Comcast’s NBCUniversal unit called a lawsuit challenging NBC’s plan to move its affiliation in Boston from Sunbeam Televison’s WHDH “meritless.”
Sunbeam filed suit against Comcast Thursday charging that the cable company was seeking to force viewers in the Boston market to subscribe to cable to get NBC programming in violation of its contract and an agreement with the FCC.
“NBC has had a long, mutually successful relationship with Sunbeam, which is expiring under the agreed-upon terms of WHDH’s affiliation contract at the end of the year. We are disappointed that Sunbeam has chosen to file this meritless lawsuit, and that it has chosen to do so by constructing baseless claims against our parent company,” an NBCUniversal spokesperson said.
“Rest assured that we will continue to deliver Boston-area viewers the best local news, weather and information along with the NBC news, sports and entertainment programming they already enjoy,” NBCU added. “With the extensive investments we’ve made and will continue to make in our over-the-air service, we will have the best television broadcast offerings in the region, with two major broadcast network stations – NBC Boston and Telemundo Boston – that can reach over-the-air viewers throughout the Boston region in both English and Spanish, as well as a 24x7 cable news network – necn – that reaches viewers throughout New England.”
