Across December, stories of discord and disconnect dominated the headlines, as disgruntled MVPD customers were left to bemoan the loss of local TV stations due to two big retransmission consent fee impasses.
As 2020 comes to a close, Gray Television can rejoice in its signing of a carriage agreement with the fifth-largest cable TV services provider in the U.S.
Mediacom Communications, which offers cable TV services through its Xtream-branded services, late Monday (12/29) reached a new carriage agreement with broadcast TV station owner Gray.
The pact gives Mediacom retransmission consent rights to Gray stations located in more than 35 different U.S. television markets where Mediacom offers cable television services.
Specific terms of the deal were not disclosed by either company.
Mediacom operates in the Midwest and Southeastern U.S., and its most basic service offering is a bundle, combining 60 Mbps internet speed with local channels for $29.99 per month — not including a local broadcast station surcharge ranging from $17.10 to $24.62.
Mediacom’s markets include its home DMA of Springfield, Mo. There, it offers nearly all local TV stations through its TV Everywhere service. Among the stations: Gray-owned NBC affiliate KYTV-3 and two LPTVs: KSPR-33, the ABC affiliate; and The CW Network affiliate KYCW-24.
The relatively easy inking of a retrans deal between Mediacom and Gray is a far cry from where Mediacom stood on carriage consent just 5 1/2 years ago. In August 2015, Mediacom filed a petition on retrans consent with the FCC that raised the ire of the NAB, prompting a response to the Wheeler Commission.
The cable operator asked the FCC to open a rulemaking on retransmission consent, seeking to limit blackouts when talks are at an impasse; Mediacom also wanted the FCC to eliminate exclusivity rules that prevent the importation of comparable TV station programming into a local market, according to the petition.
Mediacom’s efforts came as it dealt with an ugly retrans negotiation gone bad with former licensee Media General. A “blackout” of the company’s stations began in July 2015, impacting customers in markets such as Nashville and the San Francisco Bay Area.
— Archival reporting by Carl Marcucci, in Washington, D.C.
