AT&T And Raycom Media Signs New Deal

AT&T, one of the fastest internet providers in the country, offers some of the best internet and cable deals to their customers. However, AT&T was recently engaged in a dispute with Raycom Media over retrans deal, and the dispute between the two parties resulted in the blackout of CBS affiliate WBTV on AT&T U-Verse. Both the parties blamed one another for the blackout of the channel that started back on March 15, 2017.

However, reports indicate that Raycom Media and AT&T have finally entered into an agreement over a new retransmission deal. This means that AT&T U-Verse customers in 23 markets in the US will now be able to access and watch the contents offered by CBS affiliate WBTV.

In a recent statement, the officials from Raycom Media said, “We apologize to our viewers for this inconvenience, and appreciate their patience during the impasse.” However, Raycom had earlier made claims that the telecom giant, AT&T was using blackouts to drive their customers to their much preferred pay-TV platform, DirecTV.

Raycom Media added, “AT&T U-Verse, now combined with DirecTV, appears to be using programming disruptions as an opportunity to switch AT&T U-Verse customers to its DirecTV service. When disgruntled AT&T U-Verse subscribers call to lodge a complaint, they are offered a subscription with DirecTV, the very same company as AT&T. In some instances, subscribers are also pushed to DirecTV Now, a service that in many markets does not carry any local broadcast affiliates.”

The broadcaster also added that it is the fifth Raycom Media blackout on AT&T U-Verse since AT&T completed their DirecTV purchase back in the year 2015. Raycom added that there were no U-Verse interruptions or blackouts before AT&T entered into a merger with DirecTV.

The officials from AT&T responded to Raycom Media’s statement by stating that, “Raycom Media determines whether or not its stations remain in our U-Verse customers’ lineups. We have asked Raycom numerous times to leave their stations up, and once they took them down, to put them back up.”

“We have offered to compensate Raycom even when out of contract for events like the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament where a program of key interest is at risk,” AT&T officials added. “Our challenge to Raycom stands put your local stations back on and we will compensate you while we work privately to settle this issue. It’s also important for our customers to know that other than Raycom we have no other blackouts across the 21 states U-Verse serves.”