DirecTV, AT&T black out ABC 10 in Sacramento; Dish viewers could soon lose Fox 40
Two major TV services stopped carrying the Sacramento market’s ABC 10 on Tuesday, and a third provider might do the same for Fox 40 later Wednesday, as contract renewal talks with the stations’ parent companies reach their deadlines.
DirecTV and AT&T U-verse customers can no longer access KXTV ABC 10, a Tegna station. And Dish Network may black out KTXL Fox 40 within hours if an agreement isn’t reached with its parent, Nexstar Media Group.
“Unfortunately, DriecTV and AT&T U-Verse have not reached an agreement with Tegna to keep our stations on the air,” Tegna wrote in a Tuesday evening social media post. “As we continue negotiating in good faith, you can watch your Tegna station on other local providers or streaming services.”
DirecTV is a subsidiary of AT&T, but DirecTV and U-verse are separate subscription services.
In Sacramento, ABC 10 remains carried by Comcast and Dish. Fox 40 is accessible on Comcast, AT&T U-verse and DirecTV. Both channels are also available “over-the-air,” but this requires a digital antenna setup.
Affected DirecTV, AT&T U-verse and potentially Dish customers will be unable to view both local and national programming on the channels without an alternative like a digital antenna. This includes newscasts on both stations.
It also includes NFL football carried by Fox. For 49ers fans, two of the team’s last five regular season games, Dec. 13 and Jan. 3, are set to air on Fox 40.
The ABC 10 and Fox 40 websites as of Wednesday morning were both topped with banners urging their viewers to contact the providers.
“Despite our tireless efforts, Dish has refused our fair offer and is making negotiations very difficult,” Fox 40’s web page said. “You might have seen them do this before. They will tell you it’s for your benefit, but don’t believe it. Our offer is fair. And now they hold you the subscriber hostage.”
This story was originally published December 2, 2020 at 6:47 AM.
