DIRECTV Asks FCC to Find that Nexstar Media Group Unlawfully Controls Mission and White Knight Stations to Raise Consumer Fees

DIRECTV has filed a legal challenge at the FCC to take another stand for its customers in the fight against unwarranted increases in the rising cost of local broadcast programming designed to be ‘free’ to consumers. The FCC legal challenge is against Nexstar Media Group, the nation’s largest broadcaster, and its attempt to further expand its sham “sidecars” through Mission Broadcasting and White Knight Broadcasting.  In an “Informal Complaint,” filed with the FCC today, DIRECTV alleges that Nexstar continues to violate media ownership and other rules by having de facto control over stations owned by Mission Broadcasting and White Knight, including in 25 markets where Nexstar also owns a top 4 local broadcaster. According to the Complaint, this control is exercised through a combination of services agreements, financing arrangements and option agreements, and is further evidenced by the behavior of Nexstar, Mission, and White Knight in retransmission consent negotiations with DIRECTV.  The Complaint also alleges that Nexstar, Mission, and White Knight have misled the FCC about these arrangements for years. 

In March, DIRECTV filed a federal antitrust lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York alleging that Nexstar had conspired with Mission and White Knight to raise retransmission consent fees charged to pay tv operators. 

“The reasons for this sham are obvious,” stated DIRECTV. “By controlling Mission and White Knight stations, Nexstar gains unlawful leverage both nationally (because it is bigger) and locally (because it controls multiple major networks in cities throughout the country). This enables it to charge more.  DIRECTV subscribers pay the price for Nexstar’s unlawful behavior.”

“Nexstar consolidates Mission and White Knight in its own financial results, assumes responsibility for both their revenues and their debts, and directs their retransmission consent negotiations with DIRECTV – and yet represents it is not in control of their stations to the FCC.  If the FCC does not take action, there will really be no limit to how much market share it can accumulate using this ‘side car’ construct.”

A copy of this FCC complaint can be found by clicking here.

Legal record of the antitrust suit is available at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Here are the individual stations, networks and communities currently blacked out by Mission’s and White Night’s ongoing retransmission consent conspiracy with Nexstar, as well as the Nexstar-owned stations in each of those same DMAs:

Keep up with this story on TVPromise.com.

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