DirecTV has appealed to two station groups, Mission Broadcasting and White Knight Broadcasting, proposing that a retrans battle that has resulted in the blackout of 27 local outlets be shelved until after the Nov. 8 midterm elections.
“DirecTV has a standing offer to both Mission and White Knight, strongly urging the two broadcasters to return all stations immediately to impacted DirecTV customers in 25 Nielsen DMAs,” DirecTV said in a statement. ”In return, DirecTV will pay Mission and White Knight whatever higher retransmission consent rates the parties eventually agree upon retroactively to the date the signals are reinstated.”
Twenty-five Mission affiliates were pulled off DirecTV satellite, DirecTV Stream and U-verse TV late last week amid failing negotiations for a new broadcast retransmission agreement. And two more outlets in Texas owned by White Knight met a similar fate earlier this month.
Both station groups are operated under contract by much larger Nexstar Media Group, which also currently has a blackout going on Verizon Fios TV.
“This is a critical time in American political life,” DirecTV added. “We are less than two weeks from one of the most important Congressional midterm elections in American history, and gubernatorial elections in 36 states. The results of this midterm will have a profound impact on some of the most important political, public health and economic issues of our time.”
Mission has yet to comment on its KeepMyStation portal.
Of course, with some estimates pegging midterm advertising spending to surpass $10 billion, it's an important time for the bottom lines of broadcasters, pay TV operators and anyone else in the business of selling local TV ad time. ■
