DirecTV service loses access to 159 local Nexstar stations

More than 10 million DirecTV subscribers have lost local TV stations owned by Nexstar, in the latest high-profile carriage dispute to permeate the pay-TV business.

The latest battle is between DirecTV, the satellite TV giant, and Nexstar, the local TV giant that owns some 159 TV stations across the country. Nexstar said Sunday that its channels went dark on DirecTV and its streaming multichannel product DirecTV Stream after the companies failed to come to terms on a new deal.

The impacted stations include affiliates for all the major broadcast networks, as well as The CW, which Nexstar acquired last year. It also includes NewsNation, the cable news channel operated by Nexstar.

The timing is unfortunate, with Nexstar warning that DirecTV subscribers may miss the MLB All Star Game or Women’s World Cup due to the dispute. Nexstar says that it was asking for the same rates that it has negotiated with other distribution partners.

DirecTV, in a statement of its own, said that Nexstar was demanding price increases, as well as asking that DirecTV carry The CW “and low-rated channels” in its lineup. The company also noted prior carriage disputes that involved Nexstar.

Of course, DirecTV has had high-profile carriage disputes of its own in the last year, including with the conservative cable channel Newsmax and with Fox Corp.

“Nexstar remains hopeful that a resolution can be reached quickly to return to viewers their favorite network programming, live sporting events, in-depth local news and other local content relevant to their communities, as well as critical emergency updates for which DirecTV is charging its subscribers,” the company said. The Hollywood Reporter