After an 11-week blackout, Nexstar and DirecTV have reached an agreement to restore over 150 Nexstar-owned local TV stations to DirecTV’s lineup. The decision comes as contract negotiations between the two companies have made progress.
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In a joint statement released early on a Sunday, Nexstar and DirecTV announced that these stations will gradually return to DirecTV’s channel lineup, with a particular focus on NFL-heavy markets where Nexstar operates CBS, NBC, and Fox affiliates.
The statement expressed gratitude for the patience of DirecTV customers and Nexstar viewers during the blackout, stating, “In recognition and appreciation of the continued patience of DirecTV customers and Nexstar viewers, the companies have agreed to temporarily return the signals of the Nexstar-owned television stations and national cable news network NewsNation to DirecTV, DirecTV Stream, and U-verse while we both work to complete the terms of an agreement.”
The blackout originally began on July 2 due to disputes over contract terms for a new retransmission consent agreement covering 159 stations in 113 markets. This dispute ranks as one of the longest standoffs between a major broadcaster and a pay TV distributor. It shares similarities with the recent public dispute between Disney and Charter Spectrum over carriage terms for channels like ESPN and ABC. Notably, Nexstar faces additional challenges in this conflict because DirecTV has national reach, unlike regional cable operators.
The joint statement from Nexstar and DirecTV suggests that a finalized agreement is on the horizon. The terms of this pact will be closely watched by the industry, as they will likely set the financial parameters for upcoming retransmission consultation negotiations involving other major broadcasters and pay TV distributors.
It’s worth noting that Nexstar is the largest owner of TV stations in the United States, while DirecTV is the third-largest traditional distributor, trailing behind Comcast and Charter, with a subscriber base of 12.7 million customers nationally.
Source: https://dominioncinemas.net
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