DirecTV and Tegna have ended their standoff.
The television provider and media company announced a new multiyear distribution agreement Saturday, ending a six-week standoff over what DirecTV must pay to carry Tegna's 64 television stations. This means fans of soccer, late-night TV and local news in many cities across the U.S. can now watch their favorite shows again.
All of the stations' programming will immediately be returned to customers of the DirecTV satellite service, the DirecTV Stream streaming service and the U-verse service over fiber optic connections, the companies said in a joint news release. “DIRECTV and TEGNA greatly appreciate the patience of their subscribers and viewers,” the companies said.
Tegna channels are available in 51 markets and reach approximately 39% of all television households nationwide, the company said. Networks include many NBC and CBS networks, as well as several Fox networks, all of which carry NFL playoffs. Up to 5 million DirecTV customers were reportedly affected, The Athletic reported.
Events missed during the impasse include several weeks of college and NFL football games, including “Sunday Night Football” on NBC and shows like “The Late Night Show With Stephen Colbert” on CBS.
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Dispute between DirectTV and Tegna resolved
Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, sent a letter to both companies on Thursday asking Tegna and DirecTV's parent company AT&T to end the blackouts so Cleveland Browns fans could watch their team's playoff game on Saturday. “During this season and at this time, it is unacceptable that Browns fans are unable to see their team play in the playoffs – their first playoff game in three years – due to a business dispute,” he said in the letter.
How much Brown's request helped is unknown, but the argument ended about two hours before Saturday's game began.
In addition to Cleveland, Tegna has stations in Atlanta, Buffalo, Charlotte, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Knoxville, Tennessee, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Phoenix, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa and Washington, DC
Brown's call is a good sign, Phil Swann, editor of TVAnswerman.com, said in a post on statements unless they know a deal is near.
Although many television viewers watch television via streaming services, there are still tens of millions of households that subscribe to video from traditional pay-TV providers.
But the changing landscape has continued to spark disputes over how much the networks' shows are worth compared to pay-TV services. DirecTV and Tegna had a similar standoff in 2020. In September 2023, DirecTV settled a dispute with Nexstar broadcasters. Tegna also had a dispute with Dish Network in 2022.
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