thwart Fubo’s service by forcing it to buy bloated channel bundles in order to distribute the high-value live sports they own.

“If the Department of Justice does not enjoin the DFW venture or level the playing field for Fubo to license their content at rates larger operators enjoy, Fubo could lose as much as 10% to 15% of its subscriber base by summer 2025,” Greeson noted. 

The data also raises some interesting questions about how successful the streaming JV might be. 

One factor that could constrain uptake of the new bundle is price. At the moment, there is a modest consensus it will launch at $50 a month. If it does, it would lessen its disruptive potential. Aluma’s research found that only 11% of decision-makers are at least moderately likely to sign up for the bundle at $49.99 per month, half the demand at $29.99 a month, the Aluma data showed. 

The data comes from March and April 2024, when Aluma Insights surveyed 2,032 US adults that use a broadband internet service at home, watch TV at least once a month, and who make or share in making decisions about their household’s TV and video services. Respondents were randomly drawn from a panel of over three million double-opt-in participants managed by a top-5 sample vendor. Quotas were set to represent the population in focus using data from Aluma, Pew, and US Census data.

LOS ANGELES—Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group (AMG) has announced a multi-year comprehensive portfolio agreement with Hawaiian Telcom for continued carriage of seven AMG cable television networks—JusticeCentral.TV, Comedy.TV, Recipe.TV, Cars.TV, MyDestination.TV, ES.TV, and Pets.TV—as well as the retransmission renewals for two Honolulu Allen Media Broadcasting television stations, KITV and KIKU.

In addition to continued carriage of seven cable television networks, Hawaiian Telcom will also launch carriage of two additional AMG cable television networks: TheGrio and HBCU Go.

"We are delighted to renew and expand our relationship with Hawaiian Telcom,” said Byron Allen, founder/chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group. “Hawaiian Telcom has been an extraordinary partner and recognizes the tremendous value our television stations and cable television networks bring to their subscribers.”

DirecTV continues to add CW affiliates to its streaming line-up, with the addition of four stations owned by Gray Television. 

The four most recent additions are: 

• In Charleston-Huntington, W.V., the Gray-owned CW affiliate WQCW on channel 30. 
• In Madison, Wisc., the Gray-owned CW affiliate WMTV-D2 on channel 15. 
• In Springfield, Mo., the Gray-owned CW affiliate KYCW-LD on channel 25.
• In Wichita-Hutchinson, Kan., the Gray-owned CW affiliate KSCW on channel 33.

The additions follows a recent deal to add CW stations. In April, DirecTV Stream added more local CW stations for its streaming customers in Boston, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Hartford-New Haven Conn., Phoenix, San Diego, and Seattle. 

ATLANTA and ENGLEWOOD, Colo.—Cox Media Group and Dish have ended a dispute over retransmission fees that lasted nearly a year and a half with “a new multi-year agreement that will restore all CMG stations on Dish, effective immediately,” the two companies said in an extremely brief statement. 

“Dish and CMG greatly appreciate the patience of their subscribers and viewers," the statement concluded. 

The impasse, which started on Nov. 28, saw Dish pull the plug on 12 CMG stations in 9 markets after retransmission negotiations broke down. 

During the dispute Cox accused Dish of then issuing an “inaccurate” press release that included “knowingly false statements” about its decision to pull the CMG local broadcast stations from its own customers and issued a cease-and-desist letter to Dish demanding the satellite provider retract what it said about the dispute. These statements were “designed to mislead viewers and thereby harm the reputation of CMG in the marketplace,” according to the attorneys’ letter.

LOS ANGELES—Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group (AMG) has announced that it has reached a multi-year renewal agreement with Charter Communications Inc, (Charter). The deal includes carriage of AMG cable television networks The Weather Channel, TheGrio, Justice Central.TV, Pets.TV, Recipe.TV, and Cars.TV as well as the retransmission renewal for Allen Media Broadcasting television stations on Charter’s Spectrum platforms.

As part of Charter’s push to add more streaming services, the new deal will also provide authenticated Spectrum video subscribers with access to The Weather Channel TV App at no additional charge on connected TV sets and OTT devices. 

Additionally, Charter will have the opportunity to offer the service to its broadband subscribers for $2.99 per month, or $29.99 per year. The Weather Channel TV App features The Weather Channel, The Weather Channel en Español, climate-focused digital platform Pattrn, and additional VOD content. 

"We are delighted to continue growing our relationship with Charter Communications,” said Byron Allen, founder/chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group. “Charter/Spectrum has been a phenomenal partner to our television networks and our broadcast television stations, and we look forward to prospering from this mutually-beneficial arrangement for years to come.”

ATLANTA—With the expiration of their two-year retransmission agreement looming, Cox Media Group took its first swipe against DirecTV, accusing the satellite TV provider that its “anti-consumer” practices are a threat to local journalism.

The carriage agreement between DirecTV and CMG expires Feb. 2 and if it’s anything like the last kerfuffle between them two years ago, the agreement is expected to lapse, resulting in  the same pressures that forced the two to reach an agreement within just days of Super Bowl LV. 

“DirecTV’s anti-consumer practice of repetitive, extended station drops is typical of DrecTV—they dropped hundreds of other local stations over just the past few months,” the company said.

