Unsuccessful Retrans Talks With Cox Could Lead to Blackout, Nexstar Says
Cox Communications subscribers in nine markets are facing a blackout of local and network programming this week as retransmission consent negotiations between Cox and Nexstar have been unsuccessful, Nexstar said in a news release Monday. The blackout is scheduled to…
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start just before midnight Friday, and follows five months of negotiations between the two, Nexstar said. It said it "regrets that Cox Communications is willing to hold its paying subscribers hostage because it won’t agree to fair and reasonable terms for viewers’ favorite network, local news and community-focused programming, as well as other critical information and emergency service updates we provide that is relevant to local community viewers." In a statement, Cox said it's "committed to keeping our customers connected to what they care about most and ensuring they receive the most value from any of our services. Nexstar is threatening to withhold its signals unless Cox agrees to pay three times the current rate and we don’t think that’s reasonable. This is the second time this month that stations owned or managed by Nexstar have targeted Cox customers for increased retransmission fees. In fact, Nexstar is now asking for even more than the agreement we just reached with them for stations they manage." Nexstar said the potentially affected markets are Panama City, Florida; Baton Rouge and Lafayette, Louisiana; Fort Smith/Fayetteville, Arkansas; Joplin, Missouri/Pittsburg, Kansas; Las Vegas; Phoenix; Roanoke/Lynchburg, Virginia; and Springfield, Missouri.