Fox Networks and DirecTV have been engaged in carriage fee negotiations. Because of this Fox owned-and-operated local stations have been removed from both DirecTV and AT&T TV since October 1, 2021. This is so for the program’s viewers across several major markets in the country that rely on these services.
What Happened?
In other words, Fox and DirecTV could not agree on a new contract for distribution since the earlier one had ended. Fox wants to regain $2B in increased carriage fees from DirecTV to air Fox Broadcasting, Fox News, FS1, and other networks. However, DirecTV stated such demands translate to a “double-digit percentage increase of costs” and are outrageous. Due to this dispute, DirecTV’s customers can no longer access Fox channels and the two companies remain deadlocked.
Such kind of situation takes place from time to time in the pay-TV market as content suppliers negotiate with platforms about licensing costs. Fox, and channel owners in general, want to increase the fee they extract from distributors due to the rising programming costs. However, providers resist if those increases appear too high because that creates additional costs for them which are then passed to consumers in the form of increased bills. Such contradictory stances can often result in blackouts until a consensus is reached on the proper course of action.
The only losers in this scenario are the DirecTV customers who have no option but to lose programming of important regional sports and Fox’s prime-time shows during the fall season. This can take a few days or if negotiations slow down more, it might take weeks. Fox and other analysts insist that such leverage exists because Fox broadcasts NFL and MLB postseason games which subscribers would not want to be without, however, DirecTV also has a weakness in this position because by not settling the issue, it is likely to lose a large number of customers.
Which Fox Stations Are Affected by the Blackout?
The blackout on DirecTV is still limited to only the Fox stations that are owned by News Corporation. This includes the following major markets:
- New York
- Los Angeles
- Chicago
- Philadelphia
- Dallas
- San Francisco
- Washington D. C.
- Houston
- Tampa
- Phoenix
Thus, the company retains your local Fox station for now if you reside in the above-mentioned metro areas but not the DirecTV ones. However, in case the negotiations do continue, it cannot be ruled out that Fox could withdraw its signals from other stations in other areas that DirecTV carries. However, the company has to consider the amount of raise in fees it could gain from the show against the grand amount of anger and negativity that it can stir from the viewers. But if enough subscribers dare get away because of this completely missing key sports and entertainment, Fox might be the one to suffer here.
What Do Viewers Miss by Absence of Fox Channel on DirecTV?
Lacking Fox on DirecTV eliminates:
- They include 9-1-1, The Simpsons, Bob’s Burgers, and even the annual Simpsons baseball game.
- Program type: The regional NFL games such as NFC packages
- Season playoffs of MLB including the World Series
- Football College 10, Pac 12
- FIFA World Cup is the most famous international football competition that is played between the national teams of different countries all over the world.
- NASCAR, WWE Smackdown
- News on Fox cable news
Among these, live events would have been almost out of reach of any customer who does not have a rival pay TV provider or streaming service. But, Fox does have apps like Tubi for ad-supported VoD content which does not include all blackout programs.
If you are among the few who would like to know how to get Fox back on DirecTV, here are some helpful tips.
However, as a customer, you are somewhat restricted at this point here. Another thing is that you can sit on a phone and call DirecTV and being angry they will have to change their mind because of all the complaints. However, to overcome such an issue, only the two companies can sit down and sort themselves out to have the service resumed.
As your main options, you would be to either change providers if possible or watch the shows on streaming apps attached to a different live TV subscription. So if you want Fox just for the live sporting event, there are some single-game streaming passes or short-term subscriptions that might be useful in the meantime. However, those avenges will cost you more money rather than getting Fox access you are already paying for through DirecTV.
However, if negotiations reach an impasse for more than a month, maybe you should cut the cord and eliminate DirecTV if the Fox loss is too damaging. Perhaps, switching to a competitor would at least keep important programming while also ‘telling off’ DTV in the process. However, no other provider can be safeguarded against such a type of contract violation in the future as well.
Conclusion
Sadly, blackouts force customers into a battle against two behemoth corporations where viewers are held hostage for this. Fox and DirecTV continue to tangle over contractural financial considerations, with viewers caught in a stalemate and with few options other than waiting it out or changing satellite carriers. Of course, there is a lot at risk now that the sporting events, news, and the fall program line-up are on the line for Fox to be returned on air for DirecTV users shortly. Here’s hoping the two sides can start to come up with some kind of compromise before missing high-demand content starts to pull the rug out from under the viewers.
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