Nexstar, Verizon Fios Reach Deal To End Two-Week Blackout

By Jon Lafayette
( Broadcasting & Cable )
last updated

Dispute impacted 3 million subscribers in 10 markets

Nexstar
(Image credit: Nexstar)

Nexstar Media Group said it reached a new multi-year retransmission consent agreement with Verizon Fios, ending a two-week blackout.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The dispute impacted more than 3 million subscribers in 10 markets, according to Nexstar.

Also: Nexstar Risks $6.7 Million Per Month in Lost Fees During Fios Blackout

Also being restored to Fios subscribers is Nexstar's cable news network NewsNation.

"We're pleased that our customers' programming will be restored and that we can continue delivering content they enjoy," Verizon Fios said in a statement.

The agreement will ensure that Verizon subscribers won't miss a moment of Major League Baseball's World Series, which begins Friday, or any of this weekend's college and NFL football games, Nexstar noted.

Nexstar's stations also add distribution as midterm election races reach an end. Political advertising is generating millions of dollars for local station groups. ■

Jon Lafayette
Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.