Fox says that DirecTV is threatening to pull the plug on its national
and regional cable networks on Nov. 1 unless a new carriage fee
agreement can be reached.
In a statement on a site set up by the
satellite provider, DirecTV CEO Mike White says that Fox parent News
Corp. "has demanded that DirecTV customers pay nearly 40% more for the
same channels they already received. If a new deal is not reached, we
will be forced to suspend the channels as early as Nov. 1."
White adds that "we respectfully ask for your patience as we work to achieve a fair agreement as quickly as possible."
Fox,
in a press release, said that "DirecTV sent us a proposal on Tuesday
afternoon. They have given us no chance to respond before taking an
unnecessarily aggressive posture and going public. It is disappointing
that they have chosen bad faith tactics over meaningful negotiation."
Fox
says it has proposed to allow DirecTV to continue to carry its networks
for the current price and terms while negotiations continue.
"Unfortunately, DirecTV has decided that unless they get their way, they
are going to pull the plug on their customers Nov. 1."
The
networks affected include FX, National Geographic Channel, Speed, Fuel
TV, Fox Soccer, Fox Soccer Plus, Fox Movie Channel, Fox Deportes and the
19 Fox regional sports networks.
