Tegna, a major media company owning 64 network affiliates across 14 markets, has recently warned that its stations might soon be removed from DirecTV satellite, DirecTV Stream, and U-Verse.
This alert comes as the current retransmission contract between Tegna and DirecTV nears its expiration on November 30. The dispute could potentially affect viewership of popular content, especially with the college football and NFL seasons in full swing.
In a statement, Tegna criticized DirecTV for not agreeing to what it considers reasonable terms, raising concerns that customers may lose access to local news, weather, sports, and network programs. On the other hand, DirecTV has accused Tegna of publicizing this private negotiation to exert pressure for higher station rates. They argue that this tactic has become standard in the industry, even as costs for local stations increase annually by over 20%, despite a decline in popularity and quality of content. DirecTV is seeking to protect its customers from price hikes while aiming to renew the contract with Tegna without service interruption.
