The American Television Alliance (ATVA) has responded to Scripps Local Media’s blackout of 54 local broadcast stations on DIRECTV.
Scripps pulled ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC affiliates from DIRECTV on May 31, after the two companies failed to reach a new transmission agreement. The ATVA says that Scripps is “demanding the highest retransmission consent fee hikes DIRECTV has ever received from a station group” and the blackout is impacting 36 markets.
“Scripps is the latest major broadcaster to black out local TV stations in an attempt to extract higher fees, blocking signals and programming from dozens of communities while demanding steep retransmission consent increases that force viewers to pay more for the same ‘free’ programming,” said ATVA spokesman Hunter Wilson. “Scripps’ blackout underscores the broken ‘next man up’ dynamic in retransmission consent, where broadcasters push for exponentially ever-higher rates with little to no regard for actual market conditions, declining viewership or consumers’ growing outrage over the affordability of goods and services.”
Scripps’ blackout impacts DIRECTV customers in Baltimore, Boise, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Lexington, Miami, Milwaukee, Nashville, Omaha, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Tampa-St. Petersburg, West Palm Beach, and more areas.
DIRECTV customers in those areas have lost access to local channels ahead of several state and local elections taking place in June, as well as NHL and NBA Finals, which begin tonight, and the upcoming World Cup.
This is just the latest contract issue to cause blackouts for customers, as a result of broadcasters demanding higher fees and distributors refusing to pay, causing consumers to miss out on live sports, local news, and primetime TV. ATVA says that it will work with Congress to “modernize regulations”to modernize dated regulations that turn sizable profits for broadcasters at the expense of consumers.”