“CMG is proud of our commitment to investing in best-in-class local news and investigative journalism,” said Marian Pittman, EVP of CMG. “We’re dismayed that DirecTV is trying to force a deal that would harm local journalism and broadcast stations. This hurts consumers who rely on our high-quality local news, weather, and entertainment programming.”

CMG said the satellite company’s strategy could threaten the viability of local journalism “at a time when broadcast TV stations are often the last source of local news, emergency information, and consumer protection left in their communities,” adding that CMG’s stations are consistently the most popular channels on DirecTV’s lineup.

If the carriage agreement expires, more than 1 million households could lose their access to CMG stations. Cox Media Group owns, operates or provides sales and marketing services to 50 stations in 10 markets. 

“Our request of DirecTV is simple,” Pittman added. “Don’t rob your customers of their access to the important news, sports and entertainment programming they need and want.”

This is the second such carriage dispute between broadcasters and DirecTV in the last month. Earlier, Tegna reached a multi-year agreement with DirecTV after its stations were pulled from the satellite provider's lineup for a month and a half.

In response, a DirecTV spokesperson said: "We are working with Cox Media Group to reach a new agreement that will align the value and quality customers receive with the price they pay. Our request to Cox Media Group is simple, don’t force your viewers who are our customers, to pay an unwarranted rate increase for ‘free’ news, sports and entertainment that is widely available on local station websites, through an over-the-air digital antenna and direct-to-consumer streaming platforms." 

CMG is currently in an ongoing retransmission dispute with Dish. That unresolved dispute led to 13 CMG stations being taken off Dish in late November of 2022. 

Mission Broadcasting and Dish Network have announced a comprehensive, multiyear distribution agreement that will return 27 Mission television stations in 25 markets to the satellite pay TV service. Specific terms of the agreement were not disclosed. 

The stations—which are owned by Mission Broadcasting and White Knight Broadcasting and operated by Nexstar—were removed from Dish in January 2023 when the two sides could not reach a new retransmission agreement. Mission said it “regrets the inconvenience experienced by its viewers and thanks them for their patience.”

Dennis Thatcher, President of Mission Broadcasting remarked: "We are delighted to have reached a new distribution agreement with Dish Network, and we look forward to continuing our long-standing relationship."

 HUNT VALLEY, Md. & OVERLAND PARK, Kan.—Sinclair, Inc. has renewed its distribution agreement with the National Content & Technology Cooperative (“NCTC”), a not-for-profit corporation whose members serve one-third of all broadband and video connected households in the U.S. and its territories

NCTC represents almost 700 cable and broadband operators in all 50 states, and negotiating carriage agreements with content providers is among the many services it provides.

As usual, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. 

The agreement allows NCTC's member companies to opt into a multi-year retransmission consent agreement for Sinclair's owned/operated local stations. The renewal also includes an agreement for Sinclair-owned Tennis Channel. 

“We are pleased to renew our agreement with NCTC, keeping our local broadcast stations and Tennis Channel available to the many independent cable system operators across the country, who provide a vital function, often serving the rural and underserved communities across the US,” said Will Bell, Sinclair’s senior vice president and head of distribution and network relations.

HUNT VALLEY, Md.—Sinclair, Inc. has announced that the company has reached a comprehensive multi-year distribution agreement with Verizon for carriage of its stations and networks on FiOS TV. 

The agreement covers local television stations in 10 markets, the Tennis Channel and YES Network.

“We are pleased to have reached a renewal agreement with Verizon without any disruption in service to viewers, keeping our best-in class news, sports and entertainment content available on the platform for years to come,” said Will Bell, Sinclair’s senior vice president and head of distribution and network relations in a statement regarding the agreement.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The Tegna stations were blacked out on DirecTV, DirecTV Stream and U-verse at 8 p.m. ET on November 30 as the old retransmission agreement ended and the two parties were unable to reach a new one. 

Both parties had been warning subscribers that they were having a difficulties reaching a new agreement. Over the weekend, Tegna started running crawls warning subscribers to DirecTV satellite, DirecTV Stream and U-Verse that Tegna stations could soon be pulled from the satellite/streaming service. 

DirecTV said the blackout impacted the access of subscribers of DirecTV, DirecTV Stream and U-verse to 66 Tegna stations in 52 metro regions. Tegna said the blackout impacted 64 stations in 51 markets. 

As the deadline passed, Tegna stations were running a message saying “DirecTV Has Taken Away Your Local Station Access for DirecTV and AT&T U-verse Subscribers. We hope DirecTV appreciates how important access to our station is and comes to a fair and market-based agreement with us.” 

The Tegna stations also included links on their websites to other pay TV providers who were carrying their stations.

In a statement to TV Tech, Tegna said: "Despite months of effort, DirecTV has refused to reach a fair, market-based agreement with Tegna. As a result, DirecTV and AT&T U-Verse customers will lose access to NFL and college football conference championship games, as well as some of the most popular national network programming and top-rated local news. We urge DirecTV to continue to negotiate with us until a deal is reached that restores our stations to their customers.”

In response, DirecTV issued a press release saying “Tegna is demanding double-digit annual rate increases that would make it the most expensive broadcaster nationwide, despite declining viewership and continued cord-cutting. Were DirecTV to agree, it would obligate customers to pay a premium for Tegna stations that exceeds hundreds of other DirecTV agreements covering local stations in nearly 200 metro regions throughout the U.S.”

