AT&T, Northwest Broadcasting reach agreement to restore local Fox affiliate on DirecTV

AT&T and Northwest Broadcasting have reached a long-term agreement that ends a blackout of KAYU-TV Fox 28 on DirecTV.

Northwest Broadcasting announced on KAYU-TV’s website it arrived at an agreement with AT&T that will result in restoration of more than 18 channels in 10 markets.

Northwest Broadcasting stated it “regrets the inconvenience this has placed on our valued viewers. Resumption of carriage may vary from market-to-market as it is at the discretion of DirecTV.”

DirecTV customers were left in the dark for more than eight months as “retransmission consent” contract negotiations between AT&T – which owns DirecTV – and Northwest Broadcasting remained at a standstill.

Retransmission consent is a process created by federal law under which cable and satellite companies negotiate with television stations for the right to carry the stations on their systems. Broadcasters receive retransmission consent fees – similar to a monthly licensing fee – from cable and satellite providers.

AT&T remains in an ongoing contract dispute with KHQ Inc., Cowles Montana Media and NBC Right Now, which resulted in a blackout of KHQ-TV on DirecTV last month.

KHQ-TV is a subsidiary of Cowles Co., which also publishes The Spokesman-Review.