Latest in Carriage Negotiations

Nexstar Media Group TV stations in 120 markets and 42 states as well as WGN America nationwide have gone dark on Dish Network platforms after days of negotiations between the companies failed to yield a deal. In all, 164 stations are offline. In 2019, Nexstar became the largest owner of local stations in the U.S. when…

Nexstar Media Group said it has reached a carriage deal with YouTube TV for cable network WGN America. The multi-year WGN America deal with YouTube will take effect on January 19. The addition of 3 million YouTube customers extends the network’s total reach to 75 million pay-TV households, Nexstar said. The deal was…

With time dwindling before the December 31 expiration of their current carriage agreement, Lionsgate and Comcast remain in discussions about the continued distribution of Starz. The talks are being closely watched, not only in media industry circles as streaming continues to alter the pay-TV landscape, but also by…

In a keynote session Monday at the UBS Technology, Media and Telecom Conference, ViacomCBS CEO Bob Bakish emphasized the synergy starting to kick in after last week’s close of the company’s long-awaited merger. Offering “a taste” of synergy plans, Bakish reeled off several examples. Among them: The Late Late Show on…

UPDATED with Comcast statement. Lionsgate-owned Starz has delivered another shot across the bow in its ongoing talks with Comcast, warning millions of Xfinity customers that they could lose access to the premium network on December 10. Comcast is the No. 1 U.S. cable operator, with most of its 21 million-plus…

UPDATED with AT&T response. AT&T, whose DirecTV satellite and U-verse cable systems experienced blackouts of stations owned by CBS and Nexstar over the summer, is facing another carriage crossroads with Sinclair Broadcast Group. Sinclair, the No. 2 U.S. owner of local TV stations, issued a warning Friday that millions…

Shares in Lionsgate dropped 5% Friday, closing at $9.03, after a week of investor angst over the distribution future of Starz. The stock has not been as low since late 2011. One of the culprits was a report in The Information, which suggested that Comcast, the No. 1 U.S. cable operator, was prepared to drop Starz and…

UPDATED with Comcast response: With the college football season just weeks away from kickoff, the head of the Big Ten Network has laid down the gauntlet with the nation’s No. 1 cable operator as carriage negotiations have foundered. Mark Silverman, president of Fox Sports National Networks and BTN, said there has been…

Hours before DISH Network’s carriage agreement with Comcast’s E! and Style was to to expire at midnight, threatening a blackout of the two cable networks on DISH, the two sides have agreed to a short-term extension. The deal is “in hopes of reaching a long term solution,” E! and Style said in a…

UPDATED: The countdown to New Year’s eve is on, and so are the countdowns to a couple of possible channel blackouts as a number of carriage agreements expire at midnight on Dec. 31. Comcast’s E! and Style just issued a statement warning viewers that the two networks may go dark on DISH Network. Also tomorrow night…

Cablevision and Fox have until end of day today to file documents with the FCC proving that they have been negotiating in good faith in their carriage dispute that has kept Fox blacked out in 3 million Cablevision homes for the past 10 days. Cablevision has already sent its response, in which it defends its…

Here is a brief recap of the events on Day 4 of the Fox blackout on Cablevision that has affected some 3 million  homes in the New York area. All quiet on the actual negotiations front: “Fox and Cablevision held a short phone call today,” Fox said. “No material progress was made and we remain far apart. Both sides…