DirecTV also noted that it had offered Tegna first-of-its-kind proposal that would allow Tegna (or any other future broadcaster) to set their own price for the local stations, which consumers could then decide whether they want to pay or not. “This would return maximum choice and value back to consumers where it belongs, as DirecTV believes they should be the final arbiter of what they want to pay to receive or not,” the company said. “It would also have the welcome effect of ending blackouts once and for all.”

“It’s disappointing, but certainly not surprising, that Tegna is just the latest to perpetuate what’s become the status quo for American broadcasters by using its territorial exclusivities and blackouts to extort ever-increasing rates for programming that remains free over-the-air,” said Rob Thun, chief content officer of DirecTV. “We just can’t do this anymore–these price increases are unsustainable for the average consumer. It’s a badly broken model that erodes trust, eliminates choice, and keeps delving deeper into the wallets of our already overtaxed customers.”

BALTIMORE—Sinclair Broadcast Group has announced a distribution agreement with YouTube TV to add carriage of Sinclair Tennis Channel and T2, plus diginets CHARGE! and TBD to YouTube TV’s service offerings. The agreement also extends YouTube TV’s existing carriage of Sinclair’s CBS and MyNetworkTV affiliated television broadcast stations. 

Tennis Channel, and T2, Tennis Channel’s first free ad-supported TV (FAST) channel, are scheduled to debut June 1, to coincide with Roland-Garros (the French Open). Sinclair’s multicast networks CHARGE!, and TBD are also scheduled to launch on YouTube TV June 1st. Additionally, the agreement renews carriage of Comet, bringing all three of Sinclair’s diginets to YouTube TV’s lineup.

“We are pleased to reach an agreement that brings Tennis Channel, T2 and all three of our  Emerging Networks to YouTube TV, a valued partner of ours,” said Will Bell, SVP, Head of Distribution & Network Relations for Sinclair. “As the media landscape continues to evolve, our goal remains the same – to bring our unrivaled content to people wherever they want to experience it. With Roland-Garros kicking-off May 28, the timing is perfect for YouTube TV customers.”

Financial terms of the agreement were not released.

BURBANK, Calif—As relations between station groups and virtual multichannel video program distributors heat up, one broadcaster has inked a retrans deal that could be an encouraging signal for future negotiations.  

Nexstar, the nation’s largest station owner announced that it has reached a multi-year agreement with YouTube TV that will guarantee that the company’s The CW Network continue to be carried on the vMVPD. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The deal also multiyear carriage of MyNetworkTV, independent stations and Nexstar’s NewsNation cable network.

“We are extremely pleased to have reached agreement to continue carriage of its CW-affiliated stations on YouTube TV, especially as we move forward with our plans to transform The CW with additional sports programming and a new slate of prime-time entertainment shows this Fall,” said Dennis Miller, President of The CW Network.  “YouTube TV is an important partner for our affiliates and us, and we look forward to expanding our relationship and growing our audience via this dynamic platform.

“These agreements with YouTube TV underscore the importance of Nexstar’s national and local content on its platform,” said Tom Carter, Nexstar’s Chief Operating Officer.  “Not only will Nexstar’s 40 CBS-affiliated stations continue being carried on YouTube TV, but for the first time Nexstar’s 59 CW, MyNetworkTV, and independent stations will be carried on the platform, bringing Nexstar’s CBS, The CW Network, and MyNetworkTV content, as well as local news, weather, sports, and other proprietary and syndicated content to YouTube TV subscribers in local markets across the country.  

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Standard General held a media conference on Jan. 23 and filed a response to critics with the FCC arguing that the deal was in the public interest and that delays in approving its proposed acquisition of Tegna had cost it at least $22 million, enough to hire 422 news employees at the Tegna stations. 

The joint filing by lawyers representing Standard General, Tegna and the Cox Media Group with the FCC comes at the end of the comment period for the FCC’s review of the proposed acquisition. 

Speaking with reporters on a virtual call, Standard General's managing partner and chief investment officer Soohyung (“Soo”) Kim argued that the transaction was in the public interest given their commitments to local news and would advance the cause of diversity in broadcast TV ownership by creating the largest minority-owned, woman led broadcaster. 

"We believe in the power and the value of local news and we want to make it better by helping the industry evolve to meet it challenges of the digital age,” Kim said, pointing to his track record in investing in local news. “The track record speaks for itself. We have never reduced local content. We've increased newsroom staffing at our current stations by 20%. In fact, in our 12 year history in broadcasting we’ve added more than 40,000 hours of local news. We've been clear from the beginning that we intend to grow the new operations and last month to be submitted formal commitments to our regulators….not to reduce jobs for at least two years.”

Kim also stressed that they provided regulators with a commitment not to “not to step up retransmission consent rates” and that Tegna’s largest pay TV distributor, Comcast recently “agreed to continue its current retransmission consent agreement.”

“Through these commitments, we're simply formalizing what we intended and communicated at the beginning,” he said. “This transaction is a win for employees, a win for local news gathering, a win for the local broadcast ecosystem, and above all, a win for the communities and our stations will serve.”

Kim also stressed that by going private, they would be able to make the kind of multi-year investments in local news and in transforming the company that would have been difficult for Tegna as a public company.” 

“We are willing to make long term investments without risking an adverse market reaction by requiring full controls,” he said. “We can invest for the long term…to meet the challenges of an evolving industry and in doing so, hopefully need a resurgence of local television broadcasting.”

