WKYC (Channel 3) goes dark for now on DirecTV services, including U-Verse
It shouldn’t have been a surprise in today’s entertainment environment, but TEGNA and DirecTV, which includes DirecTV Stream and U-Verse, were unable to come to terms on a new carriage agreement thus allowing stations to go dark across the TV services.
For Northeast Ohio customers, that means no access to WKYC (Channel 3) and NBC programming including shows such as “Today,” “NBC Nightly News” and sports, including “Sunday Night Football.”
Of course, each side in the dispute blamed the other.
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“Despite months of effort, DIRECTV has refused to reach a fair, market-based agreement with TEGNA. As a result, DIRECTV and AT&T U-Verse customers will lose access to NFL and college football conference championship games, as well as some of the most popular national network programming and top-rated local news,” a spokeswoman said in a prepared statement. “We urge DIRECTV to continue to negotiate with us until a deal is reached that restores our stations to their customers.”
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DirecTV said in a statement that TEGNA has demanded double-digit annual rate increases in its latest agreement.
“It’s disappointing, but certainly not surprising, that TEGNA is just the latest to perpetuate what’s become the status quo for American broadcasters by using its territorial exclusivities and blackouts to extort ever-increasing rates for programming that remains free over-the-air,” said Rob Thun, chief content officer of DIRECTV in a prepared statement. “We just can’t do this anymore–these price increases are unsustainable for the average consumer. It’s a badly broken model that erodes trust, eliminates choice, and keeps delving deeper into the wallets of our already overtaxed customers.”
TV services have been battered in recent years by cord cutting as people turn to other means – primarily streaming – to get their entertainment shows.
In 2016, DirecTV had more than 21 million customers. Not including DirecTV Stream and U-Verse, that number is down to approximately 12 million as of this past August. The service lost 750,000 viewers alone in the first half of this year, according to reports.
When might there be movement between the parties?
Customers might want to dig in for the long haul. DirecTV’s dispute with Nexstar, which owns Fox 8 (WJW Channel 8), lasted most of the summer and wasn’t resolved until after the football season began.
Where does this leave consumers?
For those looking for NBC programming locally, WKYC can be viewed on NBC's streaming app Peacock or depending on location and the television owned, picking the station up over-the-air is entirely reasonable.
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This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: WKYC (Channel 3) goes dark for now on DirecTV services
