American Television Alliance Statement on the Introduction of the “Stop Sports Blackout Act” in Congress

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Television Alliance (ATVA) issued a statement in response to the introduction of the “Stop Sports Blackout Act” in Congress by Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).

“We agree it’s outrageous when big broadcasters unilaterally remove channels from TV lineups, blacking out content from consumers and depriving paying customers of critical local news coverage, sporting events and entertainment programming,” said ATVA spokesperson Hunter Wilson. “While well-intentioned, this bill will only raise prices for consumers. Blackouts are the result of networks and other big programmers holding their channels for ransom to force pay-tv providers into higher-priced programming deals. Requiring pay-tv providers to pay rebates will only encourage big broadcasters to further increase prices at a time when retransmission consent fees are at record highs.”

The broken retransmission consent system has led to nearly a thousand TV blackouts in the last decade. 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To learn more about outdated broadcast regulations and their impact on the American consumer, visit  https://americantelevisionalliance.org/about-the-issue/.