DirecTV

Sinclair Broadcast Group announced Thursday that it reached agreement with DirecTV on a new retransmission consent agreement and “has entered into a short-term extension of its existing agreement in order to allow the parties to enter into a formal agreement.” As a result, DirecTV will continue to carry all the Sinclair stations.

A multimedia public service effort is designed to raise parental awareness of TV and film ratings, parental controls, media literacy and mental health issues.

DirecTV accused Sinclair Broadcast Group of attempting to “frighten” subscribers in 47 markets with its threat to pull 87 stations that carry programming from Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC and other networks unless it agrees to pay increased retransmission consent fees.

Sinclair Broadcast Group has begun to warn DirecTV customers that its 87 stations in 47 markets may go dark on the No. 1 satellite broadcaster after Feb. 28 when their carriage contract expires. “Although DirecTV and Sinclair have been negotiating for quite some time in an effort to reach a new agreement, at this time it does not appear that these efforts will be successful,” Sinclair’s telling viewers in Baltimore.

DirecTV says its programming fees will rise sharply — by nearly 10% this year. In that regard, it will be raising prices to consumers to help defray these costs. In a message to its customers, the satellite TV program distributor says retail prices will climb 4.5% starting in February.

DirecTV is making a slew of networks’ programming available on-demand outside-the-home on multiple devices. Networks included are operated by Viacom (including MTV and Teen Nick) and Scripps Networks (including HGTV and Travel Channel) along with others.

Gannett offers no details, except that it has “reached an agreement” that will enable DirecTV to continue retransmitting signals from its 23 television stations. Gannett had warned viewers that a “signal disruption” was possible if the companies remained at impasse over a new contract Friday night, when the previous deal with DirecTV expired.

DirecTV could lose the right to carry Gannett’s 23 TV stations on Dec. 1 unless the two sides reach a new programming pact by then. The current retransmission consent agreement between the two companies expires at midnight on Friday. Stations affected include several in large cities including Washington, Atlanta and Denver.

Comcast Corp.’s NBCUniversal is wrapping up a new distribution deal with satellite broadcaster DirecTV, people close to the talks said. For NBCUniversal, parent of broadcast networks NBC and Telemundo as well as cable channels CNBC, Bravo, USA and MSNBC, among others, the agreement is the latest in a slew of new distribution contracts with the nation’s largest pay-TV providers.

DirecTV, whose CEO suggested the asking price was indicative of out-of-control carriage fees, has inked a deal to carry the Los Angeles Lakers-focused regional sports network, Time Warner Cable SportsNet. The deal also includes a Spanish-language version.

A possible merger between DirecTV and Dish Network has been on the table for a decade. Dish CEO Charlie Ergen tried to get the job done 10 years ago, only to have it rejected by the feds. Now the idea is back on the table for both groups, and Ergen says this time it could actually pass the federal regulatory test. Though I am typically not a fan of mergers, as they all too often have a way of erasing shareholder value, this could be a great move for both companies, consolidating the satellite industry and launching a new competitive service against its cable and telecom brethren.

DirecTV will launch Time Warner Cable SportsNet and Time Warner Cable Deportes today for all Southern California customers.

Lakers fans are finally getting some good news. Satellite broadcaster DirecTV has struck a deal to carry SportsNet, the Time Warner Cable-owned network that is the new TV home for the Lakers, sources close to the talks say.

A Dish-DirecTV merger may help limit increases in customers’ TV bills, which can top $100 a month, by giving the combined company more leverage in negotiations with TV networks.

A nine-week contract dispute that left DirecTV customers in Spokane, Wash., and North Idaho without programs from the local Fox affiliate has ended.

The Genie has more storage, can be used in more rooms and offers an optional service to recommend shows — pitting it directly against rival Dish’s much-advertised Hopper.

The pact with the satellite distributor covers retransmission consent for CBS-owned stations and continued carriage of Showtime, CBS Sports Network and Smithsonian Channel. Terms of the new deal haven’t been released.

Ion Media Networks today announced a new long-term agreement for Ion Television’s nationwide carriage on DirecTV. The agreement covers the distribution of Ion’s flagship network, Ion Television, on DirecTV’s broad […]

DirecTV CEO Michael White kept the ember of this long-standing idea burning this morning at the Goldman Sachs Annual Communicopia Conference. “Consolidation could be pro-consumer, perhaps,” he told investors, citing, among other things, the soaring programming costs for DirecTV and other pay TV providers.

NEW YORK (AP) — DirecTV is dropping GolTV on Thursday following the network’s loss of rights to Spain’s La Liga soccer league. GolTV had held La Liga rights since the […]

Looking to generate subscribers for its NFL Sunday Ticket, DirecTV is serving as the exclusive sponsor of the new Sports On Earth site for its first month. The deal includes display ads throughout the site and a presence on the front of the USA Today sports section.

Local TV had threatened to pull 21 stations from the satellite service if it couldn’t reach an agreement on retrans fees by midnight tonight. “We are pleased to have reached an agreement with Local TV LLC that we believe is fair and equitable for our customers, who will continue to enjoy Local TV-owned channels without interruption,” said DirecTV said in a statement.

The largest U.S. satellite TV provider lost 52,000 subscribers in the second quarter, but got more revenue because U.S. average revenue per user rose 4.2% to $94.40, compared with an estimate of $93.93.

The OTA Broadcasting-owned Me-TV affiliate is now available on DirecTV ch. 12 in Seattle and Western Washington.

DirecTV’s 20M customers have their MTV — and 16 other Viacom channels — again. The companies said this morning that they’ve resolved their 10-day contract dispute, which took more channels from more consumers than any other fight so far between a pay TV distributor and programmer.

Both companies say they’re not likely to come to an agreement in their carriage conflict any time soon. Viacom issued a resigned-sounding statement on Wednesday afternoon, saying that the standoff could go on “indefinitely.” DirecTV said that the dispute centers on carriage of Viacom’s premium channel, EPIX.

There’s a new crisis in Bikini Bottom. Ratings for Viacom-owned Nickelodeon and other cable channels are sinking fast in a blackout that has kept DirecTV’s 20 million customers from watching SpongeBob Squarepants, Dora the Explorer and other popular shows.

Viacom and DirecTV are still trying to hammer out a new deal that will bring MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and more than a dozen other channels back to the satellite broadcaster. But in between the talks, the two sides are still taking shots at each other.

DirecTV had been telling subscribers they could just watch many Viacom shows for free on its own websites.

The entertainment conglomerate and the satellite TV giant failed to reach a new carriage agreement before midnight Tuesday.

Viacom says in a blog post that DirecTV’s 20 million subscribers could lose its 26 channels — including Nickelodeon, MTV and Comedy Central — at midnight tonight unless there’s more progress in their talks for a new carriage deal.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — DirecTV says it has reduced the programming hours of its 24-hour 3D channel, n3D, due to a shortage of 3D content. The satellite TV provider launched […]

The satellite provider’s CEO, Mike White, points out that his company bought technology similar to Dish’s five years ago but says it hasn’t seen a demand for it yet.

DirecTV CEO Michael White said Friday that the company will continue to be aggressive in pushing back against escalating content fees and won’t shy away from station blackouts in the process.

At some point in the next few years, the NFL will begin negotiating with DirecTV on re-upping the satellite operator’s deal for the Sunday Ticket package. The opportunity to watch out-of-market games has proven to be an extraordinary brand differentiator for DirecTV since its early days in 1994.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — DirecTV Inc. said Tuesday that its first-quarter net income rose 8.5 percent, driven by subscriber growth in Latin America. But the number of subscribers added […]