EL SEGUNDO, Calif. & IRVING, Texas—Following a decision to temporarily end the blackout of Nexstar stations on Sept. 17 so fans could watch Sunday NFL games, DirecTV and Nexstar Media Group have announced a comprehensive new multi-year distribution agreement covering 176 Nexstar-owned local television stations and the company’s national cable news network, NewsNation.
This follows the return of the television stations and NewsNation to DirecTV, DirecTV Stream and U-verse on the morning of Sept. 17.
Terms of the agreements were not disclosed.
The stations originally went dark on July 2, when they were unable to reach an agreement.
Bill Morrow, CEO of DirecTV noted that “on Sept. 17, 2023, we began to return Nexstar-owned stations and NewsNation to DirecTV, DirecTV Stream and U-verse customers, and have since finalized a new, multi-year agreement with Nexstar. Unfortunately, over the past decade-plus access to your programming has become a battleground for networks and stations to try to drive up higher rates. As our customers, we recognize that while you may be able to access some programming over-the-air or on a streaming service during these periods, that is not the experience you expect. We understand you have a choice among your TV providers and appreciate your ongoing loyalty during this renewal. That’s what will enable us to offer you more choice, personalization, and further value in future programming you pay to receive in your home. DirecTV and Nexstar greatly appreciate the patience of their subscribers and viewers during this negotiation.”
DirecTV is still involved in a carriage dispute with the 27 stations in 25 metro regions that owned by White Knight and Mission Broadcasting and are not covered by this agreement. They have been unavailable on satellite, streaming and IPTV services since mid-October of last year. DirecTV has filed a federal anti-trust suit and FCC complaints claiming that Nexstar, which manages those stations, is preventing a deal, charges that Nexstar denies.