Kim also pointed to the fact that the FCC had just released its annual report on the ownership of broadcast stations that showed only eight of the country’s 1,365 full power commercial broadcast TV stations were majority owned by Asian Americans. “This transaction would create America's largest minority-owned, women-led broadcaster,” he said. “This deal would increase the number of Asian American owned commercial broadcast TV stations by more than 700%.”

Kim and the joint filing with the FCC also stressed that deal would not lead to consolidation in the industry and that the number of stations owned by Tegna after the transaction would be less than it currently owns. 

In the joint filing, Standard General addressed complaints by Dish and the ATVA group representing pay TV operators. In FCC filings, the ATVA said that Standard General’s promises regarding retransmission consent agreements did not go far enough. 

Those filings included concerns regarding Apollo Global Management involvement in the deal. Apollo is providing some financing for the deal and Apollo’s Cox Media Group is buying some Tegna stations. 

The filing noted that worries about Standard General and Apollo working together to boost retransmission consent fees was misplaced because Standard General has 100% ownership of the company and that Apollo would not be involved in the management.  

The filing also complained that delays in approving the deal were proving costly.

“The delay in approving the Applications and unlocking the public interest benefits of the  Transactions has been harmful to the public, and to the employees and potential new employees  of Tegna,” the filing said. “The delay has stalled Standard General’s ability to invigorate newsrooms across the  country and left Tegna in limbo, as its employees work in uncertainty and consider how denial  of the Applications would increase risks to their job security in a darkening economic time. As  has been widely reported, `[m]any media and tech companies have laid off employees in recent weeks as the advertising market sours.’ Tegna, as a publicly traded company without a controlling shareholder, would be impacted more than most broadcasters by the intense pressure  of the public markets to cut costs as recessionary concerns mount.”

“While these harms are substantial and apparent, they defy easy quantification,” the filing admitted. “What can  be easily quantified, however, is one obvious aspect of the direct economic harm to Tegna. As  the Commission is aware, the Merger Agreement contains a `ticking fee’ that each day escalates  the price that must be paid to departing shareholders for each share of Tegna stock. As a  result, the purchase price of Tegna has been increasing every day since November 22, 2022,  and as of today, that increase now exceeds $22 million dollars. To put that in perspective, based on RTDNA’s most current survey of median salaries for television news jobs, 98 including journalists, that $22+ million dollars would be enough to pay a year’s salary for over 420 additional news employees at Tegna stations. That is nearly nine additional news employees per market. Equally dramatic is the impact of further delay. Each day of further delay would be enough to pay a year’s salary for an additional news employees, and the ticking fee will shortly increase by 50%, magnifying this harm.”  

The standoff between DirecTV and White Knight Broadcasting and Mission Broadcasting continued Friday as the satellite provider accused the broadcast groups of “betraying the public trust,” by refusing to return their 25 local stations to the DirecTV lineup.

At issue is a retransmission dispute that prompted the two station groups—both managed by Nexstar Media— to  pull their stations from DirecTV a week ago after the two sides failed to come to an agreement.

Earlier this week, DirecTV asked White Knight and Mission to return their stations to its lineup during the mid-term election campaign and in exchange the satellite provider said it would pay the increase in retrans fees based on what the two sides would eventually agree on.

“This is a critical time in American political life,” DirecTV said. “We are less than two weeks from one of the most important  Congressional midterm elections in American History, and gubernatorial elections in 36 states. The results of  this midterm will have a profound impact on some of the most important political, public health and economic  issues of our time."  

White Knight and Mission denied DirecTV’s request. 

"White Knight Broadcasting and Mission Broadcasting, both actively managed by Nexstar Media Group, have flat-out refused our requests to return their 25 local stations to our customers in 23 media markets through the results of the Nov. 8 mid-term elections,” DirecTV said in a statement. “At the same time, our offer to return the stations and be compensated at a new future higher rate remains completely open, both station groups continue to use their Nexstar-managed news services to propagate the outright lie and misinformation that DIRECTV has ‘forced off’ or otherwise ‘removed’ the same stations.

“Each broadcaster involved has made clear that abandoning journalistic integrity and betraying the public trust are not only acceptable, but readily available, in their shameless pursuit of financial fortunes,” DirecTV added.

Mission Broadcasting President Dennis Thatcher told Broadcasting & Cable that they “definitely considered” DirecTV’s offer for the next 10 days, “but at this point we don’t feel like that's going to advance the ball.”

“All it will do is delay the inevitable and there's always the potential for another takedown,” he added.

Thatcher said that, instead, he would rather see the two sides reach an agreement that reflects the reality of today's media marketplace. 

“There’s a new normal in America and our costs have increased,” Thatcher said. “While our cost of programming continues to rise, we’re all adding more and more local programming and we think we’re adding more value. All we want is to be compensated for that value.”

IRVING, Texas—Nexstar Media Group and altafiber (formerly Cincinnati Bell Inc.) have announced a comprehensive multi-year distribution agreement covering WDTN-TV, the Nexstar television station serving Dayton, Ohio (DMA #64), and national cable news network, NewsNation.  

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

The agreement will extend the national reach of NewsNation to altafiber’s Cincinnati and Dayton subscribers.  NewsNation is currently available in approximately 75 million television households across the United States.

