WCVB-TV, Boston’s Channel 5, announced Saturday that it may no longer be carried by DIRECTV starting January 1 if the two parties can not come to an agreement on the ongoing retransmission negotiations.
Translation — WCVB to DIRECTV: “show me the money.”
By law, satellite television distributors can only carry stations with their consent. WCVB is the Boston ABC affiliate, and it’s parent company, Hearst Television Inc., has been lodged in discussions with DIRECTV over extending an agreement that grants those permission, which expires at the end of the year.
“We believe that we and DIRECTV can conclude our negotiations before January 1st so as not to deprive any of our respective viewers and customers of our programming,” said WCVB president and general manager Bill Fine, in a statement released Saturday that appears to turn the screws on DIRECTV. “However, we want to advise our viewers and customers that the possibility of non-renewal of our current agreement exists.”
Hearst owns 29 televisions stations across the country.
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