DIRECTV vs. Mission: Is There Any Hope of a Settlement?

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow me on X.

TV Answer Man, will DIRECTV ever end its fight with our local Fox station? Is there any hope of a settlement anytime soon?! — Ian, Albany, New York.

Ian, DIRECTV has now been without roughly 26 Mission-owned local TV stations (including your local Fox station in Albany) since October 2022 due to a carriage dispute between the companies. (The blackout also affects DIRECTV Stream and U-verse. You can see a complete list of the Mission stations here.)

The TV provider has claimed that broadcaster Nexstar, which manages the stations, has forced Mission to hold out for better carriage terms. That would be a violation of anti-trust law, DIRECTV claims.

Nexstar has denied that it’s behind the Mission/White Knight blackouts, saying they are not the owner, just the manager of the stations’ daily operations. But DIRECTV took the fight to court, which complicated the carriage dispute and made a quick settlement unlikely. It appeared last March that DIRECTV’s legal quest was over when a federal appeals court ruled that the case lacked the antitrust standing the satcaster asserted in the lawsuit.

But the U.S. Justice Department recently intervened, asking the federal appeals court to reinstate the lawsuit. The Justice Department ‘friend-of-the-court’ brief says the appeals court used the wrong legal basis for rejecting the case, although the feds say they are not taking sides in the case.

It’s unclear what impact, if any, the new legal filing will have on the case. But any hope that the March dismissal of the suit would trigger renewed negotiations between DIRECTV and Mission and an imminent settlement would appear to be quashed. DIRECTV will likely wait until the appeals court rules on the Justice Department brief before taking further action.

Ian, hope that helps. Happy viewing and stay safe!

Note: The legal battle also includes a few local station owned by White Knight broadcasting and managed by Nexstar.

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.