“As the country’s fastest-growing cable news network, we are very pleased to be adding thousands of new subscribers to our national reach,” said Sean Compton, president of the Networks Division of Nexstar Media Inc. “We’re looking forward to making our news, analysis and talk programing available to altafiber subscribers in these important markets.”

“We are pleased to announce this partnership with Nexstar as we expand into the Dayton market with our best-in-class fiber Internet service, and to give our Cincinnati customers access to NewsNation,” said Jason Praeter, added president and general manager of altafiber’s Network Division.

ATLANTA & DALLAS—With the clock ticking toward the kickoff of Super Bowl LV on Feb. 7, Cox Media Group and AT&T announced that they had reached a new multi-year retransmission deal that would return Cox stations in 20 markets to AT&T/DirecTV customers.

The blackout of these stations began in the early hours of Feb. 2, impacting 26 stations in total. In five markets the impacted stations were the local CBS affiliate, which would have made Super Bowl LV unavailable to watch over traditional broadcast for AT&T customers in those markets.

The American Television Alliance (ATVA) had been extremely critical of the timing of the blackout, claiming that Cox has used the prospect of withholding the Super Bowl as a tactic in other retransmission negotiations.

Terms of the new agreement were not disclosed.

Here are the markets that had their CMG stations returned on Feb. 7:

• Alexandria, La. 
• Atlanta 
• Binghamton, N.Y. 
• Boston
• Charlotte, N.C. 
• Dayton, Ohio
• Eureka, Calif. 
• Greenville-Greenwood, Miss. 
• Idaho Falls-Pocatello, Idaho 
• Jacksonville, Fla. 
• Medford, Ore. 
• Memphis, Tenn. 
• Orlando, Fla.
• Pittsburgh 
• Seattle
• Spokane, Wash. 
• Syracuse, N.Y. 
• Tulsa, Okla.
• Yakima-Tri Cities, Wash. 
• Yuma, Ariz. 

UPDATED 1/11

ATLANTA—Ten Cox Media Group stations in six markets went dark on Friday night on SuddenLink channel lineups as the two sides were not able to reach a retransmission agreement.

The stations and markets impacted by this blackout are  in KOKI (Fox) in Tulsa, Okla.;  WHBQ (Fox) in Memphis, Tenn.; KAYU (Fox) in Spokane, Wash.; KIEM (NBC) and KVIQ (CBS) Eureka, Calif.; WABG (ABC), WXVT (CBS), WABG-DT2 (Fox) and WNBD-DT (NBC) in Greenville-Greenwood, Miss.; and KLAX (ABC) in Alexandria, La.

“Rather than reach a fair and reasonable deal with CMG, SuddenLink may instead choose to adversely impact their customers. Now, more than ever, viewers need daily access to important and evolving information on the pandemic, and social and political issues,” CMG said in its press release.

CMG says that SuddenLink customers can switch to another satellite, cable TV or streaming provider, or use an over-the-air antenna to access the station content that would be unavailable in the event of a blackout.

In its own announcement for the blackout, SuddenLink says CMG is responsible for pulling the channels and is seeking rates higher than any other broadcaster.

"Despite being in the midst of a pandemic when access to affordable news is incredibly crucial, Cox Media Group has pulled its channels from SuddenLink TV lineups in certain markets in an effort to extract an exorbitant increase in fees from us and our customers," SuddenLink said in its release. "With so many households across the nation struggling, we call on Cox Media Group to stop holding our customers hostage, return channels to our lineups and focus on working with us to negotiate a new deal that is fair to our customers."

BLOOMING GROVE, N.Y.—Just before the calendar flipped to 2021, 16 Tegna-owned stations across 11 markets went dark to Mediacom customers as the two sides were not able to reach a retransmission consent agreement before a Dec. 31, 5 p.m. ET deadline.

According to a statement on Mediacom’s website, it was ordered to stop carrying the Tegna stations, even though the company said it was offering to pay a “significant increase” for retransmission rights from the previous contract. “Under federal law, we can’t carry a station unless the owner grants us permission to do so.”

Mediacom says that Tegna is asking for “unacceptable” price increases, which it says are “uncalled for and unjustified” amidst the ongoing pandemic.

Tegna, in messages on its stations’ websites, says that it is seeking a “fair, market-based agreement,” and that it has deals in place with other distributors in the impacted areas.

“We are committed to reaching a fair, market-based agreement with all the video service providers in our area,” Tegna said via the station websites. “Our track record proves it. Over the past few years, we’ve reached hundreds of multi-year deals with cable and satellite companies all across the country …” 

Tegna offered this official statement as well:

“TEGNA has been working hard to reach a fair, market-based agreement with Mediacom. Unfortunately, Mediacom has not actively engaged in negotiations with us since last Thursday’s agreement deadline passed, and our stations went dark on their system. This means that Mediacom subscribers do not have access to our high-quality news, sports, weather and entertainment programming.  

While we remain hopeful this will get resolved quickly, Mediacom viewers should know our channels remain available on virtually every other service provider in their community, as well as many streaming services that offer instant access when viewers sign up. Viewers can also watch our newscasts live on our stations’ websites, Roku and mobile apps.”

Tegna, however, did just end a three-week blackout dispute with AT&T’s DirecTV just before Christmas.

Mediacom, meanwhile, has also been battling with other station owners, narrowly avoiding a blackout of Gray TV stations prior to the end of 2020.

Here is a list of all the stations impacted by the Tegna/Mediacom blackout:

• WQAD (ABC), Davenport, Iowa; Rock Island and Moline, Ill. 
• WOI (ABC), KCWI (The CW), WOID4 (COZI TV), Des Moines and Ames, Iowa 
• WZDX (Fox), Huntsville and Decatur, Ala. 
• WHAS (ABC), Louisville, Ky. 
• WMAZ (CBS), WMAZ2 (The CW), Macon, Ga. 
• KARE (NBC), Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn. 
• WWL (CBS), New Orleans 
• WVEC (ABC), Norfolk, Portsmouth and Newport News, Va.
• KPNX (NBC), Prescott, Ariz. 
• KFMB (CBS), KFMBDT2 (The CW), San Diego 
• KSDK (NBC), St. Louis 
• KMSB (Fox), Tucson, Ariz. 

TYSONS, Va. & DALLAS—After a nearly three-week blackout, Tegna and AT&T have agreed to a new multi-year consent agreement that will bring Tegna-owned local broadcast stations to AT&T customers of DirecTV and U-Verse.

The agreement covers 64 stations in 51 markets, which had been dark for AT&T customers since Dec. 1. The markets impacted included Atlanta, Charlotte, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Phoenix, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa and Washington, among others. The stations impacted by this blackout cover a reported 41.7 million TV households, representing 39% of the country.

The official agreement was announced on Sunday, Dec. 20. Stations were returned immediately to service, per the companies’ joint statement, in time for viewers to watch Sunday NFL football. 

No terms of the deal were disclosed.

“AT&T and Tegna regret any inconvenience to their customers and viewers and thank them for their patience,” the statement said.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.—Dish and Cox Media Group have agreed to a multi-year deal that, in addition to carriage for local Northwest stations, will restore 14 Cox stations to Dish customers that have been blacked out since July.

The blackout occurred as the Dish and Cox Media Group, which is owned by Apollo Global Management, struggled to come to terms following Apollo’s acquisition of the Cox stations, which ultimately led to litigation that reached federal court.

Here are Cox stations that are returning to Dish:

• WSB-TV (ABC), Atlanta 
• WFXT-TV (Fox), Boston 
• WSOC-TV (ABC), Charlotte, N.C.  
• WAXN-TV (IND), Charlotte, N.C.  
• WHIO-TV (CBS), Dayton, Ohio  
• WFOX-TV (Fox), Jacksonville, Fla.  
• WFOX2-TV (MNT), Jacksonville, Fla. 
• WHBQ-TV (Fox), Memphis, Tenn.  
• WFTV-TV (ABC), Orlando, Fla.  
• WRDQ-TV (IND), Orlando, Fla. 
• WPXI-TV (NBC), Pittsburgh  
• KIRO-TV (CBS), Seattle 
• KOKI-TV (Fox), Tulsa, Okla. 
• KMYT-TV (MNT), Tulsa, Okla 

The terms of the agreement were not shared.

Dish is currently in another retransmission dispute, this one with Nexstar, which has resulted in 164 stations across 115 markets being blacked out for customers. 

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. & IRVING, Texas—Dish Network customers lost access to Nexstar TV stations at 7 p.m. ET on Dec. 2, as the two sides were not able to reach a retransmission agreement. Dish describes this as the largest local station blackout in TV history.

The blackout took 164 local TV stations across 115 markets off Dish's service, according to Nexstar. Dish says that 5.4 million of its customers are impacted.

Unsurprisingly, both sides are pointing at the other as who is the primary culprit in the negotiation failure, each citing the other’s greed during a pandemic when local stations provide key news and entertainment.

“Nexstar is demanding over $1 billion in fees for stations that are available for free over the air,” said Brian Neylon, group president, Dish TV. “This shocking increase is the largest we have ever seen. While we work to keep subscribers’ TV bills as low as possible, Nexstar has no problem passing the buck on to American consumers. It has turned its back on its public interest obligation and is demanding significantly more money for the same programming.”

“Dish continues to propose rates that are less than fair market value for the broadcast network and local market programming content carried by Nexstar’s television stations,” Nexstar said in its release. “Dish also continues to exclude WGN America from its proposals. Since Dish proposals are not at all in line with the reality of current market rates, Nexstar is left with no choice but to reject any extension of the current agreement.”

Nexstar refers to other disputes that Dish has had in 2020, including dropping network or local programming offered by E.W. Scripps, Cox Media Group, Mission Broadcasting, the NFL Network and 21 regional sports networks.

Dish’s Neylon, meanwhile, said the company offered Nexstar an extension of the current contract to keep channels available to Dish subscribers while negotiations continue—twice—but he says that Nexstar never responded.

Both sides say they will continue to work toward a fair deal to return the Nexstar stations as soon as possible.

The American Television Alliance, in a statement reacting to the news, signaled out Nexstar as the primarily responsible part for the blackout.

“This record-breaking blackout is not only exploitative, but also an endangerment to the health and safety of countless Americans who rely on their local news for up-to-date coronavirus information,” said Jessica Kendust, ATVS spokesperson.

“We thought the ongoing global pandemic may have curbed big broadcast from leveraging consumer access during retrans negotiations. Unfortunately, two separate major blackouts this week alone have proven us wrong,” stated Kendust. 

The second blackout Kendust refers to is the one between Tegna and AT&T/DirecTV, which began on Dec. 1.

Here is the full list of impacted stations in the Nexstar-Dish blackout. 

