Sunbeam Television Shuts Out DIRECTV NFL Fans in Miami in Attempt to Extract 300 Percent Pay Increase

[Scott Greczkowski]

Sunbeam Television Shuts Out DIRECTV NFL Fans in Miami in Attempt to Extract 300 Percent Pay Increase

Sunbeam Pulls WSVN (Miami) and WHDH/ WLVI (Boston) Off of DIRECTV, Refuses Request to Keep Channels Up While Talks Continue Leaving Their Viewers Out in the Cold

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Sunbeam Television, a Miami-based station owner, today denied DIRECTV customers in its south Florida hometown access to their local FOX station, blacking out this Saturday's and Sunday's NFL divisional playoff games in an egregious attempt to extract a more than 300 percent increase in fees. As a result of Sunbeam's actions, DIRECTV customers in Boston have also lost their local NBC and CW affiliates.

DIRECTV made repeated requests to extend its agreement to carry Sunbeam Television stations so negotiations could continue and to avoid the loss of this afternoon's NFC playoff game between the San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints, as well as tomorrow afternoon's contest between the NY Giants and defending NFL Champion Green Bay Packers.

Not only did Sunbeam flat out refuse this request, they sent a demand letter today dictating that the channels be removed immediately from DIRECTV. This decision rests solely on the shoulders of Sunbeam executives, so customers should call Sunbeam's corporate offices and insist the channels be restored so customers aren't placed in the middle while both sides work toward a deal to enable everyone to move on.

Over the past 12 months, DIRECTV has achieved fair and equitable agreements with more than 70 local station owners representing hundreds of different TV channels (including stations in Boston and Miami) and without any programming disruptions. More than 20 of those agreements came within the past several weeks alone.

"There is always one outlier, like Sunbeam, who has no problem committing an unthinkable abuse of the public trust in an effort to shake down an excessive financial arrangement for themselves," said Derek Chang, executive vice president of Programming for DIRECTV. "We have no problem compensating Sunbeam fairly, but we have to take a stand against runaway greed and a shameless attempt to extort a more than 300 percent fee increase that our customers risk having to absorb. Sunbeam has completely disregarded its obligations to the public, NFL fans and hundreds of thousands of our loyal customers."

Local broadcast station owners like Sunbeam operate under Federal license to freely use the airwaves and have a responsibility to all consumers to provide reasonable access to their programming. Threats by station owners and forced blackouts are a rising trend affecting other pay TV distributors, which has not escaped the attention of the Federal Communications Commission and members of Congress. DIRECTV will bring the Sunbeam matter to the attention of both the Federal Communications Commission and Congressional representatives from Sunbeam districts.

[Jimbo]

Good time to have a OTA antenna !

It amazes me that a particular Station owner thinks they can get x amount of dollars more than what D* is offering when D* has been working with the same networks across the country, you would think that there would be AVG amount of money that would have been established by now so these stations would KNOW what the going rate would be and whats acceptable and what to expect.

[Scott Greczkowski]

I understand locals were also lost in Boston, but I did not get a press release on those channels.

[Jimbo]

Scott, when was the most recent posting, the one I reads on the WHDH website (NBC / Boston) was dated back on the 12th, that was Thursday, so theres still a chance that they could be back up before the football games,, but seeing it's Sunbeam that pulled them, it's doubtful.

Once again, D* offered an extension to continue negotiations and keep the channels up while doing this, (most companies will do this so nothing is interrupted) looks like Sunbeam didn't.

Have you seen/heard anything more recent ?

[Tampa8]

Good for Direct!! Stand your ground on this.

[Rey]

My ota setup is down. Not Happy at all about this!

[Rey]

You think directv would open up one of the fox channels for us?

[Scott Greczkowski]

You think directv would open up one of the fox channels for us?

They can't by law.

[Rey]

They can't by law.

Gonna have to try and see why my ota setup isn't working. Just another's reason why I hate WSVN

[silvanthalas]

I'm curious to know what the current fee is that they want to raise it by 300%.