KFMB-CHANNEL 8 BLACKOUT FOR DIRECTV, U-VERSE USERS
CBS affiliate in dispute with AT&T over retransmission fees; Sunday’s Chargers game could be unavailable
Due to a lingering dispute over retransmission fees, CBS affiliate KFMB-Channel 8 and the CW have been blacked out for AT&T UVerse and DirecTV subscribers in San Diego County, as well as 50 other markets nationwide.
The blackout officially began Tuesday after negotiations broke down between AT&T and Tegna — the owner of KFMB/CW in San Diego. Tegna operates 64 stations in 51 cities across the country.
The impasse means U-Verse/ DirecTV subscribers could lose access to the NFL game between the Los Angeles Chargers and New
England Patriots, which will be broadcast Sunday on CBS.
Retransmission disputes between pay-TV providers and local station owners are fairly common. Most are resolved within days of a station rescinding rights to rebroadcast its signal.
The rhetoric surrounding this dispute, however, doesn’t portend a quick resolution.
In a statement posted on its website, KFMB accused AT&T, which owns U-Verse and DirecTV, of “taking away your access to your favorite CBS programming, including NFL football, SEC college football” and local news.
The station said U-Verse and DirecTV subscribers should consider switching to a different pay-TV provider.
“KFMB has agreements in place with all of the video providers in our area, including DISH, Cox, and Spectrum,” the statement said. “Unfortunately, DirecTV and AT&T U-Verse have refused to reach fair, market-based agreements with us, which is why our station is not currently available.”
The station said blackedout subscribers can get local news updates on KFMB’s website and mobile app, as well access certain programs through streaming services such as YouTube TV — fierce competitors for pay-TV providers.
U-Verse/DirecTV pointed subscribers to a website that claims KFMB and its parent are attempting to extract additional rebroadcast fees to make up for advertising declines.
“As stations like KFMBCBS/CW lose viewers and sponsors, many will resort to blacking out popular local sports teams or key CBS and CW shows at the worst possible time to try to get more money regardless of their popularity or commitment to the local community,” according to AT&T.
“It’s shameless profiteering at the public expense and worse during a global pandemic when medical news is at a premium and regular folks are struggling to make ends meet.”
U-Verse/DirecTV said viewers can watch KFMB and CW for free over the air using a digital TV antenna or external antenna.
In addition, AT&T said CBS Sports sometimes streams live sports at cbssports.com and on the CBS Sports mobile app. It is unclear whether the Chargers game will be available online in San Diego.