TYSONS CORNER, Va. & DALLAS—Tegna stations in 51 markets have gone dark for AT&T DirecTV and U-Verse customers, as the two sides were unable to reach a retransmission agreement. The blackout officially began at 7 p.m. ET on Dec. 1.

Tegna has 64 stations in the 51 markets impacted by this blackout, which reach 41.7 million TV households.

“Unfortunately, DirecTV AT&T U-Verse have not come to an agreement with Tegna to keep our stations on the air,” Tegna said via a statement on Twitter. The statement also instructed customers can still watch its stations on other local providers or streaming services, as well as for free over-the-air.

“We’re working to return the Tegna stations to our lineups as soon as possible, but by law, Tegna has exclusive control over which homes are allowed to receive either ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox or CW in certain cities, regardless of what provider they choose,” AT&T said in a posting about the blackout to customers.

AT&T says that Tegna is asking for “unwarranted increases over their already high fees” and accused the network of taking advantage of its viewers during a pandemic.

Tegna, inversely, says that it has been able to strike deals with other cable and satellite providers without disruption of services.

This is not the only retransmission dispute in danger of blacking out stations; Nexstar and Dish are currently on the brink of a blackout as well. 

ATLANTA—For the first time in four months, this past weekend had live, meaningful team sports with the start of the 2020 Major League Baseball season. But as a retransmission dispute between Cox Media Group stations and Dish led to a blackout for many Dish subscribers, these games were nowhere to be found.

The dispute, which began last week and impacts 14 stations in 10 markets, came as a result of a court decision that lifted a restraining order on Apollo Global Management, Cox’s parent company, to interfere with Dish’s retransmission of the stations. Both sides place blame on the other in the ongoing dispute and the resulting black out.

Cox, however, has added that the loss of vital services—local news, weather and entertainment—now includes the inability to watch the return of professional baseball. 

Cox said that viewers in Boston, Jacksonville, Fla., Memphis, Tenn., and Tulsa, Okla., will not be able to watch MLB broadcasts on Fox.

“It is deeply disappointing that Dish customers will miss the games—especially during a time when watching sports and cheering on their favorite teams can offer a positive diversion,” Cox Media Group said in a statement. The company also shared that it currently has agreements in place with all other major cable and satellite providers in the U.S.

“Again, we implore Dish to restore the Cox Media Group stations and work with us to come to a fair agreement,” the statement concluded.

CINCINNATI—Dish has found itself in another retransmission dispute, this time with E.W. Scripps. Over the weekend, local TV stations in 42 markets owned by E.W. Scripps went dark for Dish subscribers as the two sides’ previous retransmission agreement expired without a new contract in place.

This is in addition to a separate retransmission dispute between Dish and Cox Media Group Stations.

According to Scripps, the impasse after five months of discussions is not centered on the rates that Dish pays, but “their inability to agree on other distribution terms.”

“Without an agreement in place, Dish subscribers are now missing out on our stations’ essential news, weather and entertainment programming,” said Brian Lawlor, president of Local Media for Scripps. “Dish’s refusal to negotiate to a fair agreement is preventing its customers from accessing pressing news during a global pandemic, a period of social unrest, an active political year and severe weather season for many parts of our country.”

Dish countered, saying that Scripps has been unwilling to negotiate and refused an offer to match the rates other pay-TV providers are paying for its stations before making a “take-it-or-leave-it” deal just prior to the contract’s expiration, Dish states.

“To be clear, Scripps chose to black out its own viewers,” said Andy LeCuyer, Dish senior vice president of programming. “We offered multiple extension options to keep the channels up while we continue to work toward reaching a deal during these unprecedented times, but they refused.”

Scripps claims that this is the first time since its founding in 1947 that their stations have gone dark with a pay-TV distributor.

WASHINGTON—FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and all of his commissioners were in agreement that it is time to consider eliminating the 30-day window cable operators are currently required to provide customers of a potential change to their cable service.

Voted on during the FCC’s December Open Meeting, this decision results in a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that will seek comment on whether to change the rules that require cable operators providers to notify subscribers 30 days in advance in regards to service changes related to programming or retransmission issues (i.e. blackouts) to instead doing so “as soon as possible.”

In addition, the NPRM will also seek comments on removing what the FCC described as redundant rules regarding notifications cable operators must provide local franchise authorities.

Many retransmission deals are completed in the final hour before the previous agreement is set to expire. Pai believes that changing the notification time to as soon as possible would help eliminate confusion among customers.

However, though all commissioners supported the NPRM, Commissioner Geoffrey Stark did have some reservations.

“This NPRM proposes to amend our statutorily mandated consumer protection rules in a way that, I fear, could result in less information being shared with consumers and more unwelcome surprises in the form of blacked out channels and lost service,” said Starks.

Starks, according to his statement, decided to vote for the NPRM after Chairman Pai added questions about potential consumer harm that could result from a customer learning about a blackout after it had already begun.

The other commissioners supported the initiative and were able to add questions to the NPRM that they believe would provide more critical information.

No deadline for comments has been set as of yet.

For more information on the NPRM, visit the FCC website.

TYSONS, Va.—After warning Charter Communications’ Spectrum customers that they would lose access to Tegna stations late on Monday, Sept. 30, over a retransmission dispute, the two sides came to an agreement on an extension, keeping the channels on air as talks continue.

Had a blackout occurred, 45 stations across 37 markets would have been impacted; markets would have included Seattle, St. Louis, Dallas, Cleveland and Atlanta.

On its station websites, Tegna said that while the talks continue, Charter has been reluctant to make what Tegna believes is a “fair, market-based” agreement. No timetable was given for this extension, but if an extension is still not reached, Tegna says that the stations could still be blacked out at some point in the future.

Charter said that it is “actively negotiating” with Tegna on a deal and had no additional comment.

IRVING, TEXAS & EL SEGUNDO, CA.–Nexstar Media Group and AT&T have ended a two month-blackout, agreeing to return all 97 Nexstar-owned stations to AT&T’s video platforms in a mult-year retransmission consent agreement. Nexstar local stations are now returning to any impacted DirecTV, AT&T TV and U-verse platforms.

“Our customers want more choice and value and we are pleased to deliver that through this new agreement with Nexstar and its many local stations,” said Rob Thun, senior vice president of content and programming, AT&T Communications.

“Nexstar’s long-standing commitment is to provide exceptional programming and service to the local communities we serve across the United States and this new multi-year agreement will allow us to continue delivering our stations’ leading network and sports content as well as local news and other programming to AT&T subscribers in our markets,” stated Keith Hopkins, senior vice president, distribution, Nexstar Media Group, Inc.

Both companies said they “regret the inconvenience incurred by customers, viewers and advertisers, and we thank them for their patience, as the new agreement was being finalized.”

Financial terms were not disclosed.

NEW YORK—As the AT&T-Nexstar dispute continues into its third week, CBS is warning its viewers that it could be the next broadcaster in the DirecTV owner’s crosshairs.

On July 3, more than 120 Nexstar Media Group TV stations went dark for AT&T/DirecTV customers throughout the country as a result of failed retransmission negotiations. Stations in 97 markets were impacted by the blackout and the impasse continues.

Now CBS claims AT&T is not proposing a “fair market value agreement” to continue carrying its TV stations and says that CBS-owned stations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco, Boston, Atlanta, Tampa, Seattle, Detroit, Minneapolis, Miami, Denver, Sacramento, Pittsburgh and Baltimore could be pulled at 11:00 PM, PT on July 19. DirecTV NOW customers nationwide would lose the CBS Television Network’s hit programming as well.

“CBS has reached timely, fair agreements with hundreds of other cable, satellite, telco and internet providers to carry our industry-leading, fan-favorite programming,” the network said in a statement. “AT&T, however, continues to propose unfair terms well below those agreed to by its competitors and may drop CBS unless we agree to those terms.”

“CBS would like to avoid being dropped, but unless an agreement is reached, our viewers should be prepared,” the statement said, adding that “AT&T’s willingness to deprive its customers of valuable content has become routine over the last few weeks and months.”

AT&T responded by saying that “Broadcast stations are the incumbents to our industry, and many feel they deserve certain entitlements. They continue to give their signals away for free but also demand unsustainably growing fees for allowing customers the convenience of receiving their channels in a usual program guide or without switching an input.”

AT&T also accused broadcasters of failing to “evolve” in the new media landscape.

“The best producers have moved aggressively into the multichannel environment and streaming to escape broadcast network and local station restrictions,” AT&T said. “And even programmers like CBS are moving their most anticipated content off the national broadcast channel and into other alternatives.

“The talent goes elsewhere, the audiences follow, and yet stations refuse to evolve, shutting off the same communities they are licensed to serve. This year, broadcasters have caused more than 200 blackouts industry-wide, which is on a record one-year pace. That’s already a more than 20 percent jump over the 165 in 2018.”

The company also called for new regulations.

“There are ways to try to eliminate these blackouts, including new legislation, and fortunately Congress has taken more interest. But the best option is to create mutually beneficial relationships with broadcasters like CBS and Nexstar through good faith negotiations.”

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CHANTILLY, VA.—While increased election advertising and double-digit growth through digital media offerings were significant contributors to the total industry revenue for local television stations in 2016, BIA/Kelsey’s report estimated that nearly one-fourth of the total revenue came from retransmission consent agreements between local TV stations and cable/satellite companies. BIA/Kelsey found that stations received $6.8 billion from retransmission agreements.

“The dependence on retransmission fees has become incredibly important to local stations and many publicly traded ownership groups because it amounts to nearly one-third of their revenue,” said Mark Fratrik, senior vice president and chief economist at BIA/Kelsey. “The fees provide a sound financial basis for the stations and have also become the foundation for many of the larger stations. Our analysis also uncovered that even mid-size and smaller market stations are increasingly relying on the income provided by these fees.”

As a result of the boost in retransmission fees has caused BIA/Kelsey to include retransmission consent estimates on local television in its “Media Access Pro” and “Investing in Television Market” reports. Because retransmission agreements are not made public, BIA/Kelsey developed a modeling formula that uses public information and industry knowledge to provide an examination into revenue streams for stations. In the reports, BIA/Kelsey predicts that retransmission fees will continue to rise over the next five years.

Other findings in BIA/Kelsey’s report show that television is experiencing growth in over-the-air revenues, in large part based on the 2016 elections for president, as well as statewide and local races. Digital revenues also saw an uptick, generating $1.006 billion, a 10.4 percent increase over 2015. BIA/Kelsey forecasts a 8.8 percent increase for digital revenues in 2017.