From staff and wire reports
AT&T has dropped KPIX Channel 5 and other CBS channels from its U-verse and DirecTV systems because of a dispute over how much CBS should pay AT&T in re-transmission fees.
The outage began Saturday (July 20), 16 days after AT&T pulled the plug on 174 Nexstar stations including KRON Channel 4 in a similar payment dispute.
Years ago, TV broadcasters like CBS and KPIX made all of their money from commercials. But today as much as half of the revenue a TV station or network makes comes in the form of fees from cable and satellite services. As those fees increase, the rates consumers pay to subscribe to a cable or satellite service increase, too. That’s led consumers to drop those services in favor of streaming programming. KPIX, KRON and other local channels are also available over the air for free by simply setting up an antenna.
U-verse, a service for cable subscribers, and DirecTV, a satellite service, are both owned by AT&T.
CBS channels that have been blacked out include KPIX 5, KBCW Channel 44, CBS Sports Network and the Smithsonian Channel. The outage is nationwide, affecting about 6.6 million subscribers of DirecTV and U-verse. CBS’ entertainment cable channels — Showtime and Pop — are carried by AT&T under a separate contract and aren’t being blacked out.
Both the television network and AT&T hurled accusations at each other for failure to agree on what CBS is paid for programming.
“We have offered to pay CBS an unprecedented rate increase and the highest fee we currently pay to any major broadcast network group. CBS has refused,” AT&T said in a statement. “We also asked CBS to allow us to sell its CBS All Access streaming service. Again, CBS refused even though CBS already allows our competitors like Roku and Amazon to market that stand-alone offering. The reason for CBS’ refusal is because CBS and other companies that own local CBS affiliates — such as Nexstar, Tribune and Sinclair — want to limit customers’ choices so broadcasters can keep using blackouts to cut off consumer access and inflate their fees. Either way, consumers lose.”
CBS blamed AT&T for the blackout.
“AT&T’s willingness to deprive its customers of valuable content has become routine over the last few weeks and months, and recent negotiations have regularly resulted in carriage disputes, blackouts and popular channels being removed from their service,” CBS Corp. said in a statement to the show business newspaper Variety.
CBS said that while it didn’t want its customers caught in the middle, it is determined to fight for fair value. The network warned that the loss of CBS programming “could last a long time.”
The government occasionally don’t care about us customers. So ain’t it time for them to do something about it?
Maybe it’d be better if the cable companies just dropped stations like Channel 5 altogether and lower our rates. If we want CBS that bad, we can get an antenna. I don’t think this is a crisis.
It was bad enough when they dropped channel 4 and no Dr Phil. But now no Judge Judy! At and T is cruel!
So two channels we like watching have been dropped from our ATT Uverse cable. What is with them anyway. Why don’t they just stop saying they are customer friendly and go away!!!!!
7/22/19 Monday 9:41pm PST
Hello Uverse Consumers/Customers All,
I have (pay for Uverse 400)…I watch channels 3 & 5 (1003 & 1005) regularly. I DVR the shows I want to follow. I pay a hefty monthly fee for the service!
With Uverse no longer able to provide channels 3 & 5 my service is demonstrably diminished and think ATT/Uverse should reduce our monthly service fee retro-actively to the dates the two channels went dark! They are prime national TV channels that carry a great number of popular shows & series.
If I/we can no longer enjoy watching them then our rates must go down! This is not like losing HSN or KTSF or QVC…these two channels carry a great deal of significant programming…a large discounted monthly rate…again…retroactive to when the channels 3 & 5 (1003 & 1005) went dark.
Everyone…EVERYONE should demand a sizeable discount! Call your provider and complain loudly!
Thnx for reading,
Chris S
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Yes we need a sizeable discount
Totally agreed. Why isn’t there an uproar for their stopping the service, esp so abruptly.
Guess I will have to change providers.
I have waited nearly a month for this issue to be resolved. Instead of adding KRON back to our available stations, U Verse has dropped more channels. I am currently looking at what Comcast has to offer since there seems to be no real attempt to resolve this issue. I will be contacting AT&T for a reimbursement for the month that I was not able to use their service.
Simply remember that KPIX, and others, own their content, and should be compensated for third-party access/rebroadcast (since they are making profits by providing, just as one wants a refund with the station goes dark). Then again, all the recent “Super Mergers”, promoted by US government after cancelling some previous anti-trust concerns, are allowing these operators greater control over media distribution, and being directed by fewer/fewer owners (and political interests)