Over the weekend, a retransmission dispute between the Walt Disney Co., owner of ABC, and DirecTV erupted, taking ABC-owned channels (ESPN, Disney Channel, ABC-owned affiliates) off DirecTV properties, including satellite-based DirecTV as well as internet-distributed DirecTV Stream.
In a new wrinkle, this retransmission dispute took other ABC-affiliated stations, regardless of ownership, off DirecTV Stream, including Pittsburgh’s WTAE, which is owned by Hearst. WTAE remains available to DirecTV customers using DirecTV’s traditional satellite service.
Although TV station groups negotiate directly with cable/satellite carriers regarding their traditional over-the-air TV signals, networks have handled carriage negotiations involving many TV station ownership groups with internet streaming providers, which is why WTAE is impacted even though Hearst is not directly involved in this particular dispute.
Kept/canceled
HBO renewed “City of God: The Fight Rages On” for a second season.
Netflix canceled “Dead Boy Detectives” after a single season.
Netflix is developing a “One Tree Hill” sequel series with the original stars Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton and Danneel Ackles.
