American Television Alliance Slams Deltavision Media’s TV Blackout That Strips Verizon Customers of Essential Local Programming

Deltavision Media’s Greed-Driven Bargaining Cuts Off Viewers From Local News, Weather and Entertainment Programming in Syracuse, New York

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Television Alliance (ATVA) today condemned Deltavision Media after the company pulled its WSYT FOX affiliate and MyNetworkTV station from Verizon programming lineups in Syracuse, N.Y., leaving thousands of consumers unable to access essential local news, weather and entertainment.

“Deltavision Media has chosen a stunning debut in the broadcasting business: benching nearly 20,000 consumers to demand an unprecedented retrans rate hike,” said ATVA spokesman Hunter Wilson. “This is exactly the kind of marketplace abuse that underscores the need for retransmission consent reform. Consumers should not be used as leverage chips in fee disputes – especially when the stakes include access to critical local news coverage.”

The TV blackout, triggered by Deltavision Media’s demand for an exorbitant rate hike – one of the steepest Verizon has ever seen – cuts off access to local programming that viewers are already paying for. As a result, thousands of households across the Syracuse, N.Y. market are unable to watch local news, weather forecasts, emergency alerts and other regular programming they rely on every day.

For decades, broadcasters have been charging cable and satellite providers and their customers to access local stations, forcing the removal of channels from TV lineups and blacking out content until TV providers agree to pay more. When blackouts finally end, consumers get their programming back, but often at a higher cost.

Since 2010, broadcasters have levied more than 2,500 TV blackouts and increased retransmission consent fees by an overwhelming 2,000 percent. American consumers continue to pay the price for outdated regulations that allow broadcasters to weaponize TV blackouts, deliberately targeting live sports, local news and other popular TV.

ATVA stands ready to work with Congress to modernize dated regulations that turn sizable profits for broadcasters at the expense of consumers. To learn more about outdated broadcast regulations and their impact on the American consumer, visit https://americantelevisionalliance.org/about-the-issue/.