In 2019, DirecTV entered a dispute with Nextar Media Group, Mission Broadcasting, and White Knight Broadcasting over the conglomerate conspiring to manipulate and increase prices of retransmission consent fees. As a result, many DirecTV customers experienced a blackout of ABC, CBS, NBC or Fox on October 21, 2022. On March 14, 2023, DirecTV filed suit in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, alleging the Nexstar group violated antitrust law by conspiring to fix fees. In March of 2024, the federal district court dismissed the case on the grounds that DirecTV lacked standing to assert antitrust claims against the defendants under the Sherman Antitrust Act. Now, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected those arguments and reinstated the lawsuit. This ruling is a significant win for DirecTV, potentially setting a new precedent for how broadcast groups manage their station portfolios and negotiate fees, with implications for future carriage disputes and costs for TV providers and viewers. Before you get too excited, this announcement is just the first step. With having to restart discovery and all the legal maneuvers that will invariably take place, it could take months or even years before the dispute is finally settled.
