DirecTV & Fox Networks in Carriage Dispute

EL SEGUNDO: DirecTV subscribers are at risk of losing Fox Networks stations such as FX and National Geographic Channel on November 1 unless a new carriage fee agreement can be reached.

According to DirecTV, Fox Networks is seeing a 40-percent increase in its carriage fees. "They are currently asking our customers to pay 40-percent more for the exact same Fox channels that they already receive, and that’s simply unfair and unwarranted," the company said. "We hope to resolve this situation before any action is taken, but we will do what’s necessary to protect our customers from excessive and unwarranted fee increases. We already provide News Corp. nearly a billion dollars a year for their channels, and we have no problem continuing to compensate them fairly."

Fox issued its own statement, saying: “DirecTV sent us a proposal on Tuesday afternoon,” according to a Fox networks spokesman. ”They have given us no chance to respond before taking an unnecessarily aggressive posture and going public. It is disappointing that they have chosen bad faith tactics over meaningful negotiation. We have proposed to keep the Fox Networks on DirecTV for the same price, and on the same terms as they are currently carried while we attempt to work out a fair agreement. Unfortunately, DirecTV has decided that unless they get their way, they are going to pull the plug on their customers November 1.”

The networks affected include FX, National Geographic Channel, Speed, Fuel TV, Fox Soccer, Fox Soccer Plus, Fox Movie Channel, Fox Deportes and the 19 Fox regional sports networks.

Fox and News Corp. were engaged in a dispute with Cablevision a year ago; Fox channels were blacked out on Dish Network in October 2010 due to a dispute as well.