ATVA Decries Cox/DirecTV Blackout; Cox Says AT&T Unreasonable
A blackout of Cox local stations on AT&T's DirecTV in 20 markets, including five where a blackout could jeopardize Super Bowl viewing, demonstrates that broadcasters "intentionally cause maximum disruption and harm for consumers in order to extract exorbitant fees," the…
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American TV Alliance said Wednesday. Cox said the blackout came Tuesday after AT&T opted not to "reach a fair and reasonable deal." Local stations in 16 states are affected. AT&T said it's "disappointed Cox Media Group and Wall Street financier Apollo Global Management have intentionally put our customers into the middle of a private business matter. Broadcasters like Cox gin up these contrived blackouts at the precise time it hurts their viewers the most, extract higher fees, and then use their own news outlets to try to intentionally mislead people and skirt any accountability for their relentless and unwarranted price-gouging. That’s a shameless violation of the public trust -- especially from a local news provider during a global pandemic."