Broadcaster Facts
I keep hearing how sports networks are a big portion of my total monthly TV bill. How can just a few networks make such an impact?
It’s because many leagues, conferences, teams and college sports have their own networks – each with its own high fee, yet offering little or no additional games. And they insist that it be carried in packages that reach most of our customers, ...
Why have my local stations sometimes been pulled from my lineup? Can’t I get them free with an antenna?
All TV providers negotiate with broadcast station owners for the right to offer their stations to our customers as a convenience. And although these stations are indeed available free over the air with a digital antenna, these stations still collect ...
Why do I have to pay for TV networks I never watch?
Just five multi-billion-dollar corporations own or control about 90% of existing TV Networks – both those you want, as well as many of those you don’t. And they won’t let you have the most-popular networks unless you get the less-popular ones, too. ...
If you are trying to control costs, why does my TV bill seem to go up every year?
While we pledge to hold prices as low as possible, annual adjustments are necessary because of the rising cost of network fees and other factors. In fact, network fees have increased at 3.5 times the rate of inflation over the past 15 years. As your ...
What is retransmission consent?
Retransmission consent (or retrans) fees are the payments that Norvado and other cable and satellite providers make to broadcasters to carry their signals. The rules governing retrans fees are part of the 1992 Cable Act. These rules were written at a ...
How do retrans lead to blackouts?
When pay TV providers refuse to pay skyrocketing retrans fees, the broadcasters use TV viewers as pawns and black out their programming. This pressure allows broadcasters to extort even more money from pay TV providers, who risk losing customers if ...