Altice and Nexstar Point Fingers for Blackout
Altice USA and Nexstar are blaming one another for a blackout that saw Nexstar stations go dark on Altice's channel lineup Friday. Altice said Nexstar is "using an anti-consumer negotiation tactic" of tying local channels to carriage of NewsNation, despite…
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the Nexstar cable network having "essentially no viewership." Nexstar said Altice removed 63 stations in 42 markets and dropped NewsNation, "demanding special terms that are wildly out of step with both our longstanding relationship and the cable television marketplace." Nexstar said MSG Network going dark on Altice earlier this month signals "a regular pattern of behavior for Altice." In a statement Monday, New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) urged MSG and Altice "to work together to reach a fair, final agreement so New Yorkers can get back to rooting for the home teams.” James said she "will be monitoring this situation closely to ensure New York customers receive the services they are paying for."