As the retransmission consent dispute between Hearst Television and DirecTV closes its third day, the chances are growing dimmer that a quick resolution is near.
About 33 Hearst stations in 26 markets went dark to DirecTV subscribers at midnight on Jan. 1 after the parties could not reach a retransmission consent agreement.
On Tuesday the broadcaster claimed it is making every effort to make its team available for talks, including over the holiday weekend.
“However, we’ve been thwarted by what appears to be a strategy of unrealistic proposals and outright delay by a national distributor that does not seek to serve their subscribers or local communities,” Hearst said on its station websites. “Unfortunately, our viewers are the ones who suffer from DirecTV’s delay campaign. Nonetheless, Hearst Television will continue its good faith efforts to reach a deal that is both fair for our viewers and recognizes the value that our stations have invested into local news and programming. We hope DirecTV will share our sense of urgency in getting our programming back to their subscribers.”
DirecTV officials weren’t immediately available for comment. But in the past the company has said it wants to return the stations to its lineup, but that it is Hearst that is making undue demands.
