ATVA Launches Campaign Against Apollo-Cox Super Bowl Blackout: “Don’t Let Wall Street Black Out Main Street”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Television Alliance (ATVA) released the following statement Friday announcing the launch of an advertising campaign against an egregious broadcast blackout of Cox Media Group stations owned by private equity giant Apollo Global Management.

“Consumers who won’t be able to watch the big game this weekend and who are losing access to their local news deserve to know greedy Wall Street fat cats are behind this broadcast blackout,” said ATVA spokeswoman Jessica Kendust. “ATVA’s campaign will help ensure consumers know this blackout is a contrived tactic being used by Wall Street giant Apollo Global Management to hold the Super Bowl hostage in order to boost their bottom line.”

“Our campaign asks consumers to help stop this egregious service interruption by telling Apollo and their Cox stations not to let Wall Street black out Main Street,” Kendust continued. “We also hope policymakers in Washington are taking notice of Apollo and Cox’s behavior and will advance consumer- first television reforms to crack down on this type of egregious price-gouging.”

ATVA’s advertising campaign will target five media markets impacted by the Apollo-Cox blackout as well as Washington, D.C. Markets impacted by the blackout include Seattle, Washington; Yuma, Arizona; Eureka, California; Greenville, Mississippi; and Dayton, Ohio.

Read ATVA’s filing with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on the Apollo-Cox blackout HERE.

Read more on the Apollo-Cox blackout holding the Super Bowl hostage HERE.

Read more on Cox Media Group’s recent blackouts and history of targeting the Super Bowl with blackouts to price-gouge consumers HERE.

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The American Television Alliance (ATVA) brings together an unprecedented coalition of consumer groups, cable, satellite, telephone companies, and independent programmers to raise awareness about the risk TV viewers face as broadcasters increasingly threaten service disruptions that would deny viewers access to the programs they and their families enjoy.