Washington, D.C. (October 27,
2011) --
In the past week, Fox has run full-page newspaper ads blasting
DIRECTV for failing to sign a new programming agreement; aired
on-screen messages on Fox-owned networks saying DIRECTV viewers
could lose their favorite channels; and even enlisted a
Hollywood producer to call the satcaster every name in the book.
And DIRECTV is not happy about it.
The satellite TV service, which has threatened to remove roughly
two dozen Fox channels from its airwaves on November 1 if the
two sides can not reach a new carriage deal, has posted a
message at its web site saying that Fox and its parent company,
News Corp. are playing unfair.
"DIRECTV
has always been able to fight on our customers’ behalf and
settle its business behind the scenes – where it belongs," says
the message, which was posted last night. "But unfortunately
that’s not the case with News Corp and FOX. FOX has had very
public and nasty rate disputes with Cablevision, DISH, and Time
Warner Cable - and that’s only in the past year. No TV provider
is immune to their bullying tactics."
The satcaster adds: "By comparison, DIRECTV has quietly
closed deals with hundreds of different programmers in the last
few years, representing thousands of channels, and we are
prepared to do the same with FOX. We wish you weren’t put in
the middle. But we’re listening and talking to Fox daily.
We’re hopeful that FOX will soon become more reasonable with
their demands and we can put all this behind us."
With the current agreement between the two companies expiring in
six days, it's becoming clear that both sides are starting to
feel the tension. But DIRECTV's Wednesday night post suggests
the satcaster is growing especially tired of Fox's tactics which
seem to be whipping up anger among the satcaster's subscribers.
Message boards at TVPredictions.com and other sites are filled
with angry comments from people purporting to be DIRECTV
subscribers. Many of them are saying they will drop
DIRECTV unless they make a deal with Fox.
DIRECTV has said that Fox is demanding a 40 percent increase
over its previous fee; the satcaster says that's unreasonable
and not in keeping with the industry standard. It's unclear if
DIRECTV's reaction to Fox's actions of the past week will impact
its negotiating stance.
The list of Fox channels that could be removed from DIRECTV on
November 1 include FX, The Fox Movie Channel, National
Geographic Channel and Fox's regional sports channels.
