Nexstar and Cox Communications said they have signed a multi-year distribution agreement for the cable company to carry Nexstar’s channels across the country.
The deal cover Nexstar’s local TV stations in 23 markets in the U.S., as well as news network NewsNation and digital networks Antenna TV and Rewind TV. The companies did not disclose the terms. The stations include affiliates for the major networks, including ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC.
At a time when distribution disputes — and blackouts — have become increasingly common, the agreement between the two will likely come as a relief to Cox subscribers tuning into those local stations.
This year saw a long an ugly dispute between DIRECTV and Nexstar, which kept Nexstar-owned channels off of the pay-TV service for three months. The two sides finally came to a new agreement in September. Blackouts have been become such a problem that lawmakers have asked about whether they should step in to curb the number of clashes between companies.