Washington, D.C.
(January 26,
2012) -- Sunbeam and DIRECTV have
reached a new agreement, immediately ending a blackout for the
satcaster's viewers of the NBC and CW stations in Boston and the
Fox station in Miami.
The companies announced the new deal this evening. The old
agreement expired nearly two weeks ago.
"We are pleased to have reached
an agreement to end the Sunbeam blackout, and regret that any of
our customers were forced into the middle of a business dispute
where they should never have been in the first place," DIRECTV
said in a press release. "We believe, like many, the public
interest is best served by allowing customers to keep their
local broadcast stations as we negotiate future agreements,
rather than being denied access by broadcast stations and used
as leverage in what should be a private business matter."
DIRECTV was referring to
Sunbeam's decision to force the satcaster to remove the three
stations when the old agreement ended. The impasse was
criticized by an untold number of viewers in the two cities and
politicians including Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.
Both viewers and the pols were particularly concerned that the
fight could lead to a blackout of the Super Bowl in Boston. But
that scenario is now moot.
Sunbeam also issued a statement this evening, saying it was
"pleased that we reached an agreement with DIRECTV and we
appreciate our viewers' patience during the tough negotiation."
What do you think? Offer your comments below!blog comments powered by Disqus
