Both FOX 25 and WCVB were dropped by DIRECTV on New Year's Day, but Cox Media Group has resolved the re-transmission dispute, and FOX 25 is back on.
Both FOX 25 and WCVB were dropped by DIRECTV on New Year's Day, but Cox Media Group has resolved the re-transmission dispute, and FOX 25 is back on.
The Cox Media Group announced on Monday that it has reached "a long-term" deal with DIRECTV that will have its 13 stations in 10 markets back on the satellite provider.
WCVB, however, is still blacked out at this time.
"Following protracted negotiations, the efforts of Hearst Television, parent of WCVB, to achieve a new carriage agreement with DirecTV, reached an impasse, and, as a result, WCVB is now no longer being carried by DirecTV" the station said in a statement.
The current carriage agreement expired at midnight December 31st.
“Hearst has a long history of successfully concluding agreements with cable companies and other satellite distributors with no disruption of service to viewers,” noted Bill Fine, WCVB President and General Manager.
“Unfortunately, the DirecTV negotiating team is seeking the right to carry our stations at below market rates, which is neither fair nor reasonable given the significant investments we have made to deliver top tier programming to our viewers.”
“We regret the inconvenience DirecTV’s demands have imposed on its subscribers, and we will keep you fully informed of developments.”
“We have not ‘blacked out’ our station,” Fine noted. “You may continue to receive our station for free, over the air, and, where available, from your local cable or satellite operators.”
Viewers can determine the type of antenna needed to receive the signals of Hearst Stations at http://www.antennaweb.org/.
You can contact DIRECTV customer service at 1-800-531-5000.
