By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow on X.
Former editor of 4 TV magazines. Author of TV Dot Com.
DIRECTV’s lawsuit against Nexstar has been dismissed in federal court on grounds that it lacks the antitrust standing the TV provider asserted in the lawsuit, reports Cablefax. The decision, which DIRECTV could appeal, upsets the satcaster’s effort to use the lawsuit to end a 17-month blackout of roughly 30 local stations owned by Mission and White Knight but managed by Nexstar.
The satcaster was hoping to prove that Nexstar had violated antitrust law by allegedly forcing the Mission and White Knight stations to demand high carriage rates and then remove their signals if DIRECTV did not comply. DIRECTV lost the Mission and White Knight stations in October 2022 when the companies could not reach new deals.
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Nexstar denied that it’s behind the Mission/White Knight blackouts, saying they are not the owner, just the manager of the stations’ daily operations.
Cablefax writes that Judge Kevin Castel ruled that DIRECTV’s loss of the Mission and White Knight stations came “from its own choice to exit the market. While this choice may have been influenced by Defendants’ demands, it does not result from Defendants’ claimed unlawful acts, i.e., the extraction of supracompetitive prices.”
Consequently, Castell said that the case lacks antitrust standing because DIRECTV was not forced to pay the fees. The provider had the choice not to pay it and chose not to.
It’s unclear if DIRECTV will try to appeal the decision or now renew carriage talks with Mission and White Knight, or perhaps both.
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The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered the TV technology scene for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.
