A total of 41 television stations with a reach of nearly 22 million television households across the U.S. will not be participating in any “great affiliation swap” anytime soon.
It’s thanks to a new agreement reached between Nexstar Media Group and one of the nation’s “Big Four” networks.
The nation’s No. 1 owner of television stations on Tuesday confirmed that it has reached “a comprehensive multi-year agreement” renewing the FOX affiliations of 29 Nexstar-owned stations across the United States, including those in six of the country’s top twenty markets.
Importantly, the agreement includes the affiliation extensions for 12 FOX affiliations that Nexstar manages but does not own — 11 of these stations are owned by Mission Broadcasting, while one station is owned by White Knight Broadcasting.
Nexstar’s relationship with Mission Broadcasting and White Knight has come under scrutiny in recent years by DirecTV and Dish Network, in addition to pro-MVPD advocacy group American Television Alliance (ATVA). The latest spat involving Nexstar and DirecTV erupted in July, impacting the FOX stations involved in the Nexstar affiliation contract renewal.
That’s only part of Nexstar’s troubles with DirecTV, which on June 29 filed an informal complaint with the Commission alleging that the nation’s biggest broadcast TV station ownership group had violated various Commission rules by exercising de facto control over both White Knight and Mission Broadcasting.
In the words of DirecTV’s legal counsel, HWG partner Michael Nilsson, Mission Broadcasting and White Knight are owners of “sidecar” television stations controlled by Nexstar.
Resolution is important for both FOX and Nexstar, as the company is the No. 1 FOX-affiliated television station group in the U.S., Nexstar broadcasting division President Andrew Alford noted. “Nexstar is proud to extend its longstanding
relationship with FOX. The strength of the network’s entertainment programming and live sports, together with Nexstar’s outstanding coverage of local news, weather and sports in the communities we serve is an unbeatable combination for viewers and an incredibly effective platform for our advertising and marketing clients.”
Fox Corporation President of Distribution David Espinosa commented, “We are pleased to continue our affiliation with Nexstar, our longstanding and valued partner. FOX and Nexstar together provide leading primetime, sports and local programming to our audiences, and this new agreement allows us to continue delivering an unparalleled television experience to our viewers for years to come.”
