CENTRAL NEW YORK — ABC affiliates NewsChannel 9 (WSYR-TV Syracuse) and WUTR 20 Utica have been removed from DirecTV's satellite TV service as a result of a dispute with station owner Nexstar Media Group.
The dispute over retransmission fees also involves NewsNation, the 24/7 cable news channel Nexstar launched in 2021 after acquiring the former WGN America.
Cord Cutters News reports DirecTV lost the rights to retransmit over 150 local Nexstar stations as of 7pm Sunday. This, after a previous retransmission agreement expired. Nexstar says it offered to extend the existing agreement to October 31, but DirecTV declined.
DirecTV claims Nexstar wants to unreasonably hike retransmission fees. Nexstar claims it simply wants DirecTV to agree to the same terms it has successfully reached with "more than 500 distribution partners" over the past 3 years.
It's not good news for viewers live in rural areas where neither over-the-air reception nor cable TV are available. Dish Network, the only major satellite alternative to DirecTV, lost Nexstar stations earlier this year in a similar dispute that's yet to be resolved.