Newsmax fans will not be the only DirecTV customers cut off in the Albany region of New York state this Super Bowl Sunday.
Earlier this week, DirecTV notified subscribers in the New York capital city area they will be blacked out from watching the biggest football game of the year.
Mission Broadcasting, owner of about two dozen Fox affiliates, including WXXA-TV in Albany, and AT&T's DirecTV are locked in a financial dispute that isn't expected to be solved before the kick-off in the big game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs, The Times Union reported.
DirecTV customers call toll free at 877-763-9762 to complain, demand Newsmax is returned! Oppose censorship – sign The Petition – Click Here
Mission insists DirecTV does not pay them enough for broadcast rights.
As a result, the company, which owns about two dozen Fox affiliates nationwide, including in Providence, Rhode Island; Little Rock, Arkansas; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Abilene, Texas; and Erie, Pennsylvania, among others, have been blacked out since last year, when the carriage fee dispute started.
The situation echoes the standoff between DirecTV and Newsmax.
The satellite provider deplatformed Newsmax on Jan. 24, after the network sought carriage fees of approximately $1 per cable subscriber per year, among the lowest requested fees in cable television.
Some customers from Mission's Fox affiliates got a form email from the company telling them they don't know when the standoff will stop, and apologizing "for the frustration and inconvenience” caused by DirecTV’s blackout.
Mission responded they are only seeking the same fees all other major cable providers pay them.
"We are merely seeking the same fair agreement that we have come to with other cable, satellite, and telco providers for the high-quality programming we provide," the letter from Mission Broadcasting says, also urging customers to "please make sure that DirecTV knows how you feel."
DirecTV spokesman Thomas Tyrer drew a comparison between Mission to OPEC and accused the company of squeezing money out of a shrinking audience by tightening supply.
DirecTV reported profits of $2.7 billion last year. But customers continue to leave the satellite provider, with more than 5 million subscribers moving to other cable and satellite systems in the past several years.
Actions to Take Now
1. DirecTV customers call toll free at 877-763-9762 to complain, demand Newsmax is back on air!
2. Call your congressman or senator at 202-224-3121 and demand they stop AT&T/DirecTV's censorship of NEWSMAX — ask them to give you a date on the hearings!
3. Go to our online petition and get more info: iWantNewsmax.com.
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