American Television Alliance Statement on Cox Media Group Blackout for DIRECTV, U-verse Customers

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Television Alliance (ATVA) issued a statement in response to Cox Media Group’s (Cox) blackout of 12 stations in 9 metro areas for DIRECTV, DIRECTV STREAM, and U-verse customers that could cost NFL fans in Seattle and Dayton, OH their usual access to Sunday’s Super Bowl.

“DIRECTV has remained at the negotiating table, but Cox’s blackout will impact DIRECTV, DIRECTV STREAM, and U-verse customers who rely on access to their local news stations and NFL coverage ahead of the Super Bowl,” said ATVA spokesperson Cora Mandy. “This blackout represents more of the same predatory tactics from Cox’s playbook—who have blacked out Dish subscribers for over a year, and also blacked out DIRECTV channels during the last renewal negotiation in 2021 only to restore them hours before the Super Bowl.”

Timing is everything in retransmission consent disputes, and it should not be surprising that the blackout season always coincides with football season. Broadcasters can exploit their territorial exclusivities to deprive viewers of major live events to ensure hundreds of millions of dollars in guaranteed retransmission consent revenue.

This broken retransmission consent system led to over 200 blackouts in 2023 alone. ATVA stands ready to work with Congress to modernize dated regulations that turn sizeable profits for big 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To learn more about outdated broadcast regulations and their impact on the American consumer, visit https://americantelevisionalliance.org/about-the-issue/.