Dueling Ads Point Fingers Over Blackouts

The two sides in the runnng battle over retransmission consent reform took their respective cases to lawmakers this week with ads in publications that cater to Congress. The American Television Alliance used Politico to advocate for cable providers with an ad saying that “Summer’s over, but broadcasters haven’t put away their flip-flops.” The ad features two quotes that ATVA contends shows how broadcasters have flip-flopped on retrans over the years.

The NAB’s ad states that Time Warner Cable, Dish Network and DirecTV are responsible for nine out of 10 of all retransmission consent disruptions. The ad ran Tuesday and today in Communications Daily and Politico to coincide with the hearings being held by the House Communications Subcommittee on extending STELA, the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act. In it, NAB says: “Agreements that have worked for all the other guys don’t fly with these big three TV providers, who put their political agendas before viewers to encourage government intervention in a free market process.”

Broadcast industry competitors are making pitches for relief as Congress considers another extension of STELA, which gives satellite companies copyright clearance to retransmit distant TV signals. STELA has emerged as a prime industry target for retransmission consent reform.

NAB disputes carriers’ claims, with attorney Gerald Waldron testifying: “A change in the law that would permit a satellite carrier to import a distant signal — not based on need, but to gain unfair market leverage in a retransmission consent dispute — would be contrary to decades of congressional policy aimed to promote localism.”