DirecTV, Cox Media Group Showdown Looming

DIRECTV is serious about keeping its customers from having to worry about price increases in the near future. 

The Streamable.com reports the company is digging in for another battle over retransmission fees, this time with Cox Media Group (CMG), which currently operates 13 TV stations in nine markets across the United States. When retrans contracts expire, channel owners invariably demand higher fees from distributors, which almost always have to be passed on to the consumers. DIRECTV executives have gone on record about wanting to avoid having to raise prices for their subscribers.

DIRECTV and Cox have until 12 midnight E.T. on Feb. 2 to reach a new deal for the retransmission of Cox-owned stations on DIRECTV, DIRECTV STREAM, and AT&T U-Verse. If they do not, customers in markets like Atlanta, Boston, Pittsburgh, and Seattle will likely find that they can no longer access select local channels with their DIRECTV service. Stations affiliated with ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, MyNetworkTV, and Telemundo could be affected.

“CMG is proud of our commitment to investing in best-in-class local news and investigative journalism,” Cox Media Group EVP Marian Pittman said. “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.”

Cox has grown so frustrated with the tenor of negotiations that it has issued a press release, calling DIRECTV “anti-competitive” and “anti-consumer” as it tried to lay the blame for the failure to reach a new deal exclusively at the satellite provider’s feet.

“Cox Media Group (CMG) called on DIRECTV to not block its customers’ access to breaking local news and weather, emergency information, live major sports and other entertainment programming provided by CMG’s local TV stations,” the company said in a statement. “DIRECTV has yet to close a new carriage agreement with CMG and appears intent on pulling all of CMG’s local TV stations from its lineup, starting as early as February 2.”