Prior to the programming deadline, Fox Corp. and DirecTV struggle to reach a “fair agreement”
DirecTV users may experience a Fox blackout starting on Dec. 2 when a carriage deal between the companies expires.
Fox on Sunday started broadcasting a crawl across some of its channels informing viewers that if the corporation can’t come to a “fair arrangement” with DirecTV by midnight on December 2, some of their “favourite Fox content” may no longer be available. Fox and DirecTV are still in intensive negotiations before their carriage agreement expires.
“Fox remains committed to reaching a fair agreement with DirecTV for the continued distribution of our networks,” the company said in a statement on Sunday. “Despite our best efforts for months, we regret that DirecTV continues to demand unprecedented special treatment that represents a wholesale change to our long-standing relationship and is out of step with marketplace terms.”
The NFL, the Big Ten College Football Championship, the FIFA World Cup on Fox and FS1, Fox local news, and other programs would no longer be available if discussions failed, according to Fox, which claimed that it felt necessary to warn fans.
“While Fox continues to seek an agreement benefiting all parties, our priority is ensuring viewers’ ability to access all Fox Sports, Fox Entertainment, and local Fox station programming,” the network continued its statement. The company concluded by encouraging DirecTV subscribers to visit KeepFox.com, a website that tells subscribers how they can contact the cable network in order to keep their channels.
Similar circumstances arose in October when Fox and Altice cable networks could not agree on prices. Another significant carriage battle between Dish Network and Disney-owned channels like ABC, ESPN, and FX preceded that one, and it happened not long after.