DirecTV Now Has the Largest Local-Station Blackout in History. Don’t Expect It to Last

In news that’s roughly as surprising as the SAG-AFTRA vs. AMPTP extension (which is to say, not at all) Nexstar stations have gone dark across DirecTV’s satellite, cable, and streaming systems after failing to reach a new carriage agreement. Even less of a shock: Nexstar and DirecTV will come to a deal in time for football — or even, for fútbol.

Where DirecTV vs. Nexstar 2023 is atypical is in its scope. With 159 local-TV stations in its portfolio (over 200, when you count its partner stations), Nexstar has the biggest broadcast footprint in the country. (The FCC says a company cannot have more than 39 percent of the market, but there are workarounds.)

That makes this local-TV blackout the largest in the nation’s history. As of Monday, Nexstar’s cable-news channel NewsNation is down on DirecTV platforms nationwide. Ditto any CBS, NBC, Fox, ABC, or The CW station controlled by Nexstar.

The beef is simple and typical: Nexstar wants more money for its channels, DirecTV believes they’re asking too much. While the timeline for a new carriage deal has not officially been extended (Nexstar says it offered), this moment should be considered part of the negotiating process. The old guard holding out for what could be one last great deal has become increasingly common in the streaming era.

While broadcast TV may feel as antiquated as a satellite dish, these carriage fees still carry value via sports and news. A giant company like Nexstar, which operates multiple Big 4 broadcast networks (CBS, NBC, Fox, and ABC) in dozens of markets, provides both.

As this morning’s Nexstar press release was quick to reference, the MLB All-Star Game is July 11 and the Women’s World Cup kicks off July 20. The NFL preseason is not far behind: The Hall of Fame Game, the annual preseason opener, is August 3. The NFL’s regular season starts September 7.

If Nexstar controlled your local Fox station, for example, you’d miss the MLB All-Star Game and the Women’s World Cup. If your NBC channel was in Nexstar’s portfolio, you’d miss “Sunday Night Football” presentations, which include the openers. DirecTV, which would feel the brunt of the backlash, would guide impacted customers to the Fox app and Peacock, respectively, and issue a credit for the inconvenience.

While we probably won’t get to that point, there is precedent beyond the posturing. Nexstar went dark on Dish during the 2020 NFL season (December 2-24) and on Verizon in the 2022 (October 15-28) season. DirecTV blacked out TDS Broadcasting during the 2020 season (October 2-7) and Cox in the 2021 season (January 28-February 2).