WTAJ-TV dropped from DirecTV
Nexstar pulls stations during dispute
DirecTV subscribers are no longer able to view WTAJ-TV programming.
More than 120 Nexstar Media stations in 97 markets nationwide — including WTAJ-TV — went dark on AT&T’s DirecTV, DirecTV Now and AT&T U-verse when the companies’ current contract expired at midnight July 4.
Nexstar said it had offered to extend the existing retransmission-fee contract to Aug. 2, but AT&T refused.
“The only conclusion that can be drawn from DirecTV/AT&T’s refusal to accept Nexstar’s offer of an extension is that rather than working on behalf of their subscribers, AT&T-DirecTV continues to raise prices while reducing channels and content offerings,” Nexstar said in a release.
AT&T, meanwhile, said Nexstar rejected a sweetened offer and “elected to remove them from your lineups instead, putting you in the middle of its negotiations,” it said in a note to subscribers.
AT&T said on a website devoted to the dispute that “Nexstar pulls or threatens to pull their stations from the customers of TV providers to increase fees for stations far beyond their value. They’ve done it to Cox Cable, DISH, and Charter Spectrum, and now they’re doing it to us.”
AT&T said Nexstar is “demanding the largest increase that AT&T has ever seen from any content provider.”
Both companies signaled that they would like to resolve the blackout shortly.