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DirecTV has removed television broadcaster Nexstar Media Group’s network and local community programs from its satellite, cable and streaming systems due to an inability to reach a new distribution agreement, the companies said on Sunday.
Nexstar, the largest owner of a local television network in the US, said in a statement that satellite provider DirecTV had turned down its offer to extend the current distribution agreement through October 31, adding that the Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Denver doing so would have been affected.
In the St. Louis market, Nexstar owns KTVI (channel 2) and KPLR (channel 11). Both are currently unavailable on DirecTV.
DirecTV said in a separate statement that Nexstar was charging them more than double current viewer fees for the same content, resulting in the company losing rights to offer channels to Nexstar’s network partners ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and CW in select markets , as well as the cable news service NewsNation.
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“Nexstar continues to manipulate loopholes to exceed the national ownership cap of 39% and has made public statements praising its 68% reach across all US television households,” DirecTV said.
Both companies added that they are in talks to return Nexstar programming to DirecTV and hope for a quick resolution.
DirecTV, which is 70% owned by AT&T, sued Irving, Texas-based broadcaster Nexstar in March, alleging that it violated antitrust laws by planning to levy retransmission fees on channels broadcasting by the big four networks to drive up.
The lawsuit concerned an order preventing Nexstar from allegedly working with Mission Broadcasting Inc. and White Knight Broadcasting Inc. in fee negotiations with DirecTV.
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