Claims of Retransmission Consent Crisis 'Based on Pure Fiction,' NAB Says
Morgan Murphy Media negotiated 35 retransmission consent contracts in 2015 without interruptions and with a small number of extensions, the broadcaster with four TV stations said in a letter NAB released Wednesday. Two negotiations in the year resulted in blackouts…
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-- one with an identified rural cable operator and the other with Dish Network, both of which have since been resolved, Morgan Murphy said. Pointing to that broadcaster, plus numerous other instances of broadcasters completing retrans deals -- typically with no disruptions and those disruptions generally being short lived -- NAB in a statement said retrans talks "are successfully concluded on nearly every occasion with no drama and no disruption of service" and that American TV Alliance assertions of a crisis in retrans matters are "based on pure fiction." ATVA has said the number of TV blackouts is up substantially over the past five years (see 1